Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Queenstown

For one person, living costs are similar in Wellington and in Queenstown: $2,313 and $2,370 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Queenstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,370 in Queenstown.

Wellington $2,313
Queenstown $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $3,764 in Queenstown.

Wellington $3,422
Queenstown $3,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $5,158 in Queenstown.

Wellington $4,530
Queenstown $5,158

Living in Wellington costs roughly 2% less than in Queenstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Queenstown 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.59

$17.26 NZ$30.28

-18.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$117

$86.8 NZ$152

-23.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.18

$9.76 NZ$17.11

-5.43%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$5.98

$3.28 NZ$5.75

3.96%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.26

$2.29 NZ$4.02

6.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.97

$2.08 NZ$3.65

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.12

$6.75 NZ$11.83

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.83

$6.19 NZ$10.86

8.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.42

$2.14 NZ$3.75

-8.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$3.95

$1.96 NZ$3.43

14.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.25

$1.78 NZ$3.12

3.93%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.46

$5.80 NZ$10.17

22.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.73

$8.53 NZ$14.97

11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$16.87

$10.16 NZ$17.83

-5.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$26.76

$15.81 NZ$27.73

-3.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.43

$2.92 NZ$5.13

5.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.78

$2.40 NZ$4.21

-10.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.40

$3.89 NZ$6.83

-20.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.26

$5.50 NZ$9.64

16.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.68

$3.55 NZ$6.23

-40.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.16

$1.84 NZ$3.23

-33.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.53

$2.42 NZ$4.24

-16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.03

$1.97 NZ$3.45

-41.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$44.49

$27.67 NZ$48.53

-8.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.14

$9.24 NZ$16.21

24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.47

$4.50 NZ$7.89

-30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.06

$6.63 NZ$11.62

-56.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.02

$1.88 NZ$3.30

52.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$184

$128 NZ$225

-18.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.30

$2.69 NZ$4.72

-30.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.21

$1.92 NZ$3.37

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.2

$29.48 NZ$51.7

16.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.23

$1.70 NZ$2.98

8.24%

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

$28.4K NZ$49.8K

$26.7K NZ$46.7K

6.51%

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

$23.8K NZ$41.7K

$22.5K NZ$39.5K

5.68%

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

$201 NZ$352

$111 NZ$194

81.67%

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

$33.35 NZ$58.5

$28.93 NZ$50.7

15.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$94.1

$51.8 NZ$90.9

3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$62.9

$55.9 NZ$98.0

-35.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.38

$26.64 NZ$46.71

-39.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.66

$11.17 NZ$19.59

5.46%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,867

$983 NZ$1,724

8.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.3K

$7,685 NZ$13.5K

72.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$141

$60.0 NZ$105

34.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.17

$46.90 NZ$82.3

-40.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$178

$91.0 NZ$160

11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$270

$137 NZ$241

12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,004

$1,523 NZ$2,671

-24.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,891

$1,162 NZ$2,039

-7.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,607

$2,918 NZ$5,117

-29.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,181

$2,294 NZ$4,024

-20.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.6K

$7,612 NZ$13.3K

-13.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,410

$5,271 NZ$9,245

-30.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,884

$3,054 NZ$5,356

-8.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.12

-11.93%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Queenstown

$1.2K 49% 7.8% $84

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Queenstown

$369 15.6% 6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Queenstown

$191 8.1% 33.5% $97

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Queenstown

$270 11.4% 8.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Queenstown

$151 6.4% 7.9% $13

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Queenstown

$148 6.3% 16.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Queenstown

$78 3.3% 31.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queenstown pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $87 in Queenstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $369 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

15,450

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.57 USD

1 NZD = 0.512 EUR

1 NZD = 0.57 USD

1 NZD = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wellington Queenstown 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Queenstown

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 Queenstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Wellington. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $66 versus $87 in Queenstown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,313 per month in Wellington versus $2,370 in Queenstown – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Queenstown 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 Wellington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Queenstown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.