Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Wanaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Wanaka: $1,696 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
Learn more

Wanaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Wanaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $1,696 in Wanaka.

Wellington $2,313
Wanaka $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $2,695 in Wanaka.

Wellington $3,422
Wanaka $2,695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,694 in Wanaka.

Wellington $4,530
Wanaka $3,694

Living in Wellington is roughly 36% more expensive than in Wanaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Wanaka 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$13.97 NZ$24.80

0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$57.1 NZ$101

16.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$8.60 NZ$15.28

7.33%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.03 NZ$5.38

12.54%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$1.71 NZ$3.04

42.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-11.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$6.96 NZ$12.37

7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.35 NZ$11.28

6.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$2.12 NZ$3.76

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$2.01 NZ$3.57

11.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.79 NZ$3.17

3.35%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$6.00 NZ$10.65

18.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$8.51 NZ$15.10

12.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$9.71 NZ$17.24

-0.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$16.78 NZ$29.78

-9.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$2.90 NZ$5.15

6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.14 NZ$3.79

0.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$3.30 NZ$5.86

-6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$5.10 NZ$9.06

25.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$1.89 NZ$3.36

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-30.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.60 NZ$1.07

93.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$22.66 NZ$40.23

11.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$8.85 NZ$15.71

29.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$3.15 NZ$5.59

-0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$1.26 NZ$2.24

129.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$5.83 NZ$10.34

-67.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$28.08 NZ$49.85

22.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.80 NZ$3.19

2.22%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$28.6K NZ$50.8K

-0.84%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$23.0K NZ$40.9K

3.37%

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

$201 NZ$357

$112 NZ$200

78.50%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$29.42 NZ$52.2

13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$51.9 NZ$92.2

3.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$11.57 NZ$20.54

1.82%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$601 NZ$1,068

77.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$59.9 NZ$106

34.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$35.14 NZ$62.4

-20.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$68.5 NZ$122

48.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$73.9 NZ$131

108.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$971 NZ$1,723

17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$806 NZ$1,430

33.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,880 NZ$3,338

9.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,656 NZ$2,940

9.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$5,641 NZ$10.0K

16.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

$4,352 NZ$7,727

-36.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

34.75%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Wanaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Wanaka

$805 47.5% 25.3% $273

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Wanaka

$324 19.1% 6.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Wanaka

$194 11.4% 32.7% $94

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Wanaka

$236 13.9% 4.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Wanaka

$107 6.3% 34.8% $57

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Wanaka

$5.8 * 0.3% 95.4% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Wanaka

$23 * 1.4% 61.1% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $971 in Wanaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wanaka pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $57 in Wanaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $324 per month, with Wanaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

11,600

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Wanaka 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Wanaka

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 Wanaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wanaka is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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 $971 in Wanaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,313 per month in Wellington versus $1,696 in Wanaka – Wanaka is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Wanaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Wellington, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Wellington and Wanaka are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.