Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Invercargill Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Invercargill

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 38.4% more expensive than Invercargill without rent, and 48.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 10.1% more expensive than Invercargill without rent, and 43.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.83 NZ$30.49

$11.93 NZ$20.40

49.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 NZ$144

$73.3 NZ$125

14.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 NZ$16.18

$8.52 NZ$14.56

11.03%

Cappuccino

$3.65 NZ$6.24

$3.34 NZ$5.71

9.28%

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

$2.57 NZ$4.40

$1.69 NZ$2.89

52.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NZ$3.76

$1.41 NZ$2.41

56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 NZ$12.32

$5.94 NZ$10.15

21.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 NZ$12.72

$4.71 NZ$8.06

57.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.11

$1.51 NZ$2.59

20.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 NZ$3.50

$1.82 NZ$3.11

12.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.37

$1.78 NZ$3.04

10.67%

Eggs

$7.24 NZ$12.38

$5.73 NZ$9.79

26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 NZ$13.96

$8.44 NZ$14.43

-3.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 NZ$18.65

$9.55 NZ$16.33

14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 NZ$22.55

$13.56 NZ$23.19

-2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.24

$2.87 NZ$4.90

6.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.03

$2.24 NZ$3.84

5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.10

$2.54 NZ$4.34

17.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 NZ$8.26

$3.63 NZ$6.21

33.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.46

$1.92 NZ$3.29

5.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 NZ$2.70

$1.83 NZ$3.13

-13.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$3.93

$2.57 NZ$4.39

-10.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 NZ$2.21

$1.07 NZ$1.82

20.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.71 NZ$45.68

$22.14 NZ$37.87

20.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NZ$18.63

$8.92 NZ$15.25

22.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$6.00

$4.15 NZ$7.10

-15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 NZ$5.57

$3.66 NZ$6.25

-10.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 NZ$4.57

$1.59 NZ$2.71

67.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$183

$63.5 NZ$109

68.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.73

$2.35 NZ$4.01

17.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.07

$1.84 NZ$3.15

-2.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 NZ$104

$30.23 NZ$51.7

101.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.86

$1.66 NZ$2.84

0.60%

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

$33.0K NZ$56.5K

$26.0K NZ$44.4K

27.32%

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

$24.9K NZ$42.6K

$19.9K NZ$34.1K

24.79%

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

$155 NZ$265

$100 NZ$171

54.98%

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

$33.64 NZ$57.5

$35.51 NZ$60.7

-5.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$87.3

$50.3 NZ$86.0

1.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 NZ$62.5

$29.22 NZ$49.97

25.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.82 NZ$35.60

$12.26 NZ$20.97

69.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 NZ$20.96

$9.55 NZ$16.32

28.38%

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

$818 NZ$1,398

$589 NZ$1,007

38.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$21.9K

$12.1K NZ$20.7K

6.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 NZ$121

$66.0 NZ$113

7.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 NZ$91.0

$35.66 NZ$61.0

49.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NZ$205

$81.2 NZ$139

47.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 NZ$249

$85.7 NZ$147

69.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 NZ$2,218

$651 NZ$1,113

99.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 NZ$1,870

$589 NZ$1,008

85.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 NZ$3,637

$873 NZ$1,492

143.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 NZ$3,277

$1,081 NZ$1,849

77.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 NZ$11.6K

$5,903 NZ$10.1K

15.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,067 NZ$6,955

$3,621 NZ$6,193

12.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,107 NZ$5,313

$3,194 NZ$5,462

-2.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

6.87

1.02%

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

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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