Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Invercargill

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,412 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Invercargill

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

A single person spends $2,358 per month in Wellington vs $1,412 in Invercargill, rent included.

Wellington $2,358
Invercargill $1,412

A couple spends around $3,368 per month in Wellington vs $2,099 in Invercargill, rent included.

Wellington $3,368
Invercargill $2,099

A family of three spends $4,378 per month in Wellington vs $2,785 in Invercargill, rent included.

Wellington $4,378
Invercargill $2,785

Wellington costs about 67% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wellington and Invercargill sit above the global median – Wellington by 75%, Invercargill by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.27

$14.04 NZ$24.83

-2.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$61.2 NZ$108

4.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.83

$8.32 NZ$14.71

7.57%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.05

$3.12 NZ$5.52

9.62%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.31

$1.65 NZ$2.92

47.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.98

$2.03 NZ$3.60

-16.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.22 NZ$12.76

$2.74 NZ$4.85

163.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.76

$2.74 NZ$4.85

142.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.68 NZ$2.96

13.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 NZ$3.89

$1.85 NZ$3.27

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.76 NZ$3.11

3.98%

Eggs

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$5.58 NZ$9.87

21.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$8.23 NZ$14.55

9.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NZ$17.43

$8.83 NZ$15.61

11.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 NZ$26.86

$12.12 NZ$21.44

25.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.55 NZ$4.50

22.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$2.36 NZ$4.17

-6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.43

$2.66 NZ$4.70

15.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 NZ$11.65

$3.52 NZ$6.23

87.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$3.21 NZ$5.68

-35.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.18

$1.61 NZ$2.85

-23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$2.33 NZ$4.13

-11.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.03

$1.04 NZ$1.84

10.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$20.39 NZ$36.06

21.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 NZ$19.95

$8.56 NZ$15.14

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$2.86 NZ$5.06

8.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$3.39 NZ$5.99

-15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$1.41 NZ$2.49

100.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$2.27 NZ$4.01

-17.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.94 NZ$3.42

-6.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.15 NZ$60.4

$27.73 NZ$49.04

23.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.59 NZ$2.81

14.47%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

5.00%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

39.33%

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

$197 NZ$348

$109 NZ$192

80.93%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.6

$32.30 NZ$57.1

-0.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$42.46 NZ$75.1

23.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$66.7

$27.87 NZ$49.29

35.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

$13.77 NZ$24.34

16.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 NZ$21.10

$8.82 NZ$15.60

35.26%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,867

$589 NZ$1,042

79.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 NZ$135

$57.4 NZ$102

32.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$49.93

$35.07 NZ$62.0

-19.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$70.0 NZ$124

42.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$270

$79.0 NZ$140

92.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 NZ$2,169

$594 NZ$1,050

106.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 NZ$2,018

$551 NZ$974

107.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 NZ$3,790

$831 NZ$1,470

157.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 NZ$3,022

$764 NZ$1,350

123.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

$5,482 NZ$9,695

19.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,559 NZ$6,294

$5,034 NZ$8,902

-29.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,925

$2,729 NZ$4,826

2.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.72

-19.79%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4%

Invercargill

$551 39% 51.7% $590

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$346 14.7%

Invercargill

$298 21.1% 13.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.9%

Invercargill

$183 13% 34.7% $98

Eating Out

Wellington

$244 10.3%

Invercargill

$209 14.8% 14.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$160 6.8%

Invercargill

$109 7.7% 32.3% $52

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.3%

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2% 85.8% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Invercargill

$46 3.2% 26.1% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,226 in Wellington versus $594 in Invercargill. 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 2% higher in Wellington, 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 $64.0 in Wellington versus $61.0 in Invercargill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $298 – making Invercargill the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

56,200

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wellington Invercargill 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Invercargill

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 Invercargill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 67% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,536 per month in Wellington and $2,119 in Invercargill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,358 in Wellington and $1,412 in Invercargill. That's a gap of about 67%.

Kindergarten costs $1,056 per month in Wellington and $589 in Invercargill. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Invercargill, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Wellington at $2,358. In Invercargill it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Invercargill costs $1,412 versus $2,358 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 Invercargill. 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.