Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanaka and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanaka and Wellington

🙂 Solo nomad: Wanaka is 7% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 19.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Wanaka is 14.4% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 17% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.97 NZ$20.36
$17.83 NZ$30.31
-32.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.6 NZ$103
$84.2 NZ$143
-28.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.95 NZ$15.21
$9.46 NZ$16.09
-5.39%
Cappuccino
$3.13 NZ$5.32
$3.65 NZ$6.21
-14.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 NZ$2.91
$2.57 NZ$4.38
-33.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 NZ$3.43
$2.20 NZ$3.73
-8.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.14 NZ$12.14
$7.20 NZ$12.24
-0.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 NZ$10.15
$7.44 NZ$12.65
-19.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 NZ$3.73
$1.82 NZ$3.10
20.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 NZ$3.34
$2.04 NZ$3.47
-3.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.89 NZ$3.21
$1.97 NZ$3.35
-4.06%
Eggs
$5.52 NZ$9.38
$7.24 NZ$12.31
-23.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.08 NZ$13.73
$8.16 NZ$13.88
-0.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.84 NZ$18.43
$10.90 NZ$18.54
-0.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.37 NZ$22.73
$13.19 NZ$22.42
1.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 NZ$4.90
$3.06 NZ$5.21
-5.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 NZ$3.88
$2.36 NZ$4.01
-3.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.26 NZ$5.55
$2.98 NZ$5.07
9.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.51 NZ$7.66
$4.83 NZ$8.21
-6.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 NZ$3.29
$2.02 NZ$3.44
-4.46%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.53
$1.58 NZ$2.68
31.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 NZ$4.14
$2.30 NZ$3.90
5.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 NZ$1.80
$1.29 NZ$2.20
-17.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.46 NZ$41.58
$26.71 NZ$45.41
-8.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.99 NZ$15.28
$10.89 NZ$18.52
-17.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.61 NZ$4.44
$3.51 NZ$5.97
-25.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 NZ$6.24
$3.26 NZ$5.54
12.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 NZ$3.51
$2.67 NZ$4.54
-22.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.1 NZ$111
$107 NZ$182
-39.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.76 NZ$4.70
$2.77 NZ$4.70
-0.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.15 NZ$1.96
$1.79 NZ$3.05
-35.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.71 NZ$52.2
$60.9 NZ$103
-49.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 NZ$2.96
$1.67 NZ$2.85
4.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.6K NZ$33.2K
$33.0K NZ$56.2K
-40.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K NZ$43.0K
$24.9K NZ$42.3K
1.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 NZ$176
$155 NZ$264
-33.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.65 NZ$60.6
$33.64 NZ$57.2
5.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.9 NZ$93.4
$51.1 NZ$86.8
7.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.55 NZ$72.3
$36.54 NZ$62.1
16.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.87 NZ$20.18
$20.82 NZ$35.39
-42.99%
Cinema Ticket
$9.73 NZ$16.54
$12.26 NZ$20.84
-20.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$578 NZ$983
$818 NZ$1,390
-29.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K NZ$20.3K
$12.8K NZ$21.8K
-6.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 NZ$113
$70.9 NZ$121
-6.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 NZ$59.3
$53.2 NZ$90.5
-34.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.7 NZ$122
$120 NZ$204
-40.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.6 NZ$132
$145 NZ$247
-46.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,057 NZ$1,796
$1,297 NZ$2,205
-18.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$856 NZ$1,454
$1,094 NZ$1,860
-21.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 NZ$3,423
$2,127 NZ$3,616
-5.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,756 NZ$2,985
$1,916 NZ$3,257
-8.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,062 NZ$8,606
$6,806 NZ$11.6K
-25.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,268 NZ$5,555
$4,067 NZ$6,914
-19.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wanaka
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,546 NZ$7,729
$3,107 NZ$5,282
46.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
6.94
-42.36%

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

Last update for Wanaka: March 2, 2026

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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