Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Kerikeri

For one person, living is cheaper in Kerikeri: $1,901 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Kerikeri
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Kerikeri Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Kerikeri

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Kerikeri

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $1,901 in Kerikeri, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Kerikeri $1,901

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $2,858 in Kerikeri, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Kerikeri $2,858

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $3,815 in Kerikeri, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Kerikeri $3,815

Wellington costs about 22% more than Kerikeri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Wellington and Kerikeri sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Kerikeri by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$13.99 NZ$24.84

0.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$68.8 NZ$122

-3.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$9.19 NZ$16.32

0.44%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.35 NZ$5.96

1.79%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.05 NZ$3.64

18.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$6.62 NZ$11.76

12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.72 NZ$11.93

0.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.93 NZ$3.42

1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$2.22 NZ$3.94

1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.89 NZ$3.35

-2.12%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$6.31 NZ$11.21

12.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$7.92 NZ$14.05

20.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$10.18 NZ$18.06

-5.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$17.40 NZ$30.89

-12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$2.87 NZ$5.09

7.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.18 NZ$3.87

-1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$3.00 NZ$5.33

2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$6.01 NZ$10.67

6.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$2.07 NZ$3.68

1.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.52 NZ$2.71

-19.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$1.97 NZ$3.50

2.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.54 NZ$0.97

114.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$27.72 NZ$49.22

-8.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$10.57 NZ$18.76

8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$2.89 NZ$5.13

7.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$3.43 NZ$6.08

-15.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$1.74 NZ$3.09

64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$106 NZ$189

-1.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$1.75 NZ$3.11

7.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.66 NZ$2.94

10.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$32.70 NZ$58.1

4.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.62 NZ$2.87

13.58%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

6.21%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

7.60%

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

$201 NZ$357

$119 NZ$212

68.44%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$27.03 NZ$48.00

23.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$50.7 NZ$90.1

5.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$38.13 NZ$67.7

-5.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$10.34 NZ$18.35

13.93%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$1,059 NZ$1,880

0.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$19.4K NZ$34.5K

-31.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$79.4 NZ$141

1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$33.58 NZ$59.6

-16.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$95.7 NZ$170

6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$111 NZ$198

38.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$968 NZ$1,719

18.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$800 NZ$1,420

34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,620 NZ$2,876

26.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,288 NZ$2,286

40.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,323 NZ$7,676

52.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

$2,871 NZ$5,098

27.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

$5,793 NZ$10.3K

-51.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.37

0.37%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kerikeri: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Kerikeri

$800 42.1% 25.8% $278

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Kerikeri

$337 17.7% 3.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Kerikeri

$197 10.4% 31.6% $91

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Kerikeri

$242 12.7% 2.7% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Kerikeri

$144 7.6% 12.1% $20

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Kerikeri

$123 6.5% 3.2% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Kerikeri

$59 3.1% 1.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $968 in Kerikeri. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kerikeri are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $69 in Kerikeri. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Wellington vs $337 in Kerikeri – so Kerikeri wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Kerikeri

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

8,000

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Wellington Kerikeri 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Kerikeri

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 Kerikeri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 22% more than Kerikeri, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $2,852 in Kerikeri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kerikeri, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $968 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington and $69 in Kerikeri. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Wellington, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,901 in Kerikeri to $2,313 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.