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

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 25.1% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 34% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 9.9% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 24.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 NZ$30.57

$16.69 NZ$29.04

5.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 NZ$144

$73.7 NZ$128

12.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 NZ$16.69

$12.13 NZ$21.11

-20.94%

Cappuccino

$3.61 NZ$6.28

$3.50 NZ$6.09

3.14%

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

$2.62 NZ$4.55

$2.40 NZ$4.17

9.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 NZ$3.72

$2.07 NZ$3.60

3.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 NZ$12.36

$7.03 NZ$12.24

1.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 NZ$12.41

$6.45 NZ$11.23

10.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.19

$1.91 NZ$3.32

-4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NZ$3.56

$2.13 NZ$3.71

-3.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 NZ$3.26

$1.78 NZ$3.09

5.62%

Eggs

$6.96 NZ$12.10

$5.41 NZ$9.41

28.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 NZ$14.01

$8.32 NZ$14.48

-3.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 NZ$19.24

$9.24 NZ$16.08

19.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 NZ$22.65

$12.37 NZ$21.53

5.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.27

$2.49 NZ$4.32

21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.06

$1.90 NZ$3.30

22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.17

$2.43 NZ$4.23

22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 NZ$8.37

$3.42 NZ$5.95

40.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.64

$2.06 NZ$3.59

1.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 NZ$2.77

$2.26 NZ$3.94

-29.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 NZ$3.83

$2.03 NZ$3.54

8.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 NZ$2.26

$0.95 NZ$1.65

36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.98 NZ$46.94

$20.42 NZ$35.53

32.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 NZ$18.41

$8.86 NZ$15.42

19.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$6.10

$2.45 NZ$4.26

43.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 NZ$5.62

$5.40 NZ$9.40

-40.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 NZ$4.58

$4.64 NZ$8.07

-43.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$186

$30.43 NZ$52.9

250.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.81

$2.40 NZ$4.17

15.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.09

$1.77 NZ$3.08

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.1 NZ$106

$16.92 NZ$29.43

260.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.90

$1.73 NZ$3.01

-3.47%

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

$33.2K NZ$57.8K

$18.5K NZ$32.2K

79.56%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.0K

$21.2K NZ$36.9K

16.54%

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

$157 NZ$273

$89.5 NZ$156

75.49%

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

$32.98 NZ$57.4

$37.86 NZ$65.9

-12.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$91.4

$48.07 NZ$83.7

9.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 NZ$64.1

$34.85 NZ$60.7

5.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 NZ$35.42

$13.22 NZ$23.00

53.93%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 NZ$20.62

$9.08 NZ$15.80

30.51%

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

$814 NZ$1,416

$1,006 NZ$1,750

-19.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.2K

$6,145 NZ$10.7K

107.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 NZ$126

$56.8 NZ$98.9

27.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 NZ$92.1

$38.29 NZ$66.6

38.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NZ$210

$91.3 NZ$159

32.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$245

$93.7 NZ$163

50.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 NZ$2,257

$834 NZ$1,452

55.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 NZ$1,924

$702 NZ$1,222

57.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 NZ$3,680

$1,527 NZ$2,657

38.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 NZ$3,317

$1,379 NZ$2,400

38.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,842 NZ$11.9K

$2,137 NZ$3,719

220.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,920 NZ$6,821

$1,887 NZ$3,283

107.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,973 NZ$5,173

$2,504 NZ$4,357

18.74%

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: January 10, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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