Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Augusta, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Wellington: $2,313 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
Learn more

Augusta, ME Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Augusta, ME

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME.

Wellington $2,313
Augusta, ME $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $3,317 in Augusta, ME.

Wellington $3,422
Augusta, ME $3,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $4,246 in Augusta, ME.

Wellington $4,530
Augusta, ME $4,246

Living in Wellington costs roughly 3% less than in Augusta, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Augusta, ME 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.93

$19.90 $19.90

-29.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$53.1 $53.1

25.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.40

$10.39 $10.39

-11.16%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$5.40 $5.40

-36.85%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.36 $2.36

2.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.59 $1.59

6.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.30

$5.02 $5.02

49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$7.72 $7.72

-12.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.14 $1.14

71.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$4.56 $4.56

-50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.45 $1.45

27.59%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.63

$3.96 $3.96

79.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.96

$15.09 $15.09

-36.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.10

$14.12 $14.12

-31.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.13

$19.52 $19.52

-21.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$7.48 $7.48

-58.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$1.31 $1.31

64.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.48

$3.09 $3.09

-0.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.42

$4.59 $4.59

39.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.33 $2.33

-9.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$2.86 $2.86

-56.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$2.08 $2.08

-3.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$1.81 $1.81

-35.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.09

$11.98 $11.98

111.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.41

$12.99 $12.99

-11.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.54

$1.56 $1.56

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$1.55 $1.55

86.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$2.55 $2.55

-26.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.27 $1.27

44.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.0

$28.55 $28.55

20.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$0.90 $0.90

104.44%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$29.6K $29.6K

-4.01%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$24.3K $24.3K

-1.95%

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

$201 NZ$357

$243 $243

-17.35%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.3

$45.59 $45.59

-26.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.4

$61.0 $61.0

-11.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.8

$22.60 $22.60

58.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.94

$14.13 $14.13

-16.63%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,892

$2,656 $2,656

-59.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$36.6K $36.6K

-63.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$73.5 $73.5

9.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.84

$50.9 $50.9

-44.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$113 $113

-10.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$154 $154

-0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,031

$1,200 $1,200

-4.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,917

$1,078 $1,078

0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,656

$1,602 $1,602

28.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,224

$1,473 $1,473

23.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$2,386 $2,386

176.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,497

$2,378 $2,378

53.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,951

$1,948 $1,948

42.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.3

-14.44%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2% 0% $0.3

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3% 18.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6% 21.4% $62

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Augusta, ME

$312 13% 25.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4% 7.6% $12

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4% 93% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1% 14.4% $8.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $53 in Augusta, ME. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $413, with Wellington cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

18 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

194,343

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Augusta, ME 14,880 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Augusta, ME

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 Augusta, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $2,388 in Augusta, ME, so Wellington is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Wellington, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $2,656 in Augusta, ME. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Augusta, ME – a meal for two runs $53 versus $66 in Wellington. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.