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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Wellington is 4.4% more expensive than Ashburton without rent, and 23.9% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Wellington is 3.7% more expensive than Ashburton without rent, and 20.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.30 NZ$29.40
$17.10 NZ$29.06
1.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.1 NZ$141
$71.7 NZ$122
15.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.37 NZ$15.94
$9.50 NZ$16.14
-1.37%
Cappuccino
$3.78 NZ$6.43
$3.38 NZ$5.75
11.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NZ$4.19
$2.31 NZ$3.93
6.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 NZ$3.56
$2.06 NZ$3.51
1.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.38 NZ$12.54
$7.10 NZ$12.07
3.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.37 NZ$12.52
$7.45 NZ$12.67
-1.07%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 NZ$3.17
$1.81 NZ$3.09
2.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 NZ$3.60
$1.93 NZ$3.28
9.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.33
$1.75 NZ$2.98
12.00%
Eggs
$7.13 NZ$12.12
$6.26 NZ$10.65
13.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.30 NZ$14.10
$8.17 NZ$13.90
1.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.92 NZ$18.57
$9.27 NZ$15.77
17.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.29 NZ$22.59
$13.01 NZ$22.11
2.15%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 NZ$5.35
$3.03 NZ$5.14
3.96%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 NZ$3.80
$2.02 NZ$3.44
10.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.20
$3.04 NZ$5.17
0.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.78 NZ$8.13
$3.28 NZ$5.57
45.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.54
$2.05 NZ$3.48
1.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.65 NZ$2.80
$2.23 NZ$3.79
-26.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 NZ$3.73
$2.91 NZ$4.95
-24.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 NZ$2.10
$1.43 NZ$2.43
-13.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.91 NZ$45.74
$23.77 NZ$40.41
13.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.70 NZ$18.19
$8.66 NZ$14.72
23.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.56 NZ$6.05
$3.72 NZ$6.32
-4.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 NZ$5.43
$4.84 NZ$8.23
-34.09%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.77 NZ$4.72
$2.08 NZ$3.53
33.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$108 NZ$184
$64.2 NZ$109
68.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 NZ$4.49
$2.79 NZ$4.74
-5.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 NZ$3.12
$1.71 NZ$2.91
7.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.4 NZ$103
$30.03 NZ$51.1
101.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.90
$1.66 NZ$2.82
3.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.6K NZ$57.1K
$27.5K NZ$46.8K
22.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K NZ$42.6K
$20.1K NZ$34.2K
24.60%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$160 NZ$271
$118 NZ$201
34.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.86 NZ$55.9
$32.00 NZ$54.4
2.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.2 NZ$88.7
$52.6 NZ$89.5
-0.82%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.65 NZ$60.6
$36.64 NZ$62.3
-2.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.40 NZ$34.67
$11.83 NZ$20.10
72.44%
Cinema Ticket
$12.09 NZ$20.55
$10.93 NZ$18.58
10.61%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$803 NZ$1,366
$628 NZ$1,068
27.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K NZ$22.0K
$9,358 NZ$15.9K
38.41%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.7 NZ$124
$30.26 NZ$51.5
140.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 NZ$90.2
$43.12 NZ$73.3
23.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 NZ$203
$91.6 NZ$156
30.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 NZ$239
$155 NZ$263
-9.07%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,309 NZ$2,225
$978 NZ$1,663
33.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,099 NZ$1,869
$774 NZ$1,316
41.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,168 NZ$3,686
$1,584 NZ$2,693
36.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,938 NZ$3,294
$1,444 NZ$2,454
34.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,803 NZ$11.6K
$4,308 NZ$7,324
57.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,961 NZ$6,734
$3,074 NZ$5,226
28.86%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Ashburton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,081 NZ$5,238
-
-
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: April 12, 2026

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

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