Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Nelson Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Nelson

🙂 Solo nomad: Wellington is 12.1% cheaper than Nelson without rent, and 14.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Wellington is 1% cheaper than Nelson without rent, and 16.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 NZ$30.57

$21.50 NZ$37.41

-18.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 NZ$144

$83.4 NZ$145

-0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 NZ$16.69

$9.46 NZ$16.46

1.37%

Cappuccino

$3.61 NZ$6.28

$3.30 NZ$5.74

9.39%

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

$2.62 NZ$4.55

$2.68 NZ$4.66

-2.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 NZ$3.72

$2.73 NZ$4.75

-21.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 NZ$12.36

$7.07 NZ$12.29

0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$5.86 NZ$10.20

21.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.19

$2.40 NZ$4.18

-23.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NZ$3.56

$2.26 NZ$3.93

-9.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 NZ$3.26

$2.26 NZ$3.94

-16.81%

Eggs

$6.96 NZ$12.10

$5.97 NZ$10.39

16.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 NZ$14.01

$10.10 NZ$17.57

-20.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 NZ$19.24

$8.05 NZ$14.01

37.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 NZ$22.65

$16.02 NZ$27.88

-18.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.27

$3.50 NZ$6.09

-13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.06

$2.60 NZ$4.53

-10.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.17

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 NZ$8.37

$6.72 NZ$11.69

-28.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.64

$3.74 NZ$6.51

-44.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 NZ$2.77

$2.47 NZ$4.29

-35.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 NZ$3.83

$2.57 NZ$4.48

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 NZ$2.26

$1.29 NZ$2.24

0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.98 NZ$46.94

$30.38 NZ$52.9

-11.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 NZ$18.41

$9.99 NZ$17.38

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$6.10

$3.20 NZ$5.57

9.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 NZ$5.62

$4.64 NZ$8.07

-30.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 NZ$4.58

$2.34 NZ$4.07

12.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$186

$64.3 NZ$112

65.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.81

$4.32 NZ$7.51

-35.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.09

$1.81 NZ$3.15

-2.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.1 NZ$106

$35.64 NZ$62.0

71.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.90

$1.65 NZ$2.88

1.21%

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

$33.2K NZ$57.8K

$18.5K NZ$32.3K

79.26%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.0K

$21.9K NZ$38.1K

12.87%

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

$157 NZ$273

$217 NZ$377

-27.51%

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

$32.98 NZ$57.4

$36.41 NZ$63.4

-9.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$91.4

$49.82 NZ$86.7

5.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 NZ$64.1

$47.78 NZ$83.1

-22.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 NZ$35.42

$20.83 NZ$36.24

-2.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 NZ$20.62

$10.08 NZ$17.54

17.56%

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

$814 NZ$1,416

$480 NZ$836

69.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.2K

$11.9K NZ$20.7K

7.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 NZ$126

$59.3 NZ$103

22.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 NZ$92.1

$66.2 NZ$115

-19.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NZ$210

$132 NZ$229

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$245

$109 NZ$189

29.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 NZ$2,257

$965 NZ$1,679

34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 NZ$1,924

$745 NZ$1,297

48.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 NZ$3,680

$1,398 NZ$2,432

51.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 NZ$3,317

$1,217 NZ$2,118

56.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,842 NZ$11.9K

$2,882 NZ$5,014

137.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,920 NZ$6,821

$2,362 NZ$4,110

65.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,973 NZ$5,173

$2,858 NZ$4,973

4.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

6.82

1.76%

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

Last update for Wellington: January 10, 2026

Last update for Nelson: January 11, 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

Similar cities

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada