Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Belfast

For one person, living costs are similar in Wellington and in Belfast: $2,313 and $2,346 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
Learn more

Belfast Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Belfast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,346 in Belfast.

Wellington $2,313
Belfast $2,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $3,435 in Belfast.

Wellington $3,422
Belfast $3,435

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $4,524 in Belfast.

Wellington $4,530
Belfast $4,524

Monthly costs are close between Wellington and Belfast; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Belfast 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.93

$25.29 £18.89

-44.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$91.5 £68.4

-27.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.40

$10.80 £8.07

-14.54%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$4.92 £3.67

-30.69%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$3.04 £2.27

-20.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$2.06 £1.54

-17.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.30

$8.06 £6.02

-7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$8.05 £6.01

-16.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.82 £1.36

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$2.31 £1.72

-2.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$2.71 £2.02

-31.73%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.63

$4.62 £3.45

53.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.96

$10.69 £7.99

-10.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.10

$11.04 £8.25

-12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.13

$15.80 £11.80

-3.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$3.14 £2.35

-1.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.00 £1.50

7.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.48

$3.36 £2.51

-8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.42

$4.02 £3.00

59.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.28 £1.70

-7.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.59 £1.18

-22.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$1.35 £1.01

48.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$1.88 £1.40

-38.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.09

$23.61 £17.64

7.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.41

$12.41 £9.27

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.54

$2.73 £2.04

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$3.10 £2.31

-6.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$3.16 £2.36

-9.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$99.0 £73.9

5.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$4.53 £3.39

-58.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.51 £1.13

21.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.0

$19.68 £14.70

74.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.10 £1.57

-12.38%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$38.2K £28.5K

-25.69%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$40.8K £30.4K

-41.61%

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

$201 NZ$357

$272 £203

-26.27%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.3

$24.30 £18.15

37.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.4

$46.23 £34.54

16.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.8

$43.92 £32.81

-18.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

$10.54 £7.87

53.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.94

$14.14 £10.57

-16.69%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,892

$1,566 £1,170

-32.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$17.8K £13.3K

-25.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$81.9 £61.2

-1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.84

$46.61 £34.82

-39.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$108 £80.7

-5.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$104 £77.5

48.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,031

$1,229 £918

-7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,917

$935 £698

15.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,656

$1,880 £1,405

9.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,224

$1,393 £1,041

30.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,107 £3,068

60.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,497

$2,541 £1,898

43.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,951

$3,295 £2,462

-15.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.91

9.78%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Belfast: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Belfast

$935 39.8% 13.3% $143

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Belfast

$349 14.9% 0.2% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Belfast

$343 14.6% 19.1% $55

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Belfast

$371 15.8% 49.3% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Belfast

$153 6.5% 6.6% $11

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Belfast

$124 5.3% 2.9% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Belfast

$72 3.1% 21.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,229 in Belfast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $92 in Belfast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $349 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇬🇧 Belfast

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

13 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

348,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Belfast 18,530 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Belfast

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 Belfast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Wellington. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,229 in Belfast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $66 versus $92 in Belfast. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $1,566 in Belfast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, Wellington is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Belfast, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Wellington and Belfast are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Wellington wins on affordability, Belfast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.