Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Modena

For one person, living is cheaper in Modena: $1,881 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Modena
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Modena Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Modena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Modena

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $1,881 in Modena, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Modena $1,881

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $3,040 in Modena, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Modena $3,040

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $4,200 in Modena, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Modena $4,200

Wellington costs about 23% more than Modena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wellington and Modena sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Modena by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.94

$22.58 €20.14

-37.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$87.9 €78.4

-24.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.41

$13.18 €11.76

-29.97%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.07

$1.89 €1.69

80.42%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.94 €2.62

-17.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.55 €1.38

9.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.31

$6.59 €5.88

13.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$5.75 €5.13

17.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.46 €1.30

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$2.54 €2.27

-11.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.66 €1.49

11.45%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.64

$4.92 €4.39

44.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.97

$20.46 €18.25

-53.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.11

$13.82 €12.33

-30.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.14

$21.61 €19.28

-29.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$2.58 €2.30

19.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.55 €2.27

-15.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.48

$3.28 €2.92

-6.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.42

$3.06 €2.73

109.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.46 €2.20

-14.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.20

$1.66 €1.48

-25.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$1.36 €1.22

47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.67 €0.60

73.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.12

$6.51 €5.81

289.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.42

$9.00 €8.03

27.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.55

$1.54 €1.37

102.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$2.62 €2.34

10.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$2.21 €1.97

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$37.38 €33.35

180.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.35

$6.41 €5.72

-70.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.40 €1.25

30.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.0

$31.81 €28.38

7.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.09 €1.86

-11.96%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$37.0K €33.0K

-23.18%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$35.4K €31.6K

-32.75%

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

$201 NZ$357

$195 €174

2.90%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.3

$13.10 €11.68

154.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.4

$30.99 €27.65

73.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.8

$71.2 €63.5

-49.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.79

$22.60 €20.17

-28.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.96

$10.96 €9.78

7.48%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,894

$763 €681

39.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$15.3K €13.6K

-13.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$85.1 €76.0

-5.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.87

$41.41 €36.94

-32.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$96.9 €86.5

4.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$108 €96.3

42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,032

$856 €764

33.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,918

$661 €590

63.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,658

$1,716 €1,531

19.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,226

$1,336 €1,192

35.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$3,557 €3,174

85.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,501

$2,291 €2,044

59.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,954

$2,028 €1,809

37.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

3.29

63.83%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Modena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Modena

$661 35.1% 38.7% $417

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Modena

$373 19.9% 7.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Modena

$239 12.7% 16.9% $49

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Modena

$305 16.2% 23% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Modena

$149 7.9% 9% $15

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Modena

$60 3.2% 53.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Modena

$93 5% 56.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $856 in Modena. 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 37% higher in Wellington. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $88 in Modena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $373 – making Wellington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇮🇹 Modena

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

20:02 8:02 PM

12 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

184,973

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.562 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Modena 18,650 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Modena

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 Modena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 23% more than Modena, 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 $3,470 per month in Wellington and $2,821 in Modena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Modena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $856 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington and $88 in Modena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $1,881 in Modena. That makes Modena about 19% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Modena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Modena. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.