Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Dargaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Dargaville: $2,134 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Dargaville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,134 in Dargaville.

Wellington $2,313
Dargaville $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $3,019 in Dargaville.

Wellington $3,422
Dargaville $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,904 in Dargaville.

Wellington $4,530
Dargaville $3,904

Living in Wellington is roughly 8% more expensive than in Dargaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Dargaville 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.99

$14.54 NZ$25.92

-3.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$68.9 NZ$123

-3.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.44

$9.05 NZ$16.13

1.99%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.08

$3.69 NZ$6.58

-7.59%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.33

$2.18 NZ$3.89

11.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.02

$2.09 NZ$3.73

-19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.34

$6.31 NZ$11.24

18.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$12.02

$5.63 NZ$10.04

19.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.48

$2.05 NZ$3.65

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.02

$1.96 NZ$3.49

14.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.31

$1.52 NZ$2.71

21.71%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.66

$6.70 NZ$11.94

5.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$17.00

$8.49 NZ$15.14

12.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.14

$10.47 NZ$18.66

-8.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.20

$12.69 NZ$22.62

20.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.51

$2.65 NZ$4.72

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.84

$2.14 NZ$3.81

0.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.49

$2.92 NZ$5.20

5.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.45

$5.86 NZ$10.45

9.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.74

$1.73 NZ$3.08

21.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.20

$1.38 NZ$2.46

-10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.59

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-19.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.07

$1.18 NZ$2.10

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.21

$26.67 NZ$47.54

-4.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.46

$10.24 NZ$18.26

12.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.56

$3.02 NZ$5.38

3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.14

$3.13 NZ$5.57

-7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.10

$1.89 NZ$3.37

51.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$115 NZ$205

-9.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.35

$2.42 NZ$4.31

-22.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.81 NZ$3.22

1.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.1

$26.35 NZ$46.96

30.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$1.49 NZ$2.66

23.49%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.6K

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

11.45%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.4K

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

0.40%

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

$201 NZ$358

$128 NZ$228

56.79%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.4

$29.15 NZ$52.0

14.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.6

$51.3 NZ$91.4

4.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.9

$38.91 NZ$69.4

-7.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.84

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$21.00

$11.48 NZ$20.45

2.61%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,897

$659 NZ$1,174

61.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.7K

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

-9.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$67.3 NZ$120

19.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.97

$39.09 NZ$69.7

-28.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$90.9 NZ$162

11.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$275

$115 NZ$205

33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,036

$1,125 NZ$2,006

1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,922

$1,011 NZ$1,802

6.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,665

$1,404 NZ$2,503

46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,232

$1,352 NZ$2,409

34.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.8K

$4,216 NZ$7,514

56.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,514

$3,111 NZ$5,544

17.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,964

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.83

-7.55%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Dargaville

$1K 47.4% 6.2% $67

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Dargaville

$330 15.5% 5.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Dargaville

$209 9.8% 27.6% $79

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Dargaville

$248 11.6% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Dargaville

$141 6.6% 14.2% $23

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Dargaville

$134 6.3% 5.4% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Dargaville

$62 2.9% 4.1% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $69 in Dargaville. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $330, with Dargaville cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

4,600

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Wellington Dargaville 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Wellington
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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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington and Dargaville differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,313 vs $2,134 including rent). Dargaville is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,470 in Wellington and $3,201 in Dargaville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $659 in Dargaville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Dargaville gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Wellington and Dargaville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.