Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Mackay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mackay: $2,209 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Mackay

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $2,209 in Mackay, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Mackay $2,209

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $3,489 in Mackay, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Mackay $3,489

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $4,769 in Mackay, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Mackay $4,769

Wellington costs about 5% more than Mackay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wellington and Mackay sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Mackay by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.99

$17.22 A$24.47

-18.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$75.8 A$108

-12.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.44

$12.42 A$17.65

-25.68%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.08

$4.30 A$6.11

-20.70%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.33

$3.39 A$4.82

-28.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.02

$2.74 A$3.89

-38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.34

$6.97 A$9.90

7.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$12.02

$6.87 A$9.76

-1.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.48

$1.90 A$2.70

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.02

$2.51 A$3.57

-10.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.31

$2.82 A$4.01

-34.40%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.66

$6.02 A$8.55

17.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$17.00

$9.70 A$13.78

-1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.14

$8.53 A$12.12

12.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.20

$16.45 A$23.37

-7.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.51

$3.69 A$5.24

-16.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.84

$2.85 A$4.05

-24.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.49

$3.00 A$4.26

2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.45

$6.72 A$9.55

-4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.74

$2.53 A$3.59

-17.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.20

$2.56 A$3.64

-51.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.59

$3.24 A$4.61

-37.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.07

$3.11 A$4.43

-62.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.21

$44.23 A$62.8

-42.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.46

$8.63 A$12.27

33.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.56

$5.24 A$7.45

-40.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.14

$6.05 A$8.59

-52.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.10

$2.42 A$3.43

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$68.8 A$97.8

52.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.35

$5.88 A$8.35

-68.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$2.06 A$2.92

-11.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.1

$35.28 A$50.1

-2.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$1.27 A$1.81

44.88%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.6K

$27.1K A$38.5K

4.66%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.4K

$35.4K A$50.4K

-32.85%

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

$201 NZ$358

$235 A$334

-14.48%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.4

$29.32 A$41.66

13.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.6

$78.9 A$112

-31.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.9

$52.0 A$73.9

-31.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.84

$21.14 A$30.04

-23.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$21.00

$16.46 A$23.38

-28.43%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,897

$1,860 A$2,642

-42.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.7K

$6,747 A$9,586

96.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$71.1 A$101

13.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.97

$50.0 A$71.0

-43.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$123 A$174

-17.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$275

$105 A$150

46.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,036

$956 A$1,358

19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,922

$829 A$1,178

30.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,665

$1,903 A$2,704

8.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,232

$1,779 A$2,527

1.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.8K

$3,115 A$4,426

111.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,514

$1,763 A$2,505

107.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,964

$5,517 A$7,839

-49.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.63

-4.26%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mackay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Mackay

$829 37.5% 23.1% $249

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Mackay

$400 18.1% 15% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Mackay

$343 15.5% 19.2% $55

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Mackay

$300 13.6% 20.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Mackay

$157 7.1% 4.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Mackay

$95 4.3% 25.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Mackay

$85 3.9% 42.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $956 in Mackay. 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 98% higher in Mackay, 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 $76 in Mackay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $400 – making Wellington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇦🇺 Mackay

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

3 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

80,455

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Mackay 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Mackay

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 Mackay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wellington is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $3,314 in Mackay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mackay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $956 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Wellington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington and $76 in Mackay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,209 in Mackay 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.