Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Canterbury, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Canterbury

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $915 in Canterbury, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Canterbury $915

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $1,521 in Canterbury, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Canterbury $1,521

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $2,127 in Canterbury, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Canterbury $2,127

Wellington costs about 153% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Wellington sits 70% above the global median, while Canterbury is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$13.95 NZ$24.76

0.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$63.7 NZ$113

4.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$11.52 NZ$20.45

-19.88%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.06 NZ$5.44

11.44%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.07 NZ$3.67

17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-19.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$3.94 NZ$7.00

89.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.09 NZ$10.82

10.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$1.93 NZ$3.42

16.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.69 NZ$3.01

9.47%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$5.53 NZ$9.82

28.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$8.34 NZ$14.81

14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$9.17 NZ$16.28

4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$16.50 NZ$29.30

-7.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$2.91 NZ$5.16

6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-2.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$3.30 NZ$5.85

-6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$5.19 NZ$9.21

23.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$1.85 NZ$3.29

13.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-34.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-13.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.59 NZ$1.06

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$21.06 NZ$37.39

20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$9.26 NZ$16.44

23.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$3.21 NZ$5.71

-2.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$1.20 NZ$2.13

140.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$5.73 NZ$10.17

-67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$28.19 NZ$50.1

21.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.60 NZ$2.84

15.00%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-0.38%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

2.28%

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

$201 NZ$357

$113 NZ$201

77.59%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$29.09 NZ$51.6

14.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$51.7 NZ$91.8

3.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$11.46 NZ$20.34

2.79%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$590 NZ$1,048

80.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$59.9 NZ$106

34.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$22.35 NZ$39.69

25.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$91.2 NZ$162

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$139 NZ$247

10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$898 NZ$1,595

27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

$2,733 NZ$4,853

1.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

34.75%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Canterbury

$320 35% 8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Canterbury

$194 21.2% 32.6% $94

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Canterbury

$232 25.3% 6.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Canterbury

$141 15.4% 14.2% $23

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 95.5% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5% 61.4% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $898 in Canterbury. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $64 in Canterbury. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $320 – making Canterbury the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Wellington Canterbury 390 km

From you

Wellington
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,313 in Wellington, $915 in Canterbury – Canterbury comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $1,373 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington and $64 in Canterbury. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Wellington, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Wellington at $2,313. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Canterbury – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.