Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Belfast Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Belfast

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,354 in Wellington versus $2,156 in Belfast.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,553 in Wellington versus $3,224 in Belfast.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,751 in Wellington versus $4,291 in Belfast.

Living in Wellington is roughly 9% more expensive than Belfast, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 76% above, Belfast 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 NZ$29.46

$23.48 £17.49

-26.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 NZ$144

$103 £77.0

-18.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 NZ$16.63

$10.93 £8.14

-10.61%

Cappuccino

$3.80 NZ$6.46

$4.78 £3.56

-20.50%

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

$2.60 NZ$4.44

$2.63 £1.96

-1.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NZ$3.72

$2.12 £1.58

2.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 NZ$11.98

$7.96 £5.93

-11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 NZ$12.70

$6.89 £5.13

8.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.18

$1.88 £1.40

-0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 NZ$3.59

$1.98 £1.48

6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 NZ$3.33

$2.85 £2.13

-31.58%

Eggs

$6.88 NZ$11.72

$3.85 £2.87

78.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 NZ$13.85

$10.36 £7.71

-21.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 NZ$18.83

$10.55 £7.86

4.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.14 NZ$22.38

$13.33 £9.93

-1.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.32

$3.40 £2.53

-8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 NZ$3.81

$1.93 £1.44

16.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NZ$5.09

$3.42 £2.55

-12.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 NZ$8.04

$4.01 £2.99

17.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.52

$1.74 £1.29

18.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 NZ$2.82

$1.47 £1.09

12.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 NZ$3.76

$1.45 £1.08

52.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.19

$1.46 £1.09

-12.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.87 NZ$45.75

$20.76 £15.46

29.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.74 NZ$19.99

$11.36 £8.46

3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NZ$6.00

$2.71 £2.02

29.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 NZ$5.41

$3.76 £2.80

-15.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 NZ$4.68

$3.06 £2.28

-10.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$182

$85.5 £63.7

25.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NZ$4.54

$5.51 £4.11

-51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NZ$3.16

$1.66 £1.24

11.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 NZ$103

$26.69 £19.88

126.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$2.92

$1.95 £1.45

-12.31%

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

$33.6K NZ$57.2K

$38.2K £28.4K

-12.00%

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

$24.6K NZ$41.9K

$42.0K £31.3K

-41.43%

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

$160 NZ$273

$146 £109

9.65%

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

$32.55 NZ$55.4

$18.31 £13.64

77.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 NZ$87.7

$42.58 £31.72

20.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 NZ$62.7

$47.13 £35.10

-21.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.60 NZ$35.08

$15.83 £11.79

30.13%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 NZ$20.73

$13.62 £10.15

-10.65%

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

$800 NZ$1,363

$1,502 £1,119

-46.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K NZ$21.5K

$8,812 £6,563

43.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 NZ$125

$85.1 £63.4

-13.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 NZ$90.5

$47.21 £35.16

12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 NZ$203

$108 £80.5

10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 NZ$241

$84.5 £63.0

67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 NZ$2,281

$1,254 £934

6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 NZ$1,881

$955 £711

15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 NZ$3,582

$1,960 £1,460

7.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,888 NZ$3,216

$1,459 £1,087

29.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,602 NZ$11.2K

$4,291 £3,196

53.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,897 NZ$6,636

$2,597 £1,935

50.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,057 NZ$5,206

$3,008 £2,240

1.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

5.62

23.49%

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

Last update for Wellington: May 31, 2026

Last update for Belfast: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,339 in Wellington and $1,254 in Belfast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Wellington vs $103 in Belfast. Groceries flip the comparison at $340 vs $327, with Belfast cheaper for home cooking.

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

Belfast is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Wellington pays 2% more on average, 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: $1,339 in Wellington versus $1,254 in Belfast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $800 in Wellington versus $1,502 in Belfast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,156 in Belfast versus $2,354 in Wellington, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Belfast but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Belfast the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Wellington and Belfast are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Belfast gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.