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

🙂 Solo nomad: Wellington is 2.9% cheaper than Nelson without rent, and 17.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Wellington is 3% cheaper than Nelson without rent, and 16% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.83 NZ$30.31

$20.81 NZ$35.37

-14.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 NZ$143

$82.9 NZ$141

1.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 NZ$16.09

$9.72 NZ$16.53

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$3.65 NZ$6.21

$3.21 NZ$5.45

13.71%

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

$2.57 NZ$4.38

$2.56 NZ$4.35

0.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NZ$3.73

$2.75 NZ$4.67

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 NZ$12.24

$7.08 NZ$12.03

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 NZ$12.65

$5.95 NZ$10.11

25.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.10

$2.43 NZ$4.14

-25.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 NZ$3.47

$2.23 NZ$3.79

-8.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.35

$2.33 NZ$3.96

-15.45%

Eggs

$7.24 NZ$12.31

$6.30 NZ$10.72

14.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 NZ$13.88

$9.88 NZ$16.80

-17.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 NZ$18.54

$7.81 NZ$13.27

39.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 NZ$22.42

$16.11 NZ$27.38

-18.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.21

$3.54 NZ$6.02

-13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.01

$2.62 NZ$4.45

-9.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.07

$3.10 NZ$5.27

-3.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 NZ$8.21

$6.66 NZ$11.32

-27.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.44

$3.70 NZ$6.29

-45.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 NZ$2.68

$2.46 NZ$4.18

-35.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$3.90

$2.63 NZ$4.47

-12.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 NZ$2.20

$1.28 NZ$2.17

0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.71 NZ$45.41

$30.46 NZ$51.8

-12.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NZ$18.52

$10.20 NZ$17.34

6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$5.97

$3.20 NZ$5.45

9.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 NZ$5.54

$4.41 NZ$7.49

-26.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 NZ$4.54

$2.46 NZ$4.18

8.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$182

$62.9 NZ$107

70.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.70

$4.34 NZ$7.39

-36.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.05

$1.78 NZ$3.02

0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 NZ$103

$35.68 NZ$60.7

70.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.85

$1.64 NZ$2.79

1.83%

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

$33.0K NZ$56.2K

$18.6K NZ$31.7K

77.20%

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

$24.9K NZ$42.3K

$22.7K NZ$38.6K

9.51%

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

$155 NZ$264

$221 NZ$376

-29.78%

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

$33.64 NZ$57.2

$35.55 NZ$60.4

-5.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$86.8

$49.58 NZ$84.3

2.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 NZ$62.1

$49.38 NZ$84.0

-26.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.82 NZ$35.39

$21.47 NZ$36.49

-3.03%

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 NZ$20.84

$9.92 NZ$16.86

23.59%

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

$818 NZ$1,390

$477 NZ$811

71.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$21.8K

$12.2K NZ$20.8K

5.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 NZ$121

$61.3 NZ$104

15.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 NZ$90.5

$65.0 NZ$111

-18.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NZ$204

$130 NZ$221

-7.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 NZ$247

$110 NZ$188

31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 NZ$2,205

$979 NZ$1,665

32.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 NZ$1,860

$728 NZ$1,238

50.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 NZ$3,616

$1,417 NZ$2,409

50.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 NZ$3,257

$1,218 NZ$2,070

57.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 NZ$11.6K

$3,898 NZ$6,626

74.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,067 NZ$6,914

$3,140 NZ$5,338

29.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,107 NZ$5,282

$2,709 NZ$4,605

14.69%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Nelson: March 2, 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

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