Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Monza

For one person, living is cheaper in Monza: $2,021 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Monza
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Monza Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monza

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Monza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,021 in Monza.

Wellington $2,313
Monza $2,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $3,136 in Monza.

Wellington $3,422
Monza $3,136

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $4,252 in Monza.

Wellington $4,530
Monza $4,252

Living in Wellington is roughly 14% more expensive than in Monza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Monza 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.59

$21.91 €19.65

-36.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$117

$90.6 €81.3

-26.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.18

$11.06 €9.92

-16.55%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$5.98

$1.80 €1.62

89.44%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.26

$3.61 €3.23

-32.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.97

$1.29 €1.16

31.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.12

$5.53 €4.96

35.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.83

$6.11 €5.48

10.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.42

$1.45 €1.30

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$3.95

$2.26 €2.03

-0.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.25

$3.54 €3.17

-47.74%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.46

$3.40 €3.05

108.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.73

$22.77 €20.42

-58.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$16.87

$13.94 €12.50

-30.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$26.76

$22.69 €20.36

-32.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.43

$2.71 €2.43

14.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.78

$1.78 €1.59

20.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.40

$3.26 €2.92

-5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.26

$3.26 €2.93

96.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.68

$2.10 €1.88

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.16

$1.98 €1.78

-37.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.53

$1.81 €1.63

11.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.03

$0.66 €0.59

75.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$44.49

$6.65 €5.96

281.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.14

$5.55 €4.98

106.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.47

$1.90 €1.70

64.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.06

$2.21 €1.98

30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.02

$2.95 €2.65

-3.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$184

$66.0 €59.2

58.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.30

$7.89 €7.08

-76.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.21

$1.22 €1.09

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.2

$34.21 €30.69

0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.23

$2.02 €1.81

-8.91%

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

$28.4K NZ$49.8K

$36.6K €32.8K

-22.39%

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

$23.8K NZ$41.7K

$35.7K €32.1K

-33.40%

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

$201 NZ$352

$195 €175

2.98%

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

$33.35 NZ$58.5

$10.31 €9.25

223.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$94.1

$27.59 €24.75

94.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$62.9

$47.27 €42.40

-24.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.38

$38.42 €34.47

-57.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.66

$12.86 €11.54

-8.40%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,867

$877 €787

21.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.3K

$18.8K €16.9K

-29.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$141

$90.9 €81.5

-11.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.17

$45.37 €40.69

-38.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$178

$110 €98.8

-7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$270

$163 €146

-5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,004

$1,022 €916

11.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,891

$775 €695

39.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,607

$1,920 €1,722

7.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,181

$1,294 €1,161

40.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.6K

$4,300 €3,857

53.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,410

$2,927 €2,626

24.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,884

$1,951 €1,750

42.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

3.62

48.90%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Monza: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Monza

$775 38.3% 28.1% $304

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Monza

$375 18.6% 7.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Monza

$233 11.5% 19.1% $55

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Monza

$290 14.3% 16.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Monza

$184 9.1% 12.3% $20

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Monza

$92 4.5% 27.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Monza

$73 3.6% 22.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,022 in Monza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $91 in Monza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $375 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇮🇹 Monza

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

09:19 9:19 AM

12 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

120,204

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.57 USD

1 NZD = 0.512 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 NZD (1 NZD = 0.57 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 NZD (1 NZD = 0.512 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Monza 18,750 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Monza

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 Monza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monza wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Wellington. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monza the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Wellington, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,022 in Monza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $877 in Monza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Wellington pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Monza is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Monza wins on affordability, Wellington on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.