Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vienna and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,865 a month against $2,307 in Vienna, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Vienna
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Vienna Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,307

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vienna and in Nelson

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,307 in Vienna versus $1,865 in Nelson.

Vienna $2,307
Nelson $1,865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,489 in Vienna versus $2,872 in Nelson.

Vienna $3,489
Nelson $2,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,671 in Vienna versus $3,879 in Nelson.

Vienna $4,671
Nelson $3,879

Living in Vienna is roughly 24% more expensive than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vienna 70% above, Nelson 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 €17.34

$13.72 NZ$24.38

41.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 €79.4

$64.8 NZ$115

36.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €12.08

$8.27 NZ$14.70

63.00%

Cappuccino

$5.32 €4.77

$3.19 NZ$5.66

66.77%

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

$3.73 €3.34

$1.82 NZ$3.23

104.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.84

$1.65 NZ$2.93

91.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 €5.39

$7.61 NZ$13.51

-20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.04

$5.84 NZ$10.37

-3.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-15.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.19 NZ$3.89

-0.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.96 NZ$3.48

31.63%

Eggs

$4.57 €4.09

$5.85 NZ$10.39

-21.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 €12.27

$9.13 NZ$16.21

49.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 €12.69

$7.62 NZ$13.54

85.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.63 €20.28

$13.65 NZ$24.24

65.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$3.15 NZ$5.60

-5.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.15 NZ$3.81

2.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 €3.22

$3.00 NZ$5.33

19.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 €3.78

$5.63 NZ$10.00

-25.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-3.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.23 NZ$2.19

52.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.02 NZ$3.60

-7.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.81

$1.08 NZ$1.92

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.43 €6.66

$25.87 NZ$45.96

-71.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 €7.56

$9.94 NZ$17.65

-15.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.38

$3.14 NZ$5.58

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.81 NZ$5.00

-34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 €3.13

$2.20 NZ$3.92

59.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 €51.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 €4.90

$1.83 NZ$3.25

198.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.79 NZ$3.18

20.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.49 €40.76

$33.80 NZ$60.1

34.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.56 NZ$2.77

26.28%

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

$30.1K €27.0K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

76.65%

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

$32.1K €28.8K

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

43.83%

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

$321 €288

$130 NZ$231

146.85%

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

$14.48 €12.98

$32.93 NZ$58.5

-56.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.90 €28.59

$43.70 NZ$77.6

-27.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.15 €33.29

$101 NZ$179

-63.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.06 €25.14

$34.48 NZ$61.3

-18.62%

Cinema Ticket

$13.84 €12.40

$11.14 NZ$19.79

24.24%

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

$397 €355

$458 NZ$814

-13.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K €25.4K

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

115.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €79.1

$52.9 NZ$94.0

66.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 €34.72

$28.57 NZ$50.8

35.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 €83.4

$104 NZ$185

-10.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$143 NZ$253

-7.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,218

$1,023 NZ$1,818

32.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 €838

$813 NZ$1,444

15.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,552 €2,286

$1,755 NZ$3,118

45.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,459

$1,455 NZ$2,584

11.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K €12.4K

$1,396 NZ$2,481

887.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,925 €5,310

$852 NZ$1,513

595.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,478 €3,116

$2,043 NZ$3,630

70.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

5.39

-36.73%

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

Last update for Vienna: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vienna

$935 40.5%

Nelson

$813 43.6% 13.1% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vienna

$368 15.9%

Nelson

$207 11.1% 43.8% $161

Groceries & Markets

Vienna

$366 15.9%

Nelson

$319 17.1% 13% $48

Eating Out

Vienna

$328 14.2%

Nelson

$236 12.7% 27.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Vienna

$159 6.9%

Nelson

$148 7.9% 6.9% $11

Getting Around

Vienna

$87 3.8%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 77.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Vienna

$65 2.8%

Nelson

$123 6.6% 89.5% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,359 in Vienna and $1,023 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vienna pays 70% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Vienna vs $65 in Nelson for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $319 per month, with Nelson cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Vienna

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

20:10 8:10 PM

12 h ahead of Vienna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,920,949 Capital

51,100

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.506 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.506 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vienna Nelson 18,040 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Vienna
Nelson

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

Vienna vs Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nelson wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Vienna. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nelson the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Vienna, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,359 in Vienna versus $1,023 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $397 in Vienna versus $458 in Nelson. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nelson – a meal for two runs $65 versus $89 in Vienna. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Vienna and Nelson are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Nelson wins on affordability, Vienna on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.