Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Ashburton Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Ashburton

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Wellington is 5.7% more expensive than Ashburton without rent, and 26.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Wellington is 14.5% more expensive than Ashburton without rent, and 24.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.83 NZ$29.96
$16.65 NZ$27.98
7.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.2 NZ$141
$71.6 NZ$120
17.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.46 NZ$15.90
$9.45 NZ$15.87
0.11%
Cappuccino
$3.65 NZ$6.13
$3.52 NZ$5.91
3.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 NZ$4.32
$2.38 NZ$4.00
7.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 NZ$3.69
$2.05 NZ$3.44
7.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.20 NZ$12.10
$7.07 NZ$11.87
1.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.44 NZ$12.50
$7.07 NZ$11.87
5.23%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 NZ$3.06
$1.81 NZ$3.05
0.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 NZ$3.43
$1.92 NZ$3.23
6.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.31
$1.66 NZ$2.79
18.67%
Eggs
$7.24 NZ$12.17
$6.61 NZ$11.10
9.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.16 NZ$13.72
$8.47 NZ$14.23
-3.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.90 NZ$18.32
$9.30 NZ$15.63
17.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.19 NZ$22.15
$12.95 NZ$21.75
1.85%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.15
$3.16 NZ$5.32
-3.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.36 NZ$3.96
$2.04 NZ$3.43
15.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 NZ$5.01
$3.04 NZ$5.11
-1.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.83 NZ$8.12
$3.29 NZ$5.53
46.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.40
$2.06 NZ$3.46
-1.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.58 NZ$2.65
$2.21 NZ$3.71
-28.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.30 NZ$3.86
$2.95 NZ$4.95
-22.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 NZ$2.17
$1.48 NZ$2.49
-12.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.71 NZ$44.88
$23.90 NZ$40.15
11.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.89 NZ$18.30
$9.02 NZ$15.16
20.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.51 NZ$5.90
$3.78 NZ$6.34
-7.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 NZ$5.47
$4.80 NZ$8.07
-32.08%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 NZ$4.49
$2.07 NZ$3.48
28.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 NZ$180
$63.9 NZ$107
67.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 NZ$4.65
$2.76 NZ$4.64
0.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.79 NZ$3.01
$1.69 NZ$2.84
5.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.9 NZ$102
$30.58 NZ$51.4
99.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.67 NZ$2.81
$1.65 NZ$2.77
1.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K NZ$55.5K
$27.1K NZ$45.5K
21.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K NZ$41.8K
$20.2K NZ$33.9K
23.23%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 NZ$261
$115 NZ$193
35.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.64 NZ$56.5
$31.90 NZ$53.6
5.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.1 NZ$85.8
$54.1 NZ$90.8
-5.57%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.54 NZ$61.4
$37.12 NZ$62.4
-1.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.82 NZ$34.97
$12.24 NZ$20.56
70.10%
Cinema Ticket
$12.26 NZ$20.59
$10.88 NZ$18.27
12.68%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$818 NZ$1,374
$649 NZ$1,090
26.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K NZ$21.6K
$9,236 NZ$15.5K
38.98%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.9 NZ$119
$29.90 NZ$50.2
137.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.2 NZ$89.4
$43.38 NZ$72.9
22.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 NZ$201
$94.0 NZ$158
27.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NZ$244
$150 NZ$253
-3.30%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,297 NZ$2,180
$983 NZ$1,652
31.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,094 NZ$1,838
$778 NZ$1,307
40.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,127 NZ$3,573
$1,570 NZ$2,638
35.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,916 NZ$3,219
$1,411 NZ$2,370
35.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,806 NZ$11.4K
$5,059 NZ$8,499
34.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,067 NZ$6,833
$3,162 NZ$5,312
28.63%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,107 NZ$5,219
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
6.74
2.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: 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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