Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in North Shore: $2,123 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in North Shore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,123 in North Shore.

Wellington $2,313
North Shore $2,123

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $2,945 in North Shore.

Wellington $3,422
North Shore $2,945

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,766 in North Shore.

Wellington $4,530
North Shore $3,766

Living in Wellington is roughly 9% more expensive than in North Shore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, North Shore 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.93

$13.99 NZ$24.87

0.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$75.3 NZ$134

-11.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.40

$8.51 NZ$15.12

8.46%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.44 NZ$6.11

-0.87%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$1.99 NZ$3.54

22.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-7.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.30

$6.68 NZ$11.87

11.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$5.77 NZ$10.26

16.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.62 NZ$2.88

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$1.34 NZ$2.38

67.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.82 NZ$3.23

1.65%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.63

$5.76 NZ$10.24

23.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.96

$8.01 NZ$14.24

19.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.10

$10.01 NZ$17.79

-3.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.13

$11.77 NZ$20.93

29.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$2.68 NZ$4.77

15.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.11 NZ$3.75

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.48

$3.16 NZ$5.62

-2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.42

$6.03 NZ$10.72

6.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.08 NZ$3.69

0.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.52 NZ$2.70

-19.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$2.50 NZ$4.44

-19.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.93 NZ$1.65

24.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.09

$25.31 NZ$44.98

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.41

$10.50 NZ$18.66

9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.54

$2.74 NZ$4.88

13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-12.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$2.32 NZ$4.13

23.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$61.4 NZ$109

70.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$2.31 NZ$4.11

-18.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.97 NZ$3.51

-7.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.0

$32.86 NZ$58.4

4.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.74 NZ$3.09

5.75%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$26.9K NZ$47.8K

5.63%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

7.61%

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

$201 NZ$357

$182 NZ$323

10.44%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.3

$26.22 NZ$46.61

27.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.4

$51.4 NZ$91.3

4.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.8

$27.58 NZ$49.02

30.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.94

$12.07 NZ$21.45

-2.40%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,892

$686 NZ$1,220

55.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$14.5K NZ$25.9K

-8.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$69.1 NZ$123

16.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.84

$37.67 NZ$67.0

-25.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$95.3 NZ$169

6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$107 NZ$191

43.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,031

$1,328 NZ$2,361

-13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,917

$1,042 NZ$1,851

3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,656

$2,240 NZ$3,983

-8.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,224

$1,326 NZ$2,356

36.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

-10.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,497

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

-39.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,951

$2,856 NZ$5,077

-2.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.63

-18.70%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

North Shore

$1K 49% 3.4% $37

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

North Shore

$310 14.6% 11% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

North Shore

$259 12.2% 9.9% $28

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

North Shore

$239 11.3% 3.7% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

North Shore

$139 6.6% 15% $25

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

North Shore

$83 3.9% 34.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

North Shore

$52 2.4% 13% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,328 in North Shore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $75 in North Shore. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $310, with North Shore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

258,697

💱 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 North Shore 500 km

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Wellington
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $2,123 in North Shore, so North Shore is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,470 in Wellington and $3,185 in North Shore 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 $1,328 in North Shore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $66 versus $75 in North Shore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,313 per month in Wellington versus $2,123 in North Shore – North Shore is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though North Shore 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 North Shore are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.