Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Derby

For one person, living is cheaper in Derby: $2,222 a month against $2,376 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,376

/mo nomad

Derby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Derby

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

A single person spends $2,376 per month in Wellington vs $2,222 in Derby, rent included.

Wellington $2,376
Derby $2,222

A couple spends around $3,407 per month in Wellington vs $3,420 in Derby, rent included.

Wellington $3,407
Derby $3,420

A family of three spends $4,439 per month in Wellington vs $4,618 in Derby, rent included.

Wellington $4,439
Derby $4,618

Wellington costs about 7% more than Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wellington and Derby sit above the global median – Wellington by 75%, Derby by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.01 NZ$24.78

$26.87 £20.16

-47.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NZ$116

$95.0 £71.2

-30.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 NZ$16.56

$10.68 £8.01

-12.27%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NZ$6.02

$4.87 £3.65

-30.18%

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

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$2.51 £1.88

-1.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$2.02 £1.52

-13.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 NZ$12.85

$6.72 £5.04

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 NZ$11.87

$7.02 £5.26

-4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$1.56 £1.17

24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.44 £1.08

49.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$2.33 £1.75

-21.46%

Eggs

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$3.79 £2.84

81.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.26

$8.35 £6.26

10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 NZ$17.67

$8.63 £6.47

15.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 NZ$26.48

$23.80 £17.85

-37.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.36

$5.22 £3.92

-41.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 NZ$3.96

$2.80 £2.10

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$2.98 £2.24

3.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 NZ$11.59

$3.80 £2.85

72.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.83

$1.54 £1.16

40.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 NZ$2.27

$1.59 £1.19

-19.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 NZ$3.71

$1.06 £0.79

98.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$1.40 £1.05

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.79 NZ$45.60

$23.20 £17.41

11.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 NZ$19.94

$10.79 £8.09

4.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.51

$3.27 £2.45

-4.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 NZ$4.98

$3.57 £2.68

-21.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$3.05 £2.29

-9.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$184

$93.4 £70.1

11.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$4.43 £3.33

-57.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.64 £1.23

8.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.72 NZ$59.6

$31.46 £23.60

7.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$2.00 £1.50

-7.50%

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

$28.7K NZ$50.8K

$38.6K £28.9K

-25.55%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

$39.7K £29.8K

-40.06%

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

$194 NZ$344

$371 £278

-47.66%

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

$33.42 NZ$59.1

$19.57 £14.68

70.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 NZ$94.7

$39.53 £29.66

35.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 NZ$67.4

$45.20 £33.91

-15.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.15 NZ$28.56

$26.26 £19.70

-38.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 NZ$21.17

$15.53 £11.65

-22.92%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$1,815 £1,362

-41.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

$20.5K £15.4K

-37.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$114 £85.3

-30.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.87 NZ$51.1

$57.2 £42.94

-49.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$182

$86.6 £65.0

18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 NZ$275

$101 £75.6

54.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 NZ$2,152

$794 £595

53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 NZ$2,028

$723 £543

58.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,154 NZ$3,809

$1,596 £1,197

34.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 NZ$3,061

$1,351 £1,014

28.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,780 NZ$12.0K

$5,857 £4,394

15.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,464

$3,136 £2,353

16.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,812 NZ$4,972

$3,597 £2,699

-21.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.88

10.45%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 18, 2026

Last update for Derby: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

Derby

$723 32.6% 36.9% $424

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 14.6%

Derby

$342 15.4% 1.7% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.8%

Derby

$430 19.4% 53% $149

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.4%

Derby

$371 16.7% 49.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$165 6.9%

Derby

$161 7.3% 2.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Wellington

$126 5.3%

Derby

$118 5.3% 6.1% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Derby

$76 3.4% 22.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,217 in Wellington versus $794 in Derby. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Derby, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Wellington versus $95.0 in Derby. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Wellington vs $342 in Derby – so Derby wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇬🇧 Derby

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

22:21 10:21 PM

12 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

233,700

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wellington Derby 18,690 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Derby

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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 7% more than Derby, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,564 per month in Wellington and $3,333 in Derby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Derby, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,056 per month in Wellington and $1,815 in Derby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Wellington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Derby, where all-in costs run around $2,222, than in Wellington at $2,376. In Derby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Derby costs $2,222 versus $2,376 in Wellington. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Derby. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.