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

🙂 Solo nomad: Wellington is 9.9% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 15.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Wellington is 10% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 17.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.83 NZ$30.31
$14.90 NZ$25.33
19.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.2 NZ$143
$84.5 NZ$144
-0.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.46 NZ$16.09
$9.67 NZ$16.44
-2.17%
Cappuccino
$3.65 NZ$6.21
$3.34 NZ$5.68
9.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 NZ$4.38
$2.49 NZ$4.24
3.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 NZ$3.73
$2.34 NZ$3.98
-5.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.20 NZ$12.24
$7.30 NZ$12.40
-1.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.44 NZ$12.65
$5.98 NZ$10.17
24.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 NZ$3.10
$2.17 NZ$3.68
-16.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.04 NZ$3.47
$2.13 NZ$3.62
-4.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.35
$2.47 NZ$4.21
-20.24%
Eggs
$7.24 NZ$12.31
$6.43 NZ$10.93
12.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.16 NZ$13.88
$9.77 NZ$16.61
-16.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.90 NZ$18.54
$10.79 NZ$18.35
1.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.19 NZ$22.42
$16.52 NZ$28.08
-20.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.21
$3.03 NZ$5.15
0.99%
Banana (1kg)
$2.36 NZ$4.01
$2.44 NZ$4.15
-3.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 NZ$5.07
$4.14 NZ$7.03
-28.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.83 NZ$8.21
$5.97 NZ$10.14
-19.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.44
$2.72 NZ$4.63
-25.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.58 NZ$2.68
$2.38 NZ$4.04
-33.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.30 NZ$3.90
$2.85 NZ$4.84
-19.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 NZ$2.20
$1.14 NZ$1.94
13.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.71 NZ$45.41
$29.19 NZ$49.63
-8.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.89 NZ$18.52
$10.13 NZ$17.22
7.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.51 NZ$5.97
$4.68 NZ$7.96
-25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 NZ$5.54
$7.03 NZ$11.95
-53.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 NZ$4.54
$2.74 NZ$4.67
-2.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 NZ$182
$132 NZ$224
-18.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.77 NZ$4.70
$2.88 NZ$4.90
-3.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.79 NZ$3.05
$1.80 NZ$3.06
-0.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.9 NZ$103
$31.05 NZ$52.8
96.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.67 NZ$2.85
$1.66 NZ$2.81
0.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K NZ$56.2K
$30.3K NZ$51.5K
9.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K NZ$42.3K
$17.7K NZ$30.0K
40.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 NZ$264
$277 NZ$472
-44.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.64 NZ$57.2
$40.50 NZ$68.9
-16.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.1 NZ$86.8
$62.8 NZ$107
-18.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.54 NZ$62.1
$58.2 NZ$99.0
-37.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.82 NZ$35.39
$24.85 NZ$42.25
-16.22%
Cinema Ticket
$12.26 NZ$20.84
$13.23 NZ$22.50
-7.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$818 NZ$1,390
$486 NZ$827
68.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K NZ$21.8K
$6,949 NZ$11.8K
84.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.9 NZ$121
$88.5 NZ$150
-19.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.2 NZ$90.5
$48.86 NZ$83.1
8.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 NZ$204
$96.4 NZ$164
24.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NZ$247
$283 NZ$482
-48.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,297 NZ$2,205
$1,467 NZ$2,494
-11.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,094 NZ$1,860
$1,292 NZ$2,196
-15.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,127 NZ$3,616
$2,940 NZ$4,997
-27.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,916 NZ$3,257
$2,570 NZ$4,369
-25.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,806 NZ$11.6K
$8,068 NZ$13.7K
-15.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,067 NZ$6,914
$5,591 NZ$9,505
-27.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,107 NZ$5,282
$3,252 NZ$5,529
-4.47%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: March 2, 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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