Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,820 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $1,820 in New Plymouth.

Wellington $2,313
New Plymouth $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $2,828 in New Plymouth.

Wellington $3,422
New Plymouth $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,836 in New Plymouth.

Wellington $4,530
New Plymouth $3,836

Living in Wellington is roughly 27% more expensive than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, New Plymouth 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$12.43 NZ$22.06

12.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$67.9 NZ$121

-2.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$8.44 NZ$14.98

9.36%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.34 NZ$5.93

2.10%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.12 NZ$3.76

14.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-8.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$5.32 NZ$9.45

40.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$5.65 NZ$10.02

19.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.44 NZ$2.55

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$1.25 NZ$2.22

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.65 NZ$2.92

12.12%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$5.53 NZ$9.82

28.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$5.52 NZ$9.79

72.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$7.19 NZ$12.76

33.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$11.42 NZ$20.28

33.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$2.63 NZ$4.67

17.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$1.86 NZ$3.29

15.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$2.93 NZ$5.20

5.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$6.12 NZ$10.86

4.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$1.99 NZ$3.53

5.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.41 NZ$2.51

-12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$1.88 NZ$3.33

6.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$1.32 NZ$2.35

-12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$23.12 NZ$41.04

9.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$8.73 NZ$15.51

31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$3.03 NZ$5.37

2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$3.78 NZ$6.72

-23.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$1.68 NZ$2.99

70.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$74.6 NZ$133

40.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$3.68 NZ$6.53

-48.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.67 NZ$2.97

10.18%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$28.7K NZ$50.9K

-0.99%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

4.42%

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

$201 NZ$357

$130 NZ$231

54.64%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$27.85 NZ$49.44

19.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$48.35 NZ$85.8

10.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$43.29 NZ$76.9

-17.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$8.20 NZ$14.55

43.66%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$680 NZ$1,206

56.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

-42.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$61.3 NZ$109

31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$38.74 NZ$68.8

-27.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$90.6 NZ$161

12.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$106 NZ$188

45.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$907 NZ$1,611

25.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$836 NZ$1,485

28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,740 NZ$3,089

18.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,589 NZ$2,821

14.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$3,209 NZ$5,697

105.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

$2,622 NZ$4,655

39.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

$2,787 NZ$4,948

-0.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.93

-9.11%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

New Plymouth

$836 45.9% 22.4% $242

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

New Plymouth

$281 15.5% 19.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

New Plymouth

$206 11.3% 28.4% $82

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

New Plymouth

$219 12% 11.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

New Plymouth

$133 7.3% 18.6% $30

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 33.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

New Plymouth

$60 3.3% 0.4% $0.3

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 $907 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $68 in New Plymouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $281, with New Plymouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

58,400

💱 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 New Plymouth 260 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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $1,820 in New Plymouth, so New Plymouth is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,470 in Wellington and $2,731 in New Plymouth to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $907 in New Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in New Plymouth runs roughly 29% less than in Wellington. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $680 in New Plymouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though New Plymouth gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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