Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,865 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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 Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Nelson

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $1,865 in Nelson.

Wellington $2,313
Nelson $1,865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $2,872 in Nelson.

Wellington $3,422
Nelson $2,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,879 in Nelson.

Wellington $4,530
Nelson $3,879

Living in Wellington is roughly 24% more expensive than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Nelson 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$13.72 NZ$24.37

2.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$64.8 NZ$115

2.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$8.27 NZ$14.69

11.61%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.19 NZ$5.65

6.90%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$1.82 NZ$3.23

33.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.65 NZ$2.93

2.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$7.61 NZ$13.51

-1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$5.84 NZ$10.37

15.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.93 NZ$3.43

1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$2.19 NZ$3.89

2.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.96 NZ$3.47

-5.61%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$5.85 NZ$10.39

21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$9.13 NZ$16.20

4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$7.62 NZ$13.53

26.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$13.65 NZ$24.23

11.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$3.15 NZ$5.60

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.15 NZ$3.81

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$3.00 NZ$5.33

2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$5.63 NZ$10.00

14.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$2.07 NZ$3.68

1.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.02 NZ$3.59

-0.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$1.08 NZ$1.92

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$25.87 NZ$45.93

-1.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$9.94 NZ$17.64

15.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$3.14 NZ$5.58

-0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$2.81 NZ$4.99

2.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$2.20 NZ$3.91

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$1.83 NZ$3.25

2.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.79 NZ$3.18

2.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$33.80 NZ$60.0

1.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.56 NZ$2.77

17.95%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

66.43%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

6.47%

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

$201 NZ$357

$130 NZ$231

54.24%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$32.93 NZ$58.5

1.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$43.70 NZ$77.6

22.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$101 NZ$179

-64.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

$34.48 NZ$61.2

-53.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$11.14 NZ$19.78

5.75%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$458 NZ$813

132.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

1.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$52.9 NZ$94.0

51.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$28.57 NZ$50.7

-1.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$104 NZ$184

-2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$143 NZ$253

8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$1,023 NZ$1,817

11.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$813 NZ$1,443

32.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,755 NZ$3,116

17.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,455 NZ$2,582

24.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$1,396 NZ$2,479

372.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

$852 NZ$1,512

329.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

$2,043 NZ$3,627

36.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Nelson

$813 43.6% 24.6% $266

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Nelson

$319 17.1% 8.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Nelson

$207 11.1% 28.1% $81

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Nelson

$236 12.7% 4.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Nelson

$148 7.9% 9.9% $16

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 84.6% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Nelson

$123 6.6% 107% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,023 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $65 in Nelson for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $319 per month, with Nelson cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

51,100

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Wellington Nelson 120 km

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Wellington
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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 Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nelson wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Wellington. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nelson the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% 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 $1,023 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,313 per month in Wellington versus $1,865 in Nelson – Nelson is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Nelson are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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