Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Paihia

For one person, living is cheaper in Paihia: $1,992 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
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Paihia Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Paihia

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $1,992 in Paihia, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Paihia $1,992

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $3,026 in Paihia, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Paihia $3,026

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $4,061 in Paihia, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Paihia $4,061

Wellington costs about 16% more than Paihia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Wellington and Paihia sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Paihia by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$14.21 NZ$25.24

-1.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$33.59 NZ$59.6

97.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$8.73 NZ$15.50

5.73%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.51 NZ$6.24

-2.85%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$1.98 NZ$3.51

22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$6.69 NZ$11.88

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.94 NZ$12.33

-2.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$2.01 NZ$3.56

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-0.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-2.12%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$6.39 NZ$11.35

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$8.79 NZ$15.60

8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$10.20 NZ$18.11

-5.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$17.11 NZ$30.37

-10.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$2.92 NZ$5.19

5.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.07 NZ$3.67

3.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$3.03 NZ$5.37

1.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$5.76 NZ$10.23

11.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-0.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.54 NZ$2.73

-20.13%

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

$1.09 NZ$1.94

6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$28.05 NZ$49.80

-9.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$10.27 NZ$18.23

11.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$2.79 NZ$4.95

11.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$2.11 NZ$3.75

35.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$106 NZ$188

-0.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$1.71 NZ$3.04

9.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$2.00 NZ$3.55

-8.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$32.17 NZ$57.1

6.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-3.16%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$27.4K NZ$48.7K

3.51%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

9.02%

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

$201 NZ$357

$186 NZ$330

8.15%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$27.00 NZ$47.94

23.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$51.8 NZ$91.9

3.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$42.96 NZ$76.3

-16.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$12.32 NZ$21.87

-4.38%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$1,087 NZ$1,930

-2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$19.8K NZ$35.1K

-32.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$79.5 NZ$141

1.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$41.10 NZ$73.0

-31.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$94.2 NZ$167

7.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$110 NZ$196

39.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$1,015 NZ$1,801

12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$798 NZ$1,418

35.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,691 NZ$3,001

21.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,591 NZ$2,824

14.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,841 NZ$8,594

36.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

$3,767 NZ$6,689

-2.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.37

0.37%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Paihia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Paihia

$798 40.1% 26% $280

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Paihia

$345 17.3% 1.1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Paihia

$264 13.3% 8.1% $23

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Paihia

$245 12.3% 1.4% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Paihia

$146 7.4% 10.7% $18

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Paihia

$126 6.3% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Paihia

$68 3.4% 13.7% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,015 in Paihia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $34 in Paihia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $345 – making Paihia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Paihia

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

1,800

💱 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

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Between locations

Wellington Paihia 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Paihia

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 Paihia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,313 in Wellington, $1,992 in Paihia – Paihia comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $2,988 in Paihia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paihia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,015 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

Kindergarten costs $1,065 per month in Wellington and $1,087 in Paihia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $1,992 in Paihia. That makes Paihia about 14% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,313 in Wellington and $1,992 in Paihia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,992 in Paihia to $2,313 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.