Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Rolleston

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,156 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,156

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Rolleston

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $1,156 in Rolleston, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Rolleston $1,156

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $2,200 in Rolleston, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Rolleston $2,200

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $3,243 in Rolleston, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Rolleston $3,243

Wellington costs about 100% more than Rolleston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Wellington sits 70% above the global median, while Rolleston is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.97

$13.98 NZ$24.89

0.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$69.9 NZ$125

-4.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.43

$8.86 NZ$15.78

4.18%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.07

$3.19 NZ$5.68

6.90%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.33

$2.13 NZ$3.79

14.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.33

$7.01 NZ$12.49

6.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$12.01

$6.39 NZ$11.38

5.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.48

$1.71 NZ$3.04

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$1.82 NZ$3.25

23.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.43 NZ$2.56

29.37%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.65

$5.90 NZ$10.51

20.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.99

$7.59 NZ$13.52

25.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.13

$9.56 NZ$17.03

0.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.18

$13.78 NZ$24.54

10.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.51

$2.50 NZ$4.45

23.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.84

$2.33 NZ$4.15

-7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.49

$2.74 NZ$4.89

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.44

$5.28 NZ$9.40

21.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$1.88 NZ$3.34

11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.20

$1.41 NZ$2.51

-12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$2.33 NZ$4.15

-13.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.07

$0.55 NZ$0.98

110.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.18

$23.92 NZ$42.61

6.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.45

$8.31 NZ$14.79

38.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.55

$3.55 NZ$6.33

-12.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.14

$3.44 NZ$6.12

-15.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.10

$1.17 NZ$2.08

144.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.35

$2.53 NZ$4.50

-25.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.71 NZ$3.05

7.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.1

$28.39 NZ$50.6

20.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$1.74 NZ$3.10

5.75%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.6K

$28.3K NZ$50.4K

0.33%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.4K

$23.5K NZ$41.8K

1.41%

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

$201 NZ$358

$110 NZ$196

82.26%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.4

$22.62 NZ$40.29

47.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.6

$45.32 NZ$80.7

18.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.82

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.98

$11.48 NZ$20.45

2.61%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,896

$338 NZ$602

214.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.7K

$6,824 NZ$12.2K

94.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$59.9 NZ$107

34.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.93

$35.18 NZ$62.7

-20.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$92.1 NZ$164

10.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$126 NZ$224

22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,035

$286 NZ$509

299.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,920

$252 NZ$448

328.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,663

$1,014 NZ$1,807

102.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,230

$1,109 NZ$1,974

63.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$2,068 NZ$3,683

218.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,509

$1,789 NZ$3,187

104.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,960

$4,403 NZ$7,841

-36.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.91

-8.80%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rolleston: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Rolleston

$252 21.8% 76.7% $827

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Rolleston

$306 26.5% 12.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Rolleston

$178 15.4% 38.1% $110

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Rolleston

$240 20.8% 3.1% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Rolleston

$141 12.2% 14% $23

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4% 87.6% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Rolleston

$23 * 2% 61.3% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $286 in Rolleston. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Rolleston, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $70 in Rolleston. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Wellington vs $306 in Rolleston – so Rolleston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

28,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wellington Rolleston 320 km

From you

Wellington
Rolleston

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 Rolleston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,313 in Wellington, $1,156 in Rolleston – Rolleston comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $1,734 in Rolleston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rolleston, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $1,156 in Rolleston. That makes Rolleston about 50% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,065 per month in Wellington and $338 in Rolleston. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rolleston, where all-in costs run around $1,156, than in Wellington at $2,313. In Rolleston it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rolleston – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.