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: $1,863 in Wanaka versus $1,966 in Scarborough.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,921 in Wanaka versus $2,866 in Scarborough.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,979 in Wanaka versus $3,766 in Scarborough.

Living in Wanaka costs roughly 5% less than in Scarborough, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wanaka 39% above, Scarborough 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 NZ$20.19

$14.61 £10.81

-18.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 NZ$103

$68.4 £50.6

-11.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.29 NZ$15.79

$9.93 £7.35

-6.45%

Cappuccino

$3.17 NZ$5.39

$4.26 £3.15

-25.59%

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

$1.75 NZ$2.97

$2.08 £1.54

-15.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 NZ$3.33

$1.00 £0.74

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 NZ$12.41

$5.76 £4.27

26.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 NZ$10.28

$4.60 £3.40

31.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 NZ$3.73

$1.47 £1.09

48.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.25

$1.70 £1.26

12.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 NZ$3.25

$2.54 £1.88

-24.80%

Eggs

$5.54 NZ$9.42

$3.67 £2.72

50.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 NZ$14.46

$9.19 £6.80

-7.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 NZ$18.17

$8.18 £6.05

30.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 NZ$22.11

$9.25 £6.84

40.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$4.97

$3.29 £2.43

-11.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$3.89

$1.50 £1.11

52.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 NZ$5.69

$1.50 £1.11

122.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 NZ$7.72

$2.26 £1.67

100.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 NZ$3.25

$1.20 £0.88

59.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.54

$1.57 £1.16

32.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 NZ$4.33

$1.04 £0.77

145.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NZ$1.90

$1.76 £1.30

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.89 NZ$40.62

$11.40 £8.44

109.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.09 NZ$15.45

$10.93 £8.09

-16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 NZ$4.28

$2.73 £2.02

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 NZ$6.33

$2.65 £1.96

40.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 NZ$3.69

$3.20 £2.37

-32.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.0 NZ$107

$93.9 £69.5

-32.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 NZ$4.74

$4.34 £3.21

-35.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 NZ$1.93

$1.19 £0.88

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.65 NZ$50.4

$16.08 £11.90

84.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$2.95

$1.89 £1.40

-7.94%

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

$20.1K NZ$34.2K

$35.9K £26.5K

-43.86%

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

$25.2K NZ$42.8K

$39.4K £29.1K

-35.98%

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

$100 NZ$171

$272 £202

-63.13%

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

$35.91 NZ$61.1

$15.68 £11.60

129.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 NZ$93.5

$34.10 £25.23

61.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.45 NZ$70.5

$33.42 £24.73

24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 NZ$20.85

$12.99 £9.61

-5.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.61 NZ$16.33

$11.27 £8.34

-14.73%

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

$580 NZ$986

$1,723 £1,275

-66.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NZ$20.4K

$18.3K £13.5K

-34.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.1 NZ$112

$68.7 £50.8

-3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.92 NZ$59.4

$37.21 £27.54

-6.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 NZ$124

$111 £81.8

-33.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 NZ$131

$86.9 £64.3

-11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 NZ$1,765

$892 £660

16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 NZ$1,444

$855 £632

-0.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 NZ$3,367

$1,536 £1,137

28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 NZ$2,989

$1,225 £906

43.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 NZ$8,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,835 NZ$6,520

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,532 NZ$7,704

$2,114 £1,564

114.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

-26.61%

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

Last update for Wanaka: April 27, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,038 in Wanaka and $892 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wanaka pays 114% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Wanaka vs $68.0 in Scarborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $268, 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 5% in total monthly costs ($1,863 vs $1,966 including rent). Wanaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Wanaka pays 114% more on average, 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: $1,038 in Wanaka versus $892 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 49% less than in Scarborough. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $580 in Wanaka versus $1,723 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,863 in Wanaka versus $1,966 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 5% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.