Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,809 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Oamaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $1,809 in Oamaru.

Wellington $2,313
Oamaru $1,809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $2,753 in Oamaru.

Wellington $3,422
Oamaru $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,698 in Oamaru.

Wellington $4,530
Oamaru $3,698

Living in Wellington is roughly 28% more expensive than in Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Oamaru 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$14.46 NZ$25.67

-3.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$68.4 NZ$121

-2.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$9.20 NZ$16.33

0.33%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.35 NZ$5.94

1.79%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.30 NZ$4.09

5.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$6.64 NZ$11.79

12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.97 NZ$12.37

-3.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.73 NZ$3.08

12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$1.32 NZ$2.34

70.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.47 NZ$2.60

25.85%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$5.53 NZ$9.82

28.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$7.53 NZ$13.36

26.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$8.85 NZ$15.72

8.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$13.64 NZ$24.21

11.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$2.39 NZ$4.25

29.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.10 NZ$3.73

2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$2.65 NZ$4.70

16.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$2.91 NZ$5.17

120.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$1.50 NZ$2.67

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.39 NZ$2.47

-11.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.65 NZ$1.16

78.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$24.01 NZ$42.63

5.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$5.66 NZ$10.05

102.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$3.42 NZ$6.08

-8.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$4.44 NZ$7.89

-34.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$2.05 NZ$3.63

39.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$108 NZ$191

-2.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$2.58 NZ$4.58

-27.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.72 NZ$3.06

6.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$28.67 NZ$50.9

19.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.62 NZ$2.88

13.58%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

-1.54%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

0.26%

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

$201 NZ$357

$157 NZ$279

27.83%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$20.20 NZ$35.86

65.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$44.97 NZ$79.8

19.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$39.17 NZ$69.6

-8.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$10.03 NZ$17.81

17.45%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$677 NZ$1,202

57.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

-40.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$57.6 NZ$102

39.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$17.36 NZ$30.83

61.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$45.93 NZ$81.6

121.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$51.0 NZ$90.6

202.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$1,042 NZ$1,850

9.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$799 NZ$1,419

34.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,588 NZ$2,820

29.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,426 NZ$2,531

27.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,866 NZ$8,638

35.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

$3,783 NZ$6,716

-3.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

$1,950 NZ$3,462

42.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.91

-8.80%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Oamaru

$799 44.2% 25.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Oamaru

$277 15.3% 20.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Oamaru

$222 12.3% 22.8% $66

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Oamaru

$247 13.7% 0.5% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Oamaru

$77 4.3% 52.8% $87

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Oamaru

$127 7% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Oamaru

$59 3.3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $68 in Oamaru. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $277, with Oamaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

13,850

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Oamaru 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oamaru is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $677 in Oamaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $66 versus $68 in Oamaru. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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