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

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 7.9% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 11% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 19.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 NZ$30.57

$17.03 NZ$29.64

3.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 NZ$144

$72.4 NZ$126

14.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 NZ$16.69

$9.63 NZ$16.75

-0.42%

Cappuccino

$3.61 NZ$6.28

$3.34 NZ$5.80

8.08%

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

$2.62 NZ$4.55

$2.38 NZ$4.14

10.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 NZ$3.72

$1.97 NZ$3.42

8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 NZ$12.36

$7.13 NZ$12.41

-0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$7.16 NZ$12.45

-0.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.19

$1.91 NZ$3.32

-4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NZ$3.56

$2.00 NZ$3.48

2.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 NZ$3.26

$1.74 NZ$3.03

8.05%

Eggs

$6.96 NZ$12.10

$6.48 NZ$11.28

7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 NZ$14.01

$8.13 NZ$14.14

-0.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 NZ$19.24

$9.20 NZ$16.01

20.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 NZ$22.65

$13.01 NZ$22.64

0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.27

$3.07 NZ$5.35

-1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.06

$2.66 NZ$4.63

-12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.17

$2.93 NZ$5.10

1.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 NZ$8.37

$5.80 NZ$10.10

-17.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.64

$2.14 NZ$3.72

-2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 NZ$2.77

$2.32 NZ$4.04

-31.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 NZ$3.83

$3.08 NZ$5.35

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 NZ$2.26

$1.47 NZ$2.55

-11.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.98 NZ$46.94

$24.17 NZ$42.06

11.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 NZ$18.41

$8.70 NZ$15.13

21.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$6.10

$3.70 NZ$6.45

-5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 NZ$5.62

$5.06 NZ$8.80

-36.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 NZ$4.58

$1.23 NZ$2.14

113.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$186

$41.89 NZ$72.9

154.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.81

$2.77 NZ$4.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.09

$1.70 NZ$2.96

4.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.1 NZ$106

$30.00 NZ$52.2

103.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.90

$1.72 NZ$2.98

-2.91%

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

$33.2K NZ$57.8K

$27.3K NZ$47.6K

21.58%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.0K

$19.7K NZ$34.3K

25.50%

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

$157 NZ$273

$117 NZ$204

34.02%

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

$32.98 NZ$57.4

$32.10 NZ$55.9

2.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$91.4

$53.0 NZ$92.2

-0.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 NZ$64.1

$35.20 NZ$61.3

4.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 NZ$35.42

$15.15 NZ$26.36

34.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 NZ$20.62

$11.11 NZ$19.32

6.66%

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

$814 NZ$1,416

$643 NZ$1,120

26.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.2K

$9,240 NZ$16.1K

38.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 NZ$126

$64.3 NZ$112

13.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 NZ$92.1

$43.28 NZ$75.3

22.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NZ$210

$93.0 NZ$162

29.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$245

$152 NZ$264

-7.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 NZ$2,257

$1,511 NZ$2,630

-14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 NZ$1,924

$1,158 NZ$2,014

-4.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 NZ$3,680

$2,114 NZ$3,678

0.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 NZ$3,317

$1,448 NZ$2,520

31.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,842 NZ$11.9K

$4,962 NZ$8,634

37.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,920 NZ$6,821

$2,674 NZ$4,653

46.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,973 NZ$5,173

$2,666 NZ$4,640

11.50%

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: January 10, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: January 12, 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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