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 24.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Wellington is 2.7% more expensive than Ashburton without rent, and 21.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.57 NZ$28.98
$17.11 NZ$28.23
2.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.9 NZ$137
$71.8 NZ$118
15.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.53 NZ$15.72
$9.67 NZ$15.96
-1.45%
Cappuccino
$3.59 NZ$5.92
$3.39 NZ$5.59
5.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NZ$4.08
$2.36 NZ$3.88
4.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 NZ$3.62
$2.05 NZ$3.38
7.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.03 NZ$11.6
$7.31 NZ$12.06
-3.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.38 NZ$12.18
$7.34 NZ$12.1
0.54%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 NZ$3.1
$1.91 NZ$3.16
-1.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 NZ$3.44
$2.02 NZ$3.33
3.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.23
$1.68 NZ$2.77
16.67%
Eggs
$6.89 NZ$11.37
$6.49 NZ$10.71
6.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.24 NZ$13.6
$8.13 NZ$13.41
1.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.92 NZ$18.01
$9.18 NZ$15.14
18.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.99 NZ$21.42
$12.98 NZ$21.4
0.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.12 NZ$5.15
$3.16 NZ$5.22
-1.27%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 NZ$3.82
$2.12 NZ$3.5
8.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.1 NZ$5.12
$3.07 NZ$5.06
0.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.68 NZ$7.72
$3.4 NZ$5.61
37.65%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 NZ$3.41
$2.12 NZ$3.49
-2.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.57 NZ$2.59
$2.31 NZ$3.81
-32.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.3 NZ$3.79
$2.93 NZ$4.83
-21.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NZ$2.11
$1.42 NZ$2.35
-9.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$27.02 NZ$44.57
$24.33 NZ$40.12
11.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.48 NZ$17.28
$8.94 NZ$14.74
17.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.68 NZ$6.08
$3.62 NZ$5.97
1.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 NZ$5.35
$4.78 NZ$7.88
-32.22%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.78 NZ$4.59
$2.13 NZ$3.52
30.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 NZ$175
$63.1 NZ$104
68.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 NZ$4.41
$2.64 NZ$4.35
1.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 NZ$2.93
$1.65 NZ$2.72
7.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.2 NZ$97.6
$30.17 NZ$49.75
96.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 NZ$2.73
$1.7 NZ$2.8
-2.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33K NZ$54.5K
$27.3K NZ$45.1K
20.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25K NZ$41.3K
$19.9K NZ$32.8K
25.73%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 NZ$265
$115 NZ$190
39.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.1 NZ$54.6
$31.58 NZ$52.1
4.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.7
$53.2 NZ$87.8
-1.17%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.7 NZ$60.5
$36.71 NZ$60.5
-0.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.16 NZ$33.25
$12.1 NZ$19.96
66.61%
Cinema Ticket
$11.86 NZ$19.56
$11.11 NZ$18.32
6.75%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$789 NZ$1,301
$651 NZ$1,073
21.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K NZ$20.9K
$9,441 NZ$15.6K
34.45%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.5 NZ$120
$30.08 NZ$49.61
141.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 NZ$88.6
$42.81 NZ$70.6
25.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 NZ$195
$93.2 NZ$154
26.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NZ$240
$150 NZ$248
-3.16%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 NZ$2,211
$972 NZ$1,604
37.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 NZ$1,800
$775 NZ$1,279
40.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,146 NZ$3,539
$1,604 NZ$2,645
33.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,893 NZ$3,122
$1,421 NZ$2,344
33.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,617 NZ$10.9K
$3,809 NZ$6,282
73.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,828 NZ$7,962
$3,320 NZ$5,475
45.43%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,228 NZ$5,324
-
-
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Ashburton: October 28, 2025

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