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

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 12.2% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 0.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 10.2% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 19.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 NZ$29.40

$16.99 NZ$28.89

1.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 NZ$141

$71.9 NZ$122

15.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 NZ$15.94

$9.43 NZ$16.03

-0.64%

Cappuccino

$3.78 NZ$6.43

$3.48 NZ$5.92

8.62%

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

$2.47 NZ$4.19

$2.28 NZ$3.88

8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.56

$1.98 NZ$3.36

5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 NZ$12.54

$7.06 NZ$12.00

4.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 NZ$12.52

$7.04 NZ$11.96

4.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.17

$1.84 NZ$3.12

1.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 NZ$3.60

$1.99 NZ$3.38

6.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.33

$1.67 NZ$2.84

17.37%

Eggs

$7.13 NZ$12.12

$6.40 NZ$10.88

11.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.30 NZ$14.10

$8.42 NZ$14.32

-1.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 NZ$18.57

$9.17 NZ$15.58

19.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 NZ$22.59

$12.81 NZ$21.77

3.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 NZ$5.35

$3.14 NZ$5.33

0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.80

$2.71 NZ$4.61

-17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.20

$3.04 NZ$5.16

0.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 NZ$8.13

$5.80 NZ$9.86

-17.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.54

$2.15 NZ$3.65

-3.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 NZ$2.80

$2.20 NZ$3.74

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 NZ$3.73

$3.07 NZ$5.22

-28.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 NZ$2.10

$1.45 NZ$2.47

-15.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.91 NZ$45.74

$23.95 NZ$40.71

12.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 NZ$18.19

$8.67 NZ$14.74

23.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.56 NZ$6.05

$3.70 NZ$6.28

-3.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 NZ$5.43

$4.84 NZ$8.23

-34.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 NZ$4.72

$1.18 NZ$2.00

134.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 NZ$184

$41.50 NZ$70.6

160.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NZ$4.49

$2.63 NZ$4.47

0.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NZ$3.12

$1.70 NZ$2.90

8.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 NZ$103

$30.24 NZ$51.4

99.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$2.90

$1.68 NZ$2.86

1.79%

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

$33.6K NZ$57.1K

$26.7K NZ$45.4K

25.77%

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

$25.1K NZ$42.6K

$19.7K NZ$33.4K

27.59%

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

$160 NZ$271

$117 NZ$199

36.56%

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

$32.86 NZ$55.9

$31.83 NZ$54.1

3.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 NZ$88.7

$54.0 NZ$91.9

-3.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.65 NZ$60.6

$34.87 NZ$59.3

2.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 NZ$34.67

$15.54 NZ$26.43

31.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 NZ$20.55

$10.86 NZ$18.47

11.33%

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

$803 NZ$1,366

$646 NZ$1,098

24.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K NZ$22.0K

$9,226 NZ$15.7K

40.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 NZ$124

$64.5 NZ$110

12.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 NZ$90.2

$43.46 NZ$73.9

22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 NZ$203

$92.6 NZ$157

28.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$239

$155 NZ$264

-9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 NZ$2,225

$1,506 NZ$2,561

-13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 NZ$1,869

$1,184 NZ$2,013

-7.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 NZ$3,686

$2,114 NZ$3,594

2.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 NZ$3,294

$1,458 NZ$2,478

32.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,803 NZ$11.6K

$5,085 NZ$8,645

33.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 NZ$6,734

$2,799 NZ$4,758

41.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,081 NZ$5,238

$2,691 NZ$4,576

14.48%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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