Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Belleville, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Belleville, IL: $2,249 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Wellington, New Zealand
Belleville, IL, United States
Wellington
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,313
/mo nomad
Belleville, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,249
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Belleville, IL

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $2,249 in Belleville, IL, rent included.

  • Wellington $2,313
  • Belleville, IL $2,249

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $3,369 in Belleville, IL, rent included.

  • Wellington $3,422
  • Belleville, IL $3,369

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $4,489 in Belleville, IL, rent included.

  • Wellington $4,530
  • Belleville, IL $4,489

Wellington costs about 3% more than Belleville, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Wellington and Belleville, IL sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Belleville, IL by 65%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.02 NZ$24.93
$17.71 $17.71
-20.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.5 NZ$118
$69.0 $69.0
-3.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.23 NZ$16.40
$9.33 $9.33
-1.07%
Cappuccino
$3.41 NZ$6.06
$4.48 $4.48
-23.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 NZ$4.32
$2.06 $2.06
17.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 NZ$3.01
$1.75 $1.75
-3.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.48 NZ$13.30
$4.55 $4.55
64.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.74 NZ$11.99
$5.97 $5.97
12.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 NZ$3.47
$1.02 $1.02
91.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.25 NZ$4.01
$2.33 $2.33
-3.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 NZ$3.30
$3.77 $3.77
-50.93%
Eggs
$7.10 NZ$12.63
$3.97 $3.97
78.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.54 NZ$16.96
$12.27 $12.27
-22.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.62 NZ$17.10
$15.24 $15.24
-36.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.26 NZ$27.13
$12.64 $12.64
20.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 NZ$5.50
$5.83 $5.83
-47.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 NZ$3.83
$1.76 $1.76
22.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 NZ$5.48
$3.37 $3.37
-8.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.42 NZ$11.42
$3.51 $3.51
82.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 NZ$3.73
$2.18 $2.18
-3.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 NZ$2.19
$2.03 $2.03
-39.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 NZ$3.58
$1.59 $1.59
26.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 NZ$2.06
$1.87 $1.87
-37.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.37 NZ$45.09
$12.21 $12.21
107.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.48 NZ$20.41
$14.94 $14.94
-23.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.12 NZ$5.54
$2.07 $2.07
50.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 NZ$5.13
$2.74 $2.74
5.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.86 NZ$5.09
$0.98 $0.98
191.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 NZ$186
$78.6 $78.6
33.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.88 NZ$3.34
$3.45 $3.45
-45.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 NZ$3.25
$2.46 $2.46
-25.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.31 NZ$61.0
$17.39 $17.39
97.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 NZ$3.27
$0.96 $0.96
91.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K NZ$50.5K
$28.8K $28.8K
-1.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K NZ$42.3K
$26.2K $26.2K
-9.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 NZ$357
$241 $241
-16.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.35 NZ$59.3
$69.8 $69.8
-52.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.7 NZ$95.4
$65.8 $65.8
-18.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.87 NZ$63.8
$31.06 $31.06
15.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.18 NZ$28.77
$29.60 $29.60
-45.34%
Cinema Ticket
$11.78 NZ$20.94
$14.06 $14.06
-16.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,065 NZ$1,892
$1,040 $1,040
2.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K NZ$23.6K
$12.8K $12.8K
3.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.4 NZ$143
$55.6 $55.6
44.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.04 NZ$49.84
$32.16 $32.16
-12.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 NZ$181
$86.9 $86.9
16.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 NZ$274
$103 $103
49.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,143 NZ$2,031
$1,202 $1,202
-4.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 NZ$1,917
$945 $945
14.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 NZ$3,656
$1,990 $1,990
3.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,814 NZ$3,224
$1,667 $1,667
8.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,594 NZ$11.7K
$2,141 $2,141
208.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,655 NZ$6,497
$1,753 $1,753
108.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Belleville, IL
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,785 NZ$4,951
$6,255 $6,255
-55.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
6.72
-19.79%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Belleville, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Wellington
$1.1K
Belleville, IL
$945 12.4% $134
Groceries & Markets
Wellington
$348
Belleville, IL
$371 6.6% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
$288
Belleville, IL
$377 31% $89
Eating Out
Wellington
$248
Belleville, IL
$273 10.1% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
$164
Belleville, IL
$125 23.8% $39
Getting Around
Wellington
$127
Belleville, IL
$98 22.9% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
$59
Belleville, IL
$59 0.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,202 in Belleville, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belleville, IL are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $69 in Belleville, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $371 – making Wellington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Wellington
🇺🇸 Belleville, IL
🕒 Local time
16:21 4:21 PM
21:21 9:21 PM
19 h behind Wellington
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
215,900 Capital
42,404
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wellington Belleville, IL 13,090 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wellington
  • Belleville, IL

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 Belleville, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Wellington or Belleville, IL?
Wellington costs about 3% more than Belleville, IL, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Wellington and in Belleville, IL?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $3,373 in Belleville, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Wellington compared to Belleville, IL?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,143 in Wellington and $1,202 in Belleville, IL. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do childcare costs compare in Wellington and in Belleville, IL?
Kindergarten costs $1,065 per month in Wellington and $1,040 in Belleville, IL. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Wellington or in Belleville, IL?
Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Wellington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Wellington or in Belleville, IL?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,313 in Wellington and $2,249 in Belleville, IL. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Wellington or Belleville, IL?
It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,249 in Belleville, IL to $2,313 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Wellington compared to Belleville, IL?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Wellington vs other spots: cost of living compared

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