Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Piacenza

For one person, living is cheaper in Piacenza: $1,826 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Piacenza
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Piacenza Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Piacenza

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Piacenza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,358 in Wellington versus $1,826 in Piacenza.

Wellington $2,358
Piacenza $1,826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,368 in Wellington versus $2,772 in Piacenza.

Wellington $3,368
Piacenza $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,378 in Wellington versus $3,719 in Piacenza.

Wellington $4,378
Piacenza $3,719

Living in Wellington is roughly 29% more expensive than in Piacenza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 75% above, Piacenza 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.27

$22.46 €19.98

-38.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$77.6 €69.0

-17.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.83

$11.13 €9.90

-19.59%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.05

$1.90 €1.69

80.00%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.31

$3.23 €2.87

-24.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.98

$1.31 €1.16

29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.22 NZ$12.76

$5.64 €5.02

28.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.76

$4.49 €4.00

48.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.57 €1.40

21.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 NZ$3.89

$3.03 €2.70

-27.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$2.65 €2.35

-30.94%

Eggs

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$3.26 €2.90

107.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$14.81 €13.18

-38.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NZ$17.43

$12.89 €11.46

-23.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 NZ$26.86

$24.42 €21.72

-37.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.95 €2.62

5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$2.84 €2.53

-22.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.43

$2.91 €2.59

5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 NZ$11.65

$3.95 €3.51

66.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.89 €1.68

8.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.18

$2.00 €1.78

-38.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$1.40 €1.25

47.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.03

$0.42 €0.37

173.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$6.31 €5.61

293.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 NZ$19.95

$6.84 €6.09

64.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$1.94 €1.72

59.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$3.42 €3.05

-16.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$2.26 €2.01

25.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$55.6 €49.41

82.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$7.78 €6.92

-75.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$2.26 €2.01

-19.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.15 NZ$60.4

$16.98 €15.10

101.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.99 €1.77

-8.54%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

$31.2K €27.7K

-19.85%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$36.8K €32.7K

-30.85%

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

$197 NZ$348

$270 €240

-27.04%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.6

$15.46 €13.75

106.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$32.49 €28.90

61.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$66.7

$50.8 €45.14

-25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

$31.07 €27.63

-48.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 NZ$21.10

$12.09 €10.75

-1.32%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,867

$398 €354

165.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 NZ$135

$80.8 €71.8

-5.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$49.93

$42.01 €37.37

-32.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$95.2 €84.7

4.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$270

$139 €124

9.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 NZ$2,169

$654 €582

87.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 NZ$2,018

$532 €473

114.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 NZ$3,790

$984 €875

117.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 NZ$3,022

$823 €732

107.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

$2,953 €2,627

122.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,559 NZ$6,294

$1,846 €1,642

92.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,925

$1,985 €1,766

40.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.8

12.29%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Last update for Piacenza: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4%

Piacenza

$532 29.2% 53.4% $609

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$346 14.7%

Piacenza

$365 20% 5.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.9%

Piacenza

$318 17.4% 13% $36

Eating Out

Wellington

$244 10.3%

Piacenza

$291 16% 19.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$160 6.8%

Piacenza

$161 8.8% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.3%

Piacenza

$84 4.6% 32.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Piacenza

$75 4.1% 21.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,226 in Wellington and $654 in Piacenza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Wellington vs $78.0 in Piacenza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $365 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇮🇹 Piacenza

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

11 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

102,191

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wellington Piacenza 18,740 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Piacenza

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 Piacenza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington and Piacenza differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,358 vs $1,826 including rent). Piacenza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% 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: $1,226 in Wellington versus $654 in Piacenza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Piacenza runs roughly 83% less than in Wellington. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,056 in Wellington versus $398 in Piacenza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,826 in Piacenza versus $2,358 in Wellington, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Piacenza but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Piacenza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Piacenza are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Piacenza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.