Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

For one person, living is cheaper in New Zealand: $2,096 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in New Zealand

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United States and in New Zealand actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,734 per month in the United States vs $2,096 in New Zealand, rent included.

United States $2,734
New Zealand $2,096

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in the United States vs $3,101 in New Zealand, rent included.

United States $3,985
New Zealand $3,101

A family of three spends $5,235 per month in the United States vs $4,106 in New Zealand, rent included.

United States $5,235
New Zealand $4,106

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in New Zealand ($841–$2,421), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 30% higher than in New Zealand on average.

Both the United States and New Zealand are pricier than the global median – the United States by 101%, New Zealand by 54%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$14.33 NZ$25.43

39.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$68.4 NZ$121

17.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$9.17 NZ$16.28

28.68%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$3.32 NZ$5.89

67.17%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.21 NZ$3.93

20.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.97 NZ$3.50

10.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$6.68 NZ$11.85

-8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$6.67 NZ$11.84

19.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-41.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.88 NZ$3.34

90.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.74 NZ$3.09

159.77%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$6.03 NZ$10.71

-29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$8.01 NZ$14.22

65.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$9.55 NZ$16.96

31.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$14.49 NZ$25.72

21.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.73 NZ$4.85

94.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.12 NZ$3.76

-20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.96 NZ$5.26

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$5.02 NZ$8.91

-4.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.98 NZ$3.52

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.52 NZ$2.70

107.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.06 NZ$3.65

6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.11 NZ$1.96

111.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$24.38 NZ$43.28

-54.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$8.82 NZ$15.66

70.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-35.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.35 NZ$5.94

13.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.02 NZ$3.60

-3.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$114 NZ$202

-47.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.33 NZ$4.14

53.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.94 NZ$3.44

-3.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$32.85 NZ$58.3

-9.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-42.70%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.8K $28.8K

$27.9K NZ$49.5K

3.11%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

12.50%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$218 $218

$154 NZ$274

41.28%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$32.00 NZ$56.8

95.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$50.2 NZ$89.1

48.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$33.74 NZ$59.9

24.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$14.70 NZ$26.10

55.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$11.18 NZ$19.86

31.48%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,489 $1,489

$870 NZ$1,544

71.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$16.4K NZ$29.1K

54.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$68.9 NZ$122

-21.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$36.42 NZ$64.7

17.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$93.4 NZ$166

0.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$117 NZ$207

-2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$1,117 NZ$1,982

48.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$965 NZ$1,714

39.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,762 NZ$3,128

52.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$1,554 NZ$2,759

39.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$5,530 NZ$9,818

-40.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$3,778 NZ$6,708

-34.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$2,758 NZ$4,897

55.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

6.27

4.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

New Zealand

$965 46.1% 28.4% $382

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

New Zealand

$317 15.1% 23.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

New Zealand

$236 11.3% 33.4% $118

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

New Zealand

$245 11.7% 25.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

New Zealand

$142 6.8% 3.5% $4.8

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

New Zealand

$134 6.4% 67.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

New Zealand

$56 2.7% 21.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,620 in the United States vs $999 in New Zealand. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,768 in Washington, DC and $1,143 in Wellington.

Average salary: $4,549 in the United States vs $2,922 in New Zealand. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 62% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 12% more in the United States.

Public transport is 63% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are 56% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

17 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

5,118,700

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.505 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.505 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United States New Zealand 13,130 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
New Zealand

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

United States vs New Zealand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Zealand is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 23% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $999 in New Zealand.

New Zealand is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.