Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Dayton, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dayton, OH: $2,217 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Dayton, OH
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Dayton, OH Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Dayton, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Dayton, OH

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,217 in Dayton, OH.

Wellington $2,313
Dayton, OH $2,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $3,254 in Dayton, OH.

Wellington $3,422
Dayton, OH $3,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $4,290 in Dayton, OH.

Wellington $4,530
Dayton, OH $4,290

Living in Wellington is roughly 4% more expensive than in Dayton, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Dayton, OH 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.94

$14.49 $14.49

-3.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$69.1 $69.1

-3.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.41

$10.04 $10.04

-8.07%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.07

$4.07 $4.07

-16.22%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.25 $2.25

8.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.92 $1.92

-11.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.31

$4.63 $4.63

61.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$6.16 $6.16

9.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$0.75 $0.75

160.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$2.77 $2.77

-18.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$3.79 $3.79

-51.19%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.64

$3.60 $3.60

97.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.97

$13.66 $13.66

-30.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.11

$24.36 $24.36

-60.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.14

$17.19 $17.19

-11.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$5.80 $5.80

-46.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$1.86 $1.86

15.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.48

$7.05 $7.05

-56.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.42

$5.41 $5.41

18.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.70 $2.70

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.20

$3.06 $3.06

-59.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$2.29 $2.29

-12.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$2.79 $2.79

-58.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.12

$10.23 $10.23

148.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.42

$19.64 $19.64

-41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.55

$1.77 $1.77

76.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$3.40 $3.40

-15.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$3.33 $3.33

-14.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$61.0 $61.0

71.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.35

$5.03 $5.03

-62.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.81 $1.81

1.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.0

$49.33 $49.33

-30.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.06 $1.06

73.58%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$27.8K $27.8K

1.95%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

-10.53%

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

$201 NZ$357

$204 $204

-1.79%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.3

$50.1 $50.1

-33.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.4

$57.9 $57.9

-7.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.8

$32.76 $32.76

9.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.79

$44.68 $44.68

-63.79%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.96

$14.17 $14.17

-16.87%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,894

$529 $529

101.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$6,549 $6,549

102.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$40.34 $40.34

99.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.87

$46.86 $46.86

-40.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$71.2 $71.2

42.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$123 $123

25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,032

$1,291 $1,291

-11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,918

$895 $895

20.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,658

$1,808 $1,808

13.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,226

$1,339 $1,339

35.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$2,215 $2,215

197.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,501

$1,313 $1,313

178.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,954

$3,407 $3,407

-18.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.74

-20.03%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dayton, OH: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Dayton, OH

$895 40.4% 17% $183

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Dayton, OH

$486 21.9% 39.6% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Dayton, OH

$312 14.1% 8.6% $25

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Dayton, OH

$247 11.1% 0.5% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Dayton, OH

$127 5.7% 22.8% $37

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Dayton, OH

$88 4% 30.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Dayton, OH

$61 2.8% 2.8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,291 in Dayton, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dayton, OH pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $69 in Dayton, OH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $486 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇺🇸 Dayton, OH

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

18 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

156,771

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.562 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Between locations

Wellington Dayton, OH 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Dayton, OH

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 Dayton, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dayton, OH wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Wellington. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dayton, OH the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Wellington. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,291 in Dayton, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,313 per month in Wellington versus $2,217 in Dayton, OH – Dayton, OH is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dayton, OH runs roughly 42% less than in Wellington. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dayton, OH is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.