Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Queenstown Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Queenstown

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Wellington is 12.8% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 17.2% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Wellington is 8.3% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 20.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.57 NZ$28.98
$15.24 NZ$25.13
15.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.9 NZ$137
$85.4 NZ$141
-2.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.53 NZ$15.72
$9.59 NZ$15.82
-0.63%
Cappuccino
$3.59 NZ$5.92
$3.35 NZ$5.53
7.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NZ$4.08
$2.38 NZ$3.92
3.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 NZ$3.62
$2.38 NZ$3.92
-7.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.03 NZ$11.6
$7.37 NZ$12.16
-4.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.38 NZ$12.18
$6.05 NZ$9.98
21.98%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 NZ$3.1
$2.28 NZ$3.75
-17.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 NZ$3.44
$2.1 NZ$3.46
-0.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.23
$2.45 NZ$4.04
-20.00%
Eggs
$6.89 NZ$11.37
$6.62 NZ$10.92
4.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.24 NZ$13.6
$10.07 NZ$16.6
-18.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.92 NZ$18.01
$10.66 NZ$17.58
2.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.99 NZ$21.42
$16.66 NZ$27.48
-22.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.12 NZ$5.15
$3.04 NZ$5.01
2.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 NZ$3.82
$2.54 NZ$4.18
-9.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.1 NZ$5.12
$4 NZ$6.6
-22.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.68 NZ$7.72
$5.76 NZ$9.51
-18.75%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 NZ$3.41
$2.61 NZ$4.3
-20.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.57 NZ$2.59
$2.26 NZ$3.72
-30.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.3 NZ$3.79
$2.87 NZ$4.73
-19.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 NZ$2.11
$1.12 NZ$1.84
14.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$27.02 NZ$44.57
$29.04 NZ$47.89
-6.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.48 NZ$17.28
$10.05 NZ$16.57
4.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.68 NZ$6.08
$4.6 NZ$7.59
-20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 NZ$5.35
$6.87 NZ$11.33
-52.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.78 NZ$4.59
$2.73 NZ$4.5
1.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 NZ$175
$127 NZ$210
-16.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 NZ$4.41
$2.77 NZ$4.57
-3.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 NZ$2.93
$1.86 NZ$3.07
-4.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.2 NZ$97.6
$31.55 NZ$52
87.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 NZ$2.73
$1.72 NZ$2.84
-3.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33K NZ$54.5K
$30K NZ$49.4K
10.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25K NZ$41.3K
$18.1K NZ$29.8K
38.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 NZ$265
$277 NZ$456
-41.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.1 NZ$54.6
$40.53 NZ$66.8
-18.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.6 NZ$86.7
$63.9 NZ$105
-17.66%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.7 NZ$60.5
$58.7 NZ$96.9
-37.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.16 NZ$33.25
$24.73 NZ$40.78
-18.48%
Cinema Ticket
$11.86 NZ$19.56
$13.04 NZ$21.51
-9.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$789 NZ$1,301
$486 NZ$801
62.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K NZ$20.9K
$6,939 NZ$11.4K
82.91%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.5 NZ$120
$87.1 NZ$144
-16.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 NZ$88.6
$50.4 NZ$83.1
6.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 NZ$195
$98 NZ$162
20.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NZ$240
$279 NZ$460
-47.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 NZ$2,211
$1,498 NZ$2,471
-10.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 NZ$1,800
$1,277 NZ$2,106
-14.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,146 NZ$3,539
$3,044 NZ$5,020
-29.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,893 NZ$3,122
$2,539 NZ$4,187
-25.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,617 NZ$10.9K
$6,162 NZ$10.2K
7.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,828 NZ$7,962
$4,252 NZ$7,013
13.53%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,228 NZ$5,324
$3,259 NZ$5,375
-0.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
6.74
2.97%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 28, 2025

Last update for Queenstown: October 29, 2025

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