Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanaka and Scarborough Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanaka and Scarborough

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Wanaka versus $2,157 in Scarborough.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,966 in Wanaka versus $3,010 in Scarborough.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,094 in Wanaka versus $3,863 in Scarborough.

Living in Wanaka costs roughly 15% less than in Scarborough, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wanaka 35% above, Scarborough 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.77 NZ$25.16

$15.28 £11.36

-3.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 NZ$98.9

$71.6 £53.2

-18.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 NZ$14.96

$10.58 £7.86

-17.01%

Cappuccino

$3.04 NZ$5.18

$3.62 £2.69

-16.02%

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

$1.73 NZ$2.95

$2.12 £1.58

-18.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 NZ$3.40

$0.97 £0.72

105.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 NZ$12.23

$4.39 £3.26

63.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 NZ$10.25

$4.38 £3.26

37.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 NZ$3.28

$1.24 £0.92

54.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 NZ$3.09

$1.39 £1.03

30.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.09

$1.06 £0.79

70.75%

Eggs

$5.92 NZ$10.09

$3.56 £2.65

66.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 NZ$13.98

$8.00 £5.95

2.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 NZ$16.29

$7.03 £5.23

35.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 NZ$28.74

$13.95 £10.37

20.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.23

$3.17 £2.36

-3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.68

$2.01 £1.49

7.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 NZ$5.77

$2.69 £2.00

25.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.38 NZ$9.17

$2.04 £1.51

163.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 NZ$3.39

$1.82 £1.36

9.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.18

$1.61 £1.20

16.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 NZ$4.19

$1.20 £0.89

105.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 NZ$0.99

$1.93 £1.43

-69.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.29 NZ$39.68

$22.75 £16.91

2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.20 NZ$15.67

$9.19 £6.83

0.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 NZ$5.54

$3.68 £2.74

-11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 NZ$2.13

$3.70 £2.75

-66.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 NZ$2.82

$3.38 £2.51

-50.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 NZ$130

$86.7 £64.4

-11.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 NZ$3.93

$5.61 £4.17

-58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NZ$3.16

$5.15 £3.83

-64.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.03 NZ$49.46

$32.91 £24.46

-11.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 NZ$3.05

$1.92 £1.43

-6.77%

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

$26.8K NZ$45.6K

$36.6K £27.2K

-26.93%

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

$26.5K NZ$45.2K

$39.9K £29.7K

-33.59%

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

$100 NZ$171

$357 £265

-71.90%

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

$28.26 NZ$48.16

$25.70 £19.10

9.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NZ$92.2

$33.07 £24.58

63.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.10 NZ$66.6

$67.1 £49.89

-41.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.51 £9.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 NZ$18.28

$10.52 £7.82

2.00%

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

$601 NZ$1,024

$1,682 £1,250

-64.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K NZ$21.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 NZ$101

$66.1 £49.09

-10.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 NZ$63.2

$36.19 £26.90

2.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 NZ$122

$106 £78.6

-32.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 NZ$132

$126 £93.6

-38.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 NZ$1,749

$887 £659

15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 NZ$1,406

$845 £628

-2.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 NZ$3,366

$1,532 £1,139

28.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 NZ$2,929

$1,232 £916

39.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,021 NZ$8,555

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,503 NZ$5,968

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,375 NZ$7,454

$2,109 £1,567

107.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

-27.67%

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

Last update for Wanaka: August 3, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: August 3, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,027 in Wanaka and $887 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wanaka pays 107% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Wanaka vs $72.0 in Scarborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $276, with Scarborough cheaper for home cooking.

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

Wanaka vs Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wanaka and Scarborough differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $2,157 including rent). Wanaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 107% higher in Wanaka, 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: $1,027 in Wanaka versus $887 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Wanaka runs roughly 14% less than in Scarborough. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $601 in Wanaka versus $1,682 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,837 in Wanaka versus $2,157 in Scarborough, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wanaka but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. The gap between the two cities makes Wanaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Wanaka and Scarborough are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Wanaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.