Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Wellington: $2,342 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,342 in Wellington versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Wellington $2,342
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,316 in Wellington versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Wellington $3,316
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,291 in Wellington versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Wellington $4,291
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Wellington costs roughly 18% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 75% above, Melbourne 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 NZ$24.74

$17.75 A$25.40

-21.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 NZ$114

$84.8 A$121

-24.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.95

$12.16 A$17.40

-26.40%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$3.93 A$5.62

-16.28%

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

$2.35 NZ$4.19

$3.14 A$4.49

-25.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$2.43 A$3.47

-31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.24 NZ$12.90

$9.90 A$14.17

-26.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 NZ$12.03

$8.29 A$11.86

-18.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 NZ$3.38

$1.55 A$2.21

22.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$3.01 A$4.31

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$2.88 A$4.12

-36.81%

Eggs

$6.73 NZ$11.99

$5.44 A$7.79

23.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.13

$10.59 A$15.16

-14.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$17.01

$9.61 A$13.76

-0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 NZ$27.27

$14.99 A$21.46

2.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.64

$4.15 A$5.94

-23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.98

$3.05 A$4.37

-26.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.28

$3.30 A$4.72

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 NZ$11.27

$4.76 A$6.81

32.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.67

$3.04 A$4.34

-32.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 NZ$2.20

$2.55 A$3.65

-51.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$2.48 A$3.55

-19.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 NZ$2.13

$1.63 A$2.33

-26.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.20

$44.07 A$63.1

-42.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.37 NZ$20.26

$12.43 A$17.79

-8.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$5.33 A$7.63

-40.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 NZ$4.92

$5.16 A$7.38

-46.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 NZ$4.88

$3.84 A$5.50

-28.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$182

$142 A$203

-27.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$4.40 A$6.29

-58.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.16

$1.40 A$2.01

26.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 NZ$59.1

$29.83 A$42.69

11.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.46 A$2.09

25.34%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

$28.1K A$40.3K

-8.94%

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

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

$25.9K A$37.1K

-2.03%

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

$199 NZ$354

$233 A$333

-14.58%

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

$32.79 NZ$58.4

$27.28 A$39.04

20.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 NZ$95.3

$57.0 A$81.6

-6.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.58 NZ$68.8

$52.7 A$75.4

-26.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.40 NZ$29.22

$22.62 A$32.37

-27.50%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 NZ$21.64

$17.10 A$24.48

-29.01%

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

$1,036 NZ$1,847

$2,373 A$3,397

-56.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

$30.5K A$43.6K

-57.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 NZ$140

$78.2 A$112

0.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$50.3

$50.5 A$72.2

-44.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$184

$121 A$172

-14.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 NZ$276

$133 A$191

16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 NZ$2,187

$1,713 A$2,451

-28.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 NZ$2,030

$1,402 A$2,006

-18.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 NZ$3,869

$3,339 A$4,778

-34.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 NZ$2,975

$2,529 A$3,619

-33.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

$7,018 A$10.0K

-4.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,505 NZ$6,246

$6,767 A$9,685

-48.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,818 NZ$5,022

$4,228 A$6,051

-33.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.9

-8.64%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 23% $262

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$343 14.5%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 12.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$285 12.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 11.2% $32

Eating Out

Wellington

$243 10.3%

Melbourne

$314 11% 29.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 4.9% $8

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.2%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 36.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$63 2.7%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 38.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,228 in Wellington and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 50% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Wellington vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $385 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

2 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Melbourne 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington and Melbourne differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,342 vs $2,852 including rent). Wellington is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,228 in Wellington versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,036 in Wellington versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,342 in Wellington versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wellington but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wellington the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Wellington and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Wellington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.