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

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 23.9% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 34.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 32.6% more expensive than Palmerston North without rent, and 28.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 NZ$29.40

$16.75 NZ$28.47

3.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 NZ$141

$72.7 NZ$124

14.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 NZ$15.94

$12.19 NZ$20.73

-23.13%

Cappuccino

$3.78 NZ$6.43

$3.53 NZ$6.00

7.08%

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

$2.47 NZ$4.19

$2.29 NZ$3.90

7.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.56

$2.15 NZ$3.65

-2.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 NZ$12.54

$7.11 NZ$12.10

3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 NZ$12.52

$6.32 NZ$10.74

16.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.17

$1.91 NZ$3.24

-2.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 NZ$3.60

$2.10 NZ$3.57

0.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.33

$1.77 NZ$3.02

10.73%

Eggs

$7.13 NZ$12.12

$5.31 NZ$9.03

34.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.30 NZ$14.10

$7.93 NZ$13.48

4.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 NZ$18.57

$9.26 NZ$15.75

17.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 NZ$22.59

$12.17 NZ$20.70

9.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 NZ$5.35

$2.45 NZ$4.16

28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.80

$1.89 NZ$3.21

17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.20

$2.44 NZ$4.14

25.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 NZ$8.13

$3.49 NZ$5.94

36.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.54

$2.12 NZ$3.61

-1.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 NZ$2.80

$2.16 NZ$3.67

-23.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 NZ$3.73

$2.07 NZ$3.52

6.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 NZ$2.10

$0.98 NZ$1.66

25.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.91 NZ$45.74

$20.55 NZ$34.93

30.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 NZ$18.19

$9.07 NZ$15.42

17.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.56 NZ$6.05

$2.53 NZ$4.29

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 NZ$5.43

$5.47 NZ$9.30

-41.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 NZ$4.72

$4.63 NZ$7.86

-40.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 NZ$184

$29.84 NZ$50.7

261.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NZ$4.49

$2.44 NZ$4.15

8.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NZ$3.12

$1.87 NZ$3.18

-1.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 NZ$103

$16.86 NZ$28.67

258.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$2.90

$1.73 NZ$2.94

-1.16%

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

$33.6K NZ$57.1K

$18.8K NZ$32.0K

78.74%

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

$25.1K NZ$42.6K

$21.4K NZ$36.4K

17.07%

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

$160 NZ$271

$88.0 NZ$150

81.36%

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

$32.86 NZ$55.9

$36.87 NZ$62.7

-10.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 NZ$88.7

$47.64 NZ$81.0

9.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.65 NZ$60.6

$35.20 NZ$59.9

1.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 NZ$34.67

$13.28 NZ$22.58

53.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 NZ$20.55

$9.16 NZ$15.57

31.99%

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

$803 NZ$1,366

$995 NZ$1,692

-19.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K NZ$22.0K

$6,171 NZ$10.5K

109.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 NZ$124

$57.1 NZ$97.0

27.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 NZ$90.2

$38.08 NZ$64.7

39.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 NZ$203

$90.5 NZ$154

31.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$239

$93.4 NZ$159

50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 NZ$2,225

$841 NZ$1,429

55.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 NZ$1,869

$688 NZ$1,170

59.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,168 NZ$3,686

$1,546 NZ$2,628

40.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 NZ$3,294

$1,366 NZ$2,322

41.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,803 NZ$11.6K

$2,184 NZ$3,713

211.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 NZ$6,734

$1,910 NZ$3,246

107.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,081 NZ$5,238

$2,576 NZ$4,380

19.60%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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