Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Thames: $1,966 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Thames

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

A single person spends $2,358 per month in Wellington vs $1,966 in Thames, rent included.

Wellington $2,358
Thames $1,966

A couple spends around $3,368 per month in Wellington vs $2,999 in Thames, rent included.

Wellington $3,368
Thames $2,999

A family of three spends $4,378 per month in Wellington vs $4,032 in Thames, rent included.

Wellington $4,378
Thames $4,032

Wellington costs about 20% more than Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wellington and Thames sit above the global median – Wellington by 75%, Thames by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.27

$13.93 NZ$24.63

-1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$68.4 NZ$121

-6.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.83

$8.89 NZ$15.72

0.67%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.05

$3.42 NZ$6.06

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

$2.44 NZ$4.31

$2.02 NZ$3.57

20.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.98

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-2.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.22 NZ$12.76

$6.88 NZ$12.16

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.76

$6.73 NZ$11.90

-1.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.87 NZ$3.31

2.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 NZ$3.89

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.79 NZ$3.16

2.23%

Eggs

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$6.20 NZ$10.97

9.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$8.79 NZ$15.55

2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NZ$17.43

$9.68 NZ$17.11

1.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 NZ$26.86

$16.82 NZ$29.74

-9.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.80 NZ$4.95

11.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$2.16 NZ$3.82

2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.43

$2.91 NZ$5.14

5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 NZ$11.65

$5.75 NZ$10.17

14.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-3.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.18

$1.52 NZ$2.69

-19.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$1.98 NZ$3.50

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.03

$1.04 NZ$1.84

10.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$26.57 NZ$46.99

-6.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 NZ$19.95

$10.25 NZ$18.12

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$2.84 NZ$5.02

8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$3.38 NZ$5.98

-15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$1.45 NZ$2.56

95.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$75.4 NZ$133

34.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$2.30 NZ$4.06

-18.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-5.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.15 NZ$60.4

$32.20 NZ$56.9

6.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-2.67%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

-0.63%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

17.17%

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

$197 NZ$348

$183 NZ$324

7.22%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.6

$26.20 NZ$46.33

22.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$50.7 NZ$89.6

3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$66.7

$41.84 NZ$74.0

-9.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 NZ$21.10

$13.10 NZ$23.17

-8.93%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,867

$1,135 NZ$2,007

-6.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

-33.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 NZ$135

$79.2 NZ$140

-3.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$49.93

$39.93 NZ$70.6

-29.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$92.3 NZ$163

7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$270

$111 NZ$197

36.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 NZ$2,169

$930 NZ$1,645

31.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 NZ$2,018

$821 NZ$1,451

39.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 NZ$3,790

$1,484 NZ$2,624

44.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 NZ$3,022

$1,486 NZ$2,629

14.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

$4,552 NZ$8,050

44.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,559 NZ$6,294

$3,773 NZ$6,673

-5.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,925

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 10, 2026

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4%

Thames

$821 41.7% 28.1% $320

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$346 14.7%

Thames

$337 17.1% 2.7% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.9%

Thames

$260 13.2% 7.4% $21

Eating Out

Wellington

$244 10.3%

Thames

$242 12.3% 0.6% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$160 6.8%

Thames

$145 7.4% 9.5% $15

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.3%

Thames

$93 4.7% 24.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Thames

$68 3.5% 10.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,226 in Wellington versus $930 in Thames. 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 $64.0 in Wellington versus $68.0 in Thames. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Wellington vs $337 in Thames – so Thames wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Thames

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

7,500

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Thames 470 km

From you

Wellington
Thames

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 Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wellington is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,536 per month in Wellington and $2,949 in Thames. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thames, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,056 per month in Wellington and $1,135 in Thames. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Wellington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Thames, where all-in costs run around $1,966, than in Wellington at $2,358. In Thames it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Thames. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.