Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Te Awamutu

For one person, living is cheaper in Te Awamutu: $2,024 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Te Awamutu
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Te Awamutu Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Te Awamutu

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Te Awamutu

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

A single person spends $2,313 per month in Wellington vs $2,024 in Te Awamutu, rent included.

Wellington $2,313
Te Awamutu $2,024

A couple spends around $3,422 per month in Wellington vs $2,980 in Te Awamutu, rent included.

Wellington $3,422
Te Awamutu $2,980

A family of three spends $4,530 per month in Wellington vs $3,935 in Te Awamutu, rent included.

Wellington $4,530
Te Awamutu $3,935

Wellington costs about 14% more than Te Awamutu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wellington and Te Awamutu sit above the global median – Wellington by 70%, Te Awamutu by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.97

$12.01 NZ$21.38

16.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$68.2 NZ$121

-2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.43

$8.36 NZ$14.89

10.41%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.07

$3.50 NZ$6.23

-2.57%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.33

$2.06 NZ$3.67

17.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-4.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.33

$6.13 NZ$10.92

22.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$12.01

$5.62 NZ$10.01

19.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.48

$1.51 NZ$2.68

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$1.26 NZ$2.25

78.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.92 NZ$3.43

-3.65%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.65

$5.27 NZ$9.39

34.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.99

$5.61 NZ$9.99

70.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.13

$7.23 NZ$12.87

33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.18

$11.80 NZ$21.01

29.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.51

$2.59 NZ$4.62

19.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.84

$2.17 NZ$3.87

-0.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.49

$2.98 NZ$5.30

3.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.44

$5.70 NZ$10.14

12.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.07 NZ$3.69

1.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.20

$1.39 NZ$2.47

-11.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$1.98 NZ$3.53

1.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.07

$0.92 NZ$1.65

26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.18

$26.25 NZ$46.74

-3.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.45

$10.20 NZ$18.17

12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.55

$2.87 NZ$5.11

8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.14

$3.47 NZ$6.18

-16.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.10

$2.19 NZ$3.90

30.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$108 NZ$192

-2.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.35

$2.24 NZ$3.99

-16.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.98 NZ$3.52

-7.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.1

$32.64 NZ$58.1

5.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$1.65 NZ$2.94

11.52%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.6K

$27.1K NZ$48.3K

4.65%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.4K

$22.3K NZ$39.7K

6.88%

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

$201 NZ$358

$58.3 NZ$104

244.54%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.4

$26.24 NZ$46.72

27.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.6

$51.5 NZ$91.8

4.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.9

$41.29 NZ$73.5

-13.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.82

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.98

$12.11 NZ$21.57

-2.73%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,896

$671 NZ$1,196

58.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.7K

$19.7K NZ$35.1K

-32.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$61.8 NZ$110

30.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.93

$38.72 NZ$69.0

-27.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$95.4 NZ$170

6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$108 NZ$192

42.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,035

$888 NZ$1,581

28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,920

$1,056 NZ$1,881

2.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,663

$1,656 NZ$2,949

24.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,230

$1,650 NZ$2,938

9.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,119 NZ$7,335

60.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,509

$3,834 NZ$6,829

-4.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,960

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.37

0.37%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Te Awamutu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Te Awamutu

$1.1K 52.2% 2% $22

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Te Awamutu

$281 13.9% 19.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Te Awamutu

$136 6.7% 52.7% $152

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Te Awamutu

$220 10.9% 11.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Te Awamutu

$137 6.8% 16.6% $27

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Te Awamutu

$129 6.4% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Te Awamutu

$66 3.2% 10.2% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,143 in Wellington versus $888 in Te Awamutu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington versus $68 in Te Awamutu. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Wellington vs $281 in Te Awamutu – so Te Awamutu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Te Awamutu

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

13,350

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Wellington Te Awamutu 370 km

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Wellington
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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 Te Awamutu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 14% more than Te Awamutu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,470 per month in Wellington and $3,037 in Te Awamutu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Te Awamutu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $888 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Wellington and $68 in Te Awamutu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $2,024 in Te Awamutu. That makes Te Awamutu about 12% cheaper.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,313 in Wellington and $2,024 in Te Awamutu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Te Awamutu – 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.