Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Palmerston North Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Palmerston North

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 16.4% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 40.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 18.1% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 25.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 NZ$28.98

$16.86 NZ$27.81

4.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 NZ$137

$72.1 NZ$119

14.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 NZ$15.72

$12.27 NZ$20.23

-22.33%

Cappuccino

$3.59 NZ$5.92

$3.44 NZ$5.67

4.36%

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

$2.47 NZ$4.08

$2.37 NZ$3.91

4.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.2 NZ$3.62

$2.08 NZ$3.43

5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 NZ$11.6

$7.32 NZ$12.07

-3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 NZ$12.18

$6.32 NZ$10.42

16.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.1

$1.92 NZ$3.16

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 NZ$3.44

$2.05 NZ$3.39

1.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.23

$1.81 NZ$2.99

8.29%

Eggs

$6.89 NZ$11.37

$5.41 NZ$8.92

27.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 NZ$13.6

$8.35 NZ$13.77

-1.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 NZ$18.01

$9.37 NZ$15.46

16.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 NZ$21.42

$12.3 NZ$20.28

5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.15

$2.52 NZ$4.16

23.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 NZ$3.82

$1.81 NZ$2.99

27.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.1 NZ$5.12

$2.56 NZ$4.22

21.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 NZ$7.72

$3.41 NZ$5.63

37.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.41

$2.17 NZ$3.57

-4.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 NZ$2.59

$2.18 NZ$3.59

-27.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.3 NZ$3.79

$2.14 NZ$3.53

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.11

$1 NZ$1.66

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.02 NZ$44.57

$20.09 NZ$33.14

34.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 NZ$17.28

$8.77 NZ$14.47

19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 NZ$6.08

$2.46 NZ$4.06

49.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 NZ$5.35

$5.25 NZ$8.66

-38.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 NZ$4.59

$4.64 NZ$7.65

-40.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 NZ$175

$30.49 NZ$50.3

248.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 NZ$4.41

$2.36 NZ$3.89

13.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$2.93

$1.8 NZ$2.97

-1.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 NZ$97.6

$17.23 NZ$28.42

243.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 NZ$2.73

$1.65 NZ$2.73

0.61%

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

$33K NZ$54.5K

$18.8K NZ$31K

75.97%

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

$25K NZ$41.3K

$21.6K NZ$35.7K

15.67%

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

$161 NZ$265

$89.5 NZ$148

79.44%

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

$33.1 NZ$54.6

$38 NZ$62.7

-12.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 NZ$86.7

$48.26 NZ$79.6

8.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.7 NZ$60.5

$35 NZ$57.7

4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.16 NZ$33.25

$12.95 NZ$21.37

55.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.86 NZ$19.56

$8.9 NZ$14.68

33.26%

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

$789 NZ$1,301

$999 NZ$1,648

-21.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$20.9K

$6,262 NZ$10.3K

102.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 NZ$120

$56.2 NZ$92.7

28.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 NZ$88.6

$38.3 NZ$63.2

40.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NZ$195

$92.6 NZ$153

27.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 NZ$240

$93.4 NZ$154

55.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 NZ$2,211

$836 NZ$1,379

60.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 NZ$1,800

$695 NZ$1,146

57.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 NZ$3,539

$1,565 NZ$2,581

37.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,893 NZ$3,122

$1,386 NZ$2,286

36.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,617 NZ$10.9K

$2,102 NZ$3,466

214.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,828 NZ$7,962

$2,444 NZ$4,032

97.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 NZ$5,324

$2,487 NZ$4,101

29.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

6.69

3.74%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 28, 2025

Last update for Palmerston North: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria