Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Lower Hutt Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Lower Hutt

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 9.9% more expensive than Lower Hutt without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Wellington is 9.3% cheaper than Lower Hutt without rent, and 7.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.83 NZ$30.49
$17.42 NZ$29.79
2.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.2 NZ$144
$83.6 NZ$143
0.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.46 NZ$16.18
$10.73 NZ$18.34
-11.84%
Cappuccino
$3.65 NZ$6.24
$3.58 NZ$6.13
1.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 NZ$4.40
$2.34 NZ$4.00
9.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 NZ$3.76
$2.23 NZ$3.81
-1.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.20 NZ$12.32
$7.11 NZ$12.16
1.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.44 NZ$12.72
$6.26 NZ$10.70
18.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 NZ$3.11
$1.87 NZ$3.20
-2.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 NZ$3.50
$2.09 NZ$3.57
-2.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.37
$1.87 NZ$3.20
5.35%
Eggs
$7.24 NZ$12.38
$7.10 NZ$12.14
1.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.16 NZ$13.96
$7.98 NZ$13.65
2.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.90 NZ$18.65
$9.29 NZ$15.88
17.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.19 NZ$22.55
$12.92 NZ$22.08
2.09%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.24
$2.44 NZ$4.18
25.41%
Banana (1kg)
$2.36 NZ$4.03
$2.12 NZ$3.63
11.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 NZ$5.10
$2.66 NZ$4.55
12.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.83 NZ$8.26
$4.82 NZ$8.25
0.21%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.46
$2.09 NZ$3.57
-3.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.58 NZ$2.70
$1.77 NZ$3.03
-10.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.30 NZ$3.93
$2.27 NZ$3.89
1.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 NZ$2.21
$1.25 NZ$2.14
3.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.71 NZ$45.68
$21.85 NZ$37.36
22.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.89 NZ$18.63
$9.55 NZ$16.33
14.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.51 NZ$6.00
$3.53 NZ$6.03
-0.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 NZ$5.57
$3.30 NZ$5.65
-1.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 NZ$4.57
$2.64 NZ$4.52
1.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 NZ$183
$63.4 NZ$108
68.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 NZ$4.73
$2.63 NZ$4.50
5.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.79 NZ$3.07
$1.87 NZ$3.20
-4.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.9 NZ$104
$61.4 NZ$105
-0.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.67 NZ$2.86
$1.64 NZ$2.81
1.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K NZ$56.5K
$29.1K NZ$49.7K
13.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K NZ$42.6K
$24.6K NZ$42.1K
1.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 NZ$265
$160 NZ$273
-2.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.64 NZ$57.5
$36.78 NZ$62.9
-8.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.1 NZ$87.3
$50.9 NZ$87.0
0.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.54 NZ$62.5
$41.42 NZ$70.8
-11.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.82 NZ$35.60
$12.15 NZ$20.78
71.36%
Cinema Ticket
$12.26 NZ$20.96
$11.00 NZ$18.81
11.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$818 NZ$1,398
$758 NZ$1,295
7.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K NZ$21.9K
$11.7K NZ$20.0K
10.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.9 NZ$121
$71.3 NZ$122
-0.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.2 NZ$91.0
$57.6 NZ$98.5
-7.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 NZ$205
$116 NZ$199
2.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NZ$249
$141 NZ$241
3.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,297 NZ$2,218
$1,399 NZ$2,392
-7.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,094 NZ$1,870
$1,097 NZ$1,875
-0.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,127 NZ$3,637
$2,388 NZ$4,084
-10.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,916 NZ$3,277
$1,713 NZ$2,929
11.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,806 NZ$11.6K
$5,001 NZ$8,552
36.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,067 NZ$6,955
$3,465 NZ$5,925
17.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Lower Hutt
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,107 NZ$5,313
$3,418 NZ$5,845
-9.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
6.94
-

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

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

Last update for Lower Hutt: March 2, 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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