Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Aberdeen

For one person, living costs are similar in Wellington and in Aberdeen: $2,358 and $2,264 a month, rent and utilities included.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Aberdeen

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

A single person spends $2,358 per month in Wellington vs $2,264 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Wellington $2,358
Aberdeen $2,264

A couple spends around $3,368 per month in Wellington vs $3,528 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Wellington $3,368
Aberdeen $3,528

A family of three spends $4,378 per month in Wellington vs $4,792 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Wellington $4,378
Aberdeen $4,792

Wellington costs about 4% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wellington and Aberdeen sit above the global median – Wellington by 75%, Aberdeen by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.27

$19.95 £14.96

-31.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$94.0 £70.5

-32.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.83

$10.71 £8.04

-16.43%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.05

$4.59 £3.44

-25.49%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.31

$2.71 £2.03

-9.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.98

$2.12 £1.59

-20.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.22 NZ$12.76

$7.15 £5.37

0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.76

$7.79 £5.84

-14.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.49 £1.12

28.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 NZ$3.89

$1.71 £1.28

28.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.96 £1.47

-6.63%

Eggs

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$4.36 £3.27

55.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$8.81 £6.61

2.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NZ$17.43

$12.10 £9.08

-18.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 NZ$26.86

$16.59 £12.44

-8.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.85 £2.14

9.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.38 £1.03

60.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.43

$2.80 £2.10

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 NZ$11.65

$3.66 £2.75

80.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.70 £1.28

21.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.18

$1.50 £1.13

-18.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$1.25 £0.94

65.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.03

$1.62 £1.22

-29.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$21.97 £16.48

13.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 NZ$19.95

$11.20 £8.40

0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$2.64 £1.98

17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$3.07 £2.30

-6.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$2.70 £2.02

4.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$120 £90.1

-15.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$3.88 £2.91

-51.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$2.45 £1.84

-25.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.15 NZ$60.4

$24.17 £18.13

41.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$2.13 £1.60

-14.55%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

$37.5K £28.1K

-33.28%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$40.2K £30.2K

-36.77%

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

$197 NZ$348

$400 £300

-50.84%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.6

$28.11 £21.09

13.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$42.10 £31.58

24.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$66.7

$53.5 £40.15

-29.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

$22.06 £16.55

-26.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 NZ$21.10

$11.23 £8.43

6.23%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,867

$1,770 £1,328

-40.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

$23.2K £17.4K

-44.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 NZ$135

$96.3 £72.3

-20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$49.93

$48.95 £36.73

-42.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$102 £76.7

-2.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$270

$112 £84.1

35.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 NZ$2,169

$833 £625

47.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 NZ$2,018

$771 £579

47.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 NZ$3,790

$1,573 £1,180

36.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 NZ$3,022

$1,611 £1,208

6.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

$2,281 £1,712

188.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,559 NZ$6,294

$3,390 £2,544

4.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,925

$3,625 £2,719

-23.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.11

5.48%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4%

Aberdeen

$771 34.1% 32.4% $370

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$346 14.7%

Aberdeen

$320 14.1% 7.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.9%

Aberdeen

$470 20.8% 67.3% $189

Eating Out

Wellington

$244 10.3%

Aberdeen

$317 14% 30.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$160 6.8%

Aberdeen

$162 7.2% 0.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.3%

Aberdeen

$147 6.5% 18.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Aberdeen

$76 3.4% 23.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,226 in Wellington versus $833 in Aberdeen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Aberdeen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Wellington versus $94.0 in Aberdeen. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Wellington vs $320 in Aberdeen – so Aberdeen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

15:25 3:25 PM

12 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

229,060

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Aberdeen 18,240 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Aberdeen

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

Wellington vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 4% more than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,536 per month in Wellington and $3,396 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aberdeen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,358 in Wellington and $2,264 in Aberdeen. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Aberdeen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aberdeen, where all-in costs run around $2,264, than in Wellington at $2,358. In Aberdeen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aberdeen costs $2,264 versus $2,358 in Wellington. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aberdeen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.