Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Hobart

For one person, living is cheaper in Wellington: $2,376 a month against $2,733 in Hobart, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Hobart
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Hobart Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,376

/mo nomad

Hobart

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Hobart

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

A single person spends $2,376 per month in Wellington vs $2,733 in Hobart, rent included.

Wellington $2,376
Hobart $2,733

A couple spends around $3,407 per month in Wellington vs $3,695 in Hobart, rent included.

Wellington $3,407
Hobart $3,695

A family of three spends $4,439 per month in Wellington vs $4,657 in Hobart, rent included.

Wellington $4,439
Hobart $4,657

Wellington is about 13% cheaper than Hobart, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wellington and Hobart sit above the global median – Wellington by 75%, Hobart by 102%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.01 NZ$24.78

$18.35 A$26.41

-23.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NZ$116

$92.5 A$133

-28.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 NZ$16.56

$10.44 A$15.02

-10.25%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NZ$6.02

$3.94 A$5.67

-13.71%

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

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$3.42 A$4.92

-28.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$2.17 A$3.12

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 NZ$12.85

$8.18 A$11.77

-11.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 NZ$11.87

$9.29 A$13.37

-27.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$1.79 A$2.57

8.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.43 A$3.50

-11.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.88 A$2.71

-2.66%

Eggs

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$5.39 A$7.75

27.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.26

$9.53 A$13.71

-3.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 NZ$17.67

$8.84 A$12.71

13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 NZ$26.48

$17.77 A$25.57

-15.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.36

$3.18 A$4.58

-4.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 NZ$3.96

$3.34 A$4.80

-32.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$2.96 A$4.26

4.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 NZ$11.59

$4.66 A$6.71

40.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.83

$2.59 A$3.73

-16.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 NZ$2.27

$2.14 A$3.08

-40.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 NZ$3.71

$2.65 A$3.82

-20.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$1.69 A$2.44

-28.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.79 NZ$45.60

$36.85 A$53.0

-30.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 NZ$19.94

$14.72 A$21.19

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.51

$4.98 A$7.16

-37.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 NZ$4.98

$5.36 A$7.72

-47.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$3.05 A$4.39

-9.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$184

$97.9 A$141

6.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$4.64 A$6.67

-59.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$2.08 A$2.99

-14.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.72 NZ$59.6

$41.36 A$59.5

-18.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$1.36 A$1.95

36.03%

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

$28.7K NZ$50.8K

$28.4K A$40.8K

1.25%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

$33.8K A$48.6K

-29.59%

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

$194 NZ$344

$223 A$321

-12.84%

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

$33.42 NZ$59.1

$28.52 A$41.04

17.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 NZ$94.7

$59.8 A$86.1

-10.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 NZ$67.4

$36.82 A$53.0

3.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.15 NZ$28.56

$13.00 A$18.70

24.23%

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 NZ$21.17

$16.63 A$23.93

-28.02%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$1,976 A$2,843

-46.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

$20.6K A$29.6K

-37.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$76.1 A$110

4.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.87 NZ$51.1

$54.3 A$78.1

-46.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$182

$104 A$149

-0.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 NZ$275

$126 A$181

23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 NZ$2,152

$1,836 A$2,642

-33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 NZ$2,028

$1,382 A$1,988

-16.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,154 NZ$3,809

$2,156 A$3,103

-0.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 NZ$3,061

$1,617 A$2,326

7.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,780 NZ$12.0K

$9,379 A$13.5K

-27.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,464

$6,772 A$9,744

-46.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,812 NZ$4,972

$4,024 A$5,790

-30.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.2

-13.06%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hobart: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

Hobart

$1.4K 50.5% 20.5% $235

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 14.6%

Hobart

$376 13.8% 8.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.8%

Hobart

$311 11.4% 10.7% $30

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.4%

Hobart

$307 11.2% 24.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$165 6.9%

Hobart

$162 5.9% 1.8% $3

Getting Around

Wellington

$126 5.3%

Hobart

$125 4.6% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Hobart

$70 2.6% 12.9% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,217 in Wellington versus $1,836 in Hobart. 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 43% higher in Hobart, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Wellington versus $92.0 in Hobart. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $376 – making Wellington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇦🇺 Hobart

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

12:00 12:00 PM

2 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

197,451

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Hobart 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Hobart

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 Hobart: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hobart costs about 15% more than Wellington, 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 $4,100 in Hobart. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 8% more in Hobart, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Wellington and $92.0 in Hobart. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wellington, where all-in costs run around $2,376, than in Hobart at $2,733. In Wellington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hobart it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Wellington costs $2,376 versus $2,733 in Hobart. 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 Wellington. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hobart makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.