Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Christchurch Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Christchurch

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 11.6% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 3.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 9.9% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 22% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.83 NZ$30.31

$17.08 NZ$29.03

4.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 NZ$143

$73.4 NZ$125

14.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 NZ$16.09

$9.88 NZ$16.80

-4.25%

Cappuccino

$3.65 NZ$6.21

$3.49 NZ$5.93

4.58%

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

$2.57 NZ$4.38

$2.31 NZ$3.92

11.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NZ$3.73

$1.96 NZ$3.33

12.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 NZ$12.24

$7.38 NZ$12.55

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 NZ$12.65

$7.43 NZ$12.64

0.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.10

$1.84 NZ$3.12

-1.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 NZ$3.47

$1.99 NZ$3.38

2.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.35

$1.69 NZ$2.87

16.57%

Eggs

$7.24 NZ$12.31

$6.51 NZ$11.06

11.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 NZ$13.88

$8.03 NZ$13.66

1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 NZ$18.54

$9.65 NZ$16.41

12.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 NZ$22.42

$13.11 NZ$22.28

0.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.21

$3.05 NZ$5.18

0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.01

$2.59 NZ$4.40

-8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.07

$2.98 NZ$5.06

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 NZ$8.21

$5.66 NZ$9.62

-14.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.44

$2.13 NZ$3.63

-5.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 NZ$2.68

$2.22 NZ$3.78

-28.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$3.90

$2.93 NZ$4.98

-21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 NZ$2.20

$1.43 NZ$2.43

-9.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.71 NZ$45.41

$23.66 NZ$40.23

12.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NZ$18.52

$9.09 NZ$15.45

19.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$5.97

$3.82 NZ$6.49

-8.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 NZ$5.54

$4.81 NZ$8.18

-32.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 NZ$4.54

$1.24 NZ$2.10

115.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$182

$41.57 NZ$70.7

157.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.70

$2.73 NZ$4.64

1.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.05

$1.65 NZ$2.81

8.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 NZ$103

$30.27 NZ$51.5

101.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.85

$1.63 NZ$2.77

2.45%

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

$33.0K NZ$56.2K

$27.4K NZ$46.6K

20.47%

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

$24.9K NZ$42.3K

$19.6K NZ$33.3K

26.91%

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

$155 NZ$264

$115 NZ$196

34.36%

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

$33.64 NZ$57.2

$31.15 NZ$53.0

7.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$86.8

$54.0 NZ$91.8

-5.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 NZ$62.1

$35.49 NZ$60.3

2.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.82 NZ$35.39

$15.56 NZ$26.45

33.80%

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 NZ$20.84

$11.12 NZ$18.90

10.25%

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

$818 NZ$1,390

$641 NZ$1,089

27.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$21.8K

$9,245 NZ$15.7K

38.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 NZ$121

$62.4 NZ$106

13.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 NZ$90.5

$43.14 NZ$73.3

23.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NZ$204

$92.6 NZ$157

29.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 NZ$247

$150 NZ$254

-2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 NZ$2,205

$1,539 NZ$2,616

-15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 NZ$1,860

$1,167 NZ$1,984

-6.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 NZ$3,616

$2,038 NZ$3,464

4.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 NZ$3,257

$1,441 NZ$2,450

32.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 NZ$11.6K

$5,018 NZ$8,530

35.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,067 NZ$6,914

$2,772 NZ$4,712

46.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,107 NZ$5,282

$2,691 NZ$4,574

15.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

6.74

2.97%

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

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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