Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Canterbury Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Canterbury

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Wellington is 9.4% more expensive than Canterbury without rent, and 31.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Wellington is 27.2% more expensive than Canterbury without rent, and 27.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.57 NZ$28.98
$11.9 NZ$19.63
47.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.9 NZ$137
$66.8 NZ$110
24.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.53 NZ$15.72
$8.97 NZ$14.8
6.24%
Cappuccino
$3.59 NZ$5.92
$3.39 NZ$5.59
5.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NZ$4.08
$2.18 NZ$3.59
13.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 NZ$3.62
$2.07 NZ$3.42
6.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.03 NZ$11.6
$4.27 NZ$7.04
64.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.38 NZ$12.18
$6.04 NZ$9.97
22.19%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 NZ$3.1
$1.18 NZ$1.94
59.32%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 NZ$3.44
$1.9 NZ$3.13
10.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.23
$1.9 NZ$3.13
3.16%
Eggs
$6.89 NZ$11.37
$5.78 NZ$9.53
19.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.24 NZ$13.6
$6.5 NZ$10.72
26.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.92 NZ$18.01
$10.7 NZ$17.64
2.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.99 NZ$21.42
$9.12 NZ$15.03
42.43%
Apples (1kg)
$3.12 NZ$5.15
$2.2 NZ$3.62
41.82%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 NZ$3.82
$2.31 NZ$3.8
-
Oranges (1kg)
$3.1 NZ$5.12
$3.37 NZ$5.56
-8.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.68 NZ$7.72
$4.57 NZ$7.55
2.41%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 NZ$3.41
$1.18 NZ$1.95
75.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.57 NZ$2.59
$2 NZ$3.29
-21.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.3 NZ$3.79
$1.77 NZ$2.92
29.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NZ$2.11
$1.12 NZ$1.84
14.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$27.02 NZ$44.57
$24.11 NZ$39.76
12.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.48 NZ$17.28
$8.91 NZ$14.69
17.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.68 NZ$6.08
$2.47 NZ$4.08
48.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 NZ$5.35
$3.64 NZ$6
-10.99%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.78 NZ$4.59
$0.88 NZ$1.45
215.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 NZ$175
$65.1 NZ$107
63.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 NZ$4.41
$2.76 NZ$4.55
-3.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 NZ$2.93
$1.09 NZ$1.8
63.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.2 NZ$97.6
$30.65 NZ$50.6
92.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 NZ$2.73
$1.67 NZ$2.75
-0.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33K NZ$54.5K
$19.9K NZ$32.9K
65.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25K NZ$41.3K
$25.5K NZ$42K
-1.82%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 NZ$265
$101 NZ$166
59.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.1 NZ$54.6
$36.21 NZ$59.7
-8.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.7
$54.5 NZ$89.9
-3.56%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.7 NZ$60.5
$36.86 NZ$60.8
-0.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.16 NZ$33.25
$11.84 NZ$19.53
70.27%
Cinema Ticket
$11.86 NZ$19.56
$9.5 NZ$15.67
24.84%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$789 NZ$1,301
$587 NZ$968
34.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K NZ$20.9K
$12.2K NZ$20.1K
4.05%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.5 NZ$120
$53.3 NZ$87.9
36.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 NZ$88.6
$29.95 NZ$49.4
79.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 NZ$195
$94.6 NZ$156
24.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NZ$240
$121 NZ$200
20.07%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 NZ$2,211
$963 NZ$1,589
39.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 NZ$1,800
$794 NZ$1,309
37.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,146 NZ$3,539
$1,604 NZ$2,646
33.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,893 NZ$3,122
$1,434 NZ$2,366
31.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,617 NZ$10.9K
$4,128 NZ$6,809
60.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,828 NZ$7,962
$3,036 NZ$5,007
59.03%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Canterbury
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,228 NZ$5,324
$2,416 NZ$3,985
33.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
7.07
-1.84%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Wellington: October 28, 2025

Last update for Canterbury: October 28, 2025

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