Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $2,040 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
Learn more

Ashburton Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Ashburton

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 Ashburton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $2,040 in Ashburton, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Ashburton $2,040

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $2,892 in Ashburton, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Ashburton $2,892

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $3,745 in Ashburton, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Ashburton $3,745

Wellington costs about 13% more than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wellington and Ashburton sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Ashburton by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.93

$14.48 NZ$25.74

-3.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$69.9 NZ$124

-4.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.40

$9.28 NZ$16.49

-0.54%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.30 NZ$5.86

3.33%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.27 NZ$4.03

7.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.30

$6.74 NZ$11.99

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$6.98 NZ$12.41

-3.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.67 NZ$2.97

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$1.80 NZ$3.19

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.41 NZ$2.51

31.21%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.63

$6.04 NZ$10.73

17.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.96

$7.28 NZ$12.94

31.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.10

$9.47 NZ$16.83

1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.13

$13.47 NZ$23.95

13.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$2.48 NZ$4.41

24.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.02 NZ$3.58

6.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.48

$2.74 NZ$4.86

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.42

$3.07 NZ$5.45

109.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$1.52 NZ$2.70

38.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.40 NZ$2.48

-12.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$1.28 NZ$2.28

-9.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.09

$24.04 NZ$42.73

5.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.41

$8.35 NZ$14.85

37.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.54

$3.50 NZ$6.22

-10.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$4.44 NZ$7.90

-34.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$1.76 NZ$3.13

62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$90.7 NZ$161

15.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-24.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.68 NZ$2.98

8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.0

$28.87 NZ$51.3

18.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-4.66%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$28.0K NZ$49.8K

1.33%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

2.11%

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

$201 NZ$357

$157 NZ$280

27.65%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.3

$23.27 NZ$41.36

43.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.4

$44.99 NZ$80.0

19.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.8

$39.50 NZ$70.2

-9.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.94

$11.67 NZ$20.75

0.94%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,892

$676 NZ$1,202

57.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

-38.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$59.7 NZ$106

34.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.84

$40.20 NZ$71.5

-30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

-0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$124 NZ$221

24.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,031

$924 NZ$1,642

23.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,917

$949 NZ$1,687

13.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,656

$1,883 NZ$3,347

9.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,224

$1,288 NZ$2,290

40.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$5,025 NZ$8,933

31.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,497

$3,445 NZ$6,123

6.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,951

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.91

-8.80%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Ashburton

$949 46.5% 12% $129

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Ashburton

$300 14.7% 13.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Ashburton

$226 11.1% 21.6% $62

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Ashburton

$248 12.1% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Ashburton

$147 7.2% 10.5% $17

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Ashburton

$109 5.3% 14.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Ashburton

$63 3.1% 5.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $924 in Ashburton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $70 in Ashburton. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Wellington vs $300 in Ashburton – so Ashburton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

20,500

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Ashburton 380 km

From you

Wellington
Ashburton

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 Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,313 in Wellington, $2,040 in Ashburton – Ashburton comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $3,060 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $924 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Wellington, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington and $70 in Ashburton. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,313 in Wellington and $2,040 in Ashburton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ashburton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.