Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Hamilton Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Hamilton

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Wellington is 19% more expensive than Hamilton without rent, and 24.3% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Wellington is 14.3% more expensive than Hamilton without rent, and 16.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.57 NZ$28.98
$13.79 NZ$22.75
27.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.9 NZ$137
$85.1 NZ$140
-2.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.53 NZ$15.72
$8.71 NZ$14.36
9.41%
Cappuccino
$3.59 NZ$5.92
$3.53 NZ$5.82
1.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NZ$4.08
$2.41 NZ$3.97
2.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 NZ$3.62
$2.92 NZ$4.81
-24.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.03 NZ$11.6
$6.89 NZ$11.37
2.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.38 NZ$12.18
$6.09 NZ$10.04
21.18%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 NZ$3.1
$1.59 NZ$2.63
18.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 NZ$3.44
$1.28 NZ$2.1
63.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.23
$1.98 NZ$3.27
-1.01%
Eggs
$6.89 NZ$11.37
$5.8 NZ$9.57
18.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.24 NZ$13.6
$5.82 NZ$9.6
41.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.92 NZ$18.01
$8.08 NZ$13.32
35.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.99 NZ$21.42
$11.05 NZ$18.23
17.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.12 NZ$5.15
$2.77 NZ$4.56
12.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 NZ$3.82
$2.88 NZ$4.75
-19.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.1 NZ$5.12
$2.94 NZ$4.85
5.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.68 NZ$7.72
$6.81 NZ$11.24
-31.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 NZ$3.41
$2.2 NZ$3.62
-5.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.57 NZ$2.59
$1.97 NZ$3.25
-20.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.3 NZ$3.79
$2.59 NZ$4.28
-11.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NZ$2.11
$1.02 NZ$1.68
25.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$27.02 NZ$44.57
$25.81 NZ$42.56
4.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.48 NZ$17.28
$11.43 NZ$18.85
-8.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.68 NZ$6.08
$3.57 NZ$5.89
3.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 NZ$5.35
$4.5 NZ$7.42
-28.00%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.78 NZ$4.59
$1.67 NZ$2.76
66.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 NZ$175
$47.97 NZ$79.1
121.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 NZ$4.41
$4.24 NZ$7
-37.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 NZ$2.93
$1.94 NZ$3.2
-8.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.2 NZ$97.6
$42.77 NZ$70.5
38.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 NZ$2.73
$1.69 NZ$2.79
-1.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33K NZ$54.5K
$23.4K NZ$38.7K
40.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25K NZ$41.3K
$23.2K NZ$38.3K
7.87%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 NZ$265
$91 NZ$150
76.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.1 NZ$54.6
$39.28 NZ$64.8
-15.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.7
$53 NZ$87.5
-0.85%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.7 NZ$60.5
$32.17 NZ$53.1
14.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.16 NZ$33.25
$16.44 NZ$27.11
22.63%
Cinema Ticket
$11.86 NZ$19.56
$13.63 NZ$22.47
-12.99%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$789 NZ$1,301
$830 NZ$1,369
-4.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K NZ$20.9K
$18K NZ$29.7K
-29.46%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.5 NZ$120
$61.3 NZ$101
18.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 NZ$88.6
$40.61 NZ$67
32.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 NZ$195
$90.1 NZ$149
31.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NZ$240
$119 NZ$196
22.31%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 NZ$2,211
$982 NZ$1,620
36.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 NZ$1,800
$877 NZ$1,447
24.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,146 NZ$3,539
$1,225 NZ$2,021
75.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,893 NZ$3,122
$1,576 NZ$2,599
20.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,617 NZ$10.9K
$5,447 NZ$8,984
21.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,828 NZ$7,962
$4,724 NZ$7,791
2.20%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Hamilton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,228 NZ$5,324
$2,676 NZ$4,413
20.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
6.83
1.61%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Wellington: October 28, 2025

Last update for Hamilton: October 29, 2025

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