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

🙂 Solo nomad: Wellington is 12.1% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Wellington is 10.9% cheaper than Queenstown without rent, and 18.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.30 NZ$29.40
$14.79 NZ$25.15
16.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.1 NZ$141
$85.3 NZ$145
-2.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.37 NZ$15.94
$9.83 NZ$16.72
-4.68%
Cappuccino
$3.78 NZ$6.43
$3.42 NZ$5.82
10.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NZ$4.19
$2.50 NZ$4.25
-1.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 NZ$3.56
$2.34 NZ$3.98
-10.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.38 NZ$12.54
$7.16 NZ$12.17
3.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.37 NZ$12.52
$6.10 NZ$10.37
20.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 NZ$3.17
$2.16 NZ$3.67
-13.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 NZ$3.60
$2.11 NZ$3.59
0.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.33
$2.42 NZ$4.11
-19.01%
Eggs
$7.13 NZ$12.12
$6.35 NZ$10.79
12.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.30 NZ$14.10
$9.88 NZ$16.79
-15.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.92 NZ$18.57
$10.88 NZ$18.50
0.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.29 NZ$22.59
$16.92 NZ$28.77
-21.45%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 NZ$5.35
$3.13 NZ$5.33
0.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 NZ$3.80
$2.56 NZ$4.35
-12.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.20
$3.96 NZ$6.74
-22.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.78 NZ$8.13
$5.94 NZ$10.10
-19.53%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.54
$2.63 NZ$4.47
-20.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.65 NZ$2.80
$2.34 NZ$3.98
-29.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 NZ$3.73
$2.96 NZ$5.04
-25.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 NZ$2.10
$1.10 NZ$1.87
11.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.91 NZ$45.74
$29.16 NZ$49.58
-7.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.70 NZ$18.19
$10.11 NZ$17.19
5.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.56 NZ$6.05
$4.71 NZ$8.00
-24.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 NZ$5.43
$6.87 NZ$11.68
-53.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.77 NZ$4.72
$2.73 NZ$4.63
1.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$108 NZ$184
$129 NZ$219
-16.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 NZ$4.49
$2.89 NZ$4.91
-8.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 NZ$3.12
$1.80 NZ$3.06
2.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.4 NZ$103
$31.25 NZ$53.1
93.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.90
$1.64 NZ$2.79
4.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.6K NZ$57.1K
$29.8K NZ$50.6K
12.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K NZ$42.6K
$18.0K NZ$30.7K
38.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$160 NZ$271
$279 NZ$475
-42.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.86 NZ$55.9
$39.54 NZ$67.2
-16.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.2 NZ$88.7
$63.4 NZ$108
-17.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.65 NZ$60.6
$58.1 NZ$98.8
-38.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.40 NZ$34.67
$24.63 NZ$41.87
-17.17%
Cinema Ticket
$12.09 NZ$20.55
$13.03 NZ$22.15
-7.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$803 NZ$1,366
$485 NZ$825
65.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K NZ$22.0K
$7,059 NZ$12.0K
83.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.7 NZ$124
$87.6 NZ$149
-17.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 NZ$90.2
$48.94 NZ$83.2
8.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 NZ$203
$97.4 NZ$166
22.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 NZ$239
$285 NZ$484
-50.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,309 NZ$2,225
$1,513 NZ$2,571
-13.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,099 NZ$1,869
$1,281 NZ$2,177
-14.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,168 NZ$3,686
$2,988 NZ$5,080
-27.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,938 NZ$3,294
$2,556 NZ$4,346
-24.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,803 NZ$11.6K
$8,074 NZ$13.7K
-15.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,961 NZ$6,734
$5,449 NZ$9,264
-27.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Queenstown
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,081 NZ$5,238
$3,209 NZ$5,455
-3.97%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: April 12, 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

Similar cities