Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Fox Glacier

For one person, living is cheaper in Fox Glacier: $1,965 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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 Fox Glacier
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Fox Glacier Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Fox Glacier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Fox Glacier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $1,965 in Fox Glacier.

Wellington $2,313
Fox Glacier $1,965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $3,013 in Fox Glacier.

Wellington $3,422
Fox Glacier $3,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $4,061 in Fox Glacier.

Wellington $4,530
Fox Glacier $4,061

Living in Wellington is roughly 18% more expensive than in Fox Glacier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Fox Glacier 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$14.92 NZ$26.49

-6.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$62.1 NZ$110

6.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$8.20 NZ$14.56

12.56%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.55 NZ$6.30

-3.94%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$1.78 NZ$3.17

36.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.65 NZ$2.93

2.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$6.68 NZ$11.86

11.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.97 NZ$12.37

-3.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$1.79 NZ$3.18

25.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.73 NZ$3.07

6.94%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$5.99 NZ$10.63

18.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$9.41 NZ$16.71

1.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$8.72 NZ$15.47

10.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$15.28 NZ$27.13

-0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$3.02 NZ$5.36

2.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.17 NZ$3.86

-0.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$2.65 NZ$4.71

16.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$4.95 NZ$8.79

29.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$2.22 NZ$3.95

-5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.49 NZ$2.65

-17.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.30 NZ$4.08

-12.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$1.17 NZ$2.08

-0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$24.30 NZ$43.15

4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$8.18 NZ$14.51

40.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$2.86 NZ$5.08

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$2.89 NZ$5.13

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$1.90 NZ$3.38

50.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$95.2 NZ$169

10.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$2.08 NZ$3.70

-9.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-9.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$27.35 NZ$48.56

25.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-6.12%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$27.8K NZ$49.4K

1.94%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$25.5K NZ$45.2K

-6.49%

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

$201 NZ$357

$96.7 NZ$172

107.65%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$29.56 NZ$52.5

12.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$52.5 NZ$93.3

2.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$37.47 NZ$66.5

-4.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$9.87 NZ$17.53

19.35%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$704 NZ$1,250

51.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

-22.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$71.3 NZ$127

12.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$33.01 NZ$58.6

-15.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$99.8 NZ$177

1.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$100 NZ$178

54.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$1,078 NZ$1,913

6.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$911 NZ$1,617

18.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,580 NZ$2,806

30.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,645 NZ$2,921

10.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,875 NZ$8,655

35.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

$3,516 NZ$6,242

3.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

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 Fox Glacier: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Fox Glacier

$911 46.3% 15.6% $168

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Fox Glacier

$319 16.3% 8.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Fox Glacier

$179 9.1% 37.9% $109

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Fox Glacier

$248 12.6% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Fox Glacier

$137 7% 16.5% $27

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Fox Glacier

$115 5.9% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Fox Glacier

$57 2.9% 3.7% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,078 in Fox Glacier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $62 in Fox Glacier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $319 per month, with Fox Glacier cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Fox Glacier

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

300

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Fox Glacier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $1,965 in Fox Glacier, so Fox Glacier is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,470 in Wellington and $2,948 in Fox Glacier 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 $1,078 in Fox Glacier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Fox Glacier runs roughly 9% less than in Wellington. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $704 in Fox Glacier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Fox Glacier 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.

Expats usually find Fox Glacier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.