Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Recklinghausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Recklinghausen: $1,980 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Recklinghausen
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Recklinghausen Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Recklinghausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Recklinghausen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $1,980 in Recklinghausen.

Wellington $2,313
Recklinghausen $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $2,932 in Recklinghausen.

Wellington $3,422
Recklinghausen $2,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,885 in Recklinghausen.

Wellington $4,530
Recklinghausen $3,885

Living in Wellington is roughly 17% more expensive than in Recklinghausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Recklinghausen 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$20.39 €18.26

-31.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$83.3 €74.6

-20.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$12.20 €10.92

-24.34%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.38 €3.03

0.89%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.86 €2.56

-15.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$2.22 €1.99

-23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$5.54 €4.96

35.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$3.37 €3.02

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.23 €1.10

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$2.11 €1.89

6.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$3.19 €2.86

-42.01%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$3.50 €3.14

102.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$16.68 €14.94

-42.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$11.51 €10.31

-16.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$24.02 €21.51

-36.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$3.22 €2.88

-4.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.01 €1.80

6.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$2.26 €2.03

36.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$5.06 €4.53

26.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$1.36 €1.22

54.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.26 €1.13

-2.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$1.80 €1.62

11.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$1.14 €1.02

1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$9.66 €8.65

162.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$6.83 €6.12

68.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$1.03 €0.92

202.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$1.58 €1.42

82.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$3.66 €3.28

-21.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$65.7 €58.9

59.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$3.31 €2.96

-43.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$0.99 €0.89

84.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$33.17 €29.70

3.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.25 €2.01

-18.22%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$30.9K €27.6K

-8.02%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$37.8K €33.9K

-37.07%

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

$201 NZ$357

$374 €335

-46.34%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$34.22 €30.65

-2.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$53.2 €47.63

0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$22.44 €20.10

59.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

$15.88 €14.22

1.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$10.75 €9.63

9.58%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$459 €411

131.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$9,410 €8,428

41.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$95.1 €85.2

-15.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$33.80 €30.27

-17.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$111 €99.5

-8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$143 €128

7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$639 €572

78.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$566 €507

90.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$950 €851

116.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$869 €778

108.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

$2,801 €2,509

-0.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

3.96

36.11%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Recklinghausen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Recklinghausen

$566 28.6% 47.5% $512

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Recklinghausen

$352 17.8% 1% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Recklinghausen

$462 23.3% 60.4% $174

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Recklinghausen

$295 14.9% 18.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Recklinghausen

$172 8.7% 5.2% $8.5

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Recklinghausen

$89 4.5% 30.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Recklinghausen

$44 2.2% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $639 in Recklinghausen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $83 in Recklinghausen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $352 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇩🇪 Recklinghausen

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

16:40 4:40 PM

12 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

115,320

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wellington Recklinghausen 18,530 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Recklinghausen

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 Recklinghausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Recklinghausen is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,470 in Wellington and $2,970 in Recklinghausen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,143 in Wellington versus $639 in Recklinghausen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Recklinghausen runs roughly 37% less than in Wellington. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,313 per month in Wellington versus $1,980 in Recklinghausen – Recklinghausen is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Recklinghausen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.