Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Whanganui

For one person, living is cheaper in Whanganui: $2,000 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Whanganui

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,313 in Wellington versus $2,000 in Whanganui.

Wellington $2,313
Whanganui $2,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,422 in Wellington versus $2,910 in Whanganui.

Wellington $3,422
Whanganui $2,910

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Wellington versus $3,820 in Whanganui.

Wellington $4,530
Whanganui $3,820

Living in Wellington is roughly 16% more expensive than in Whanganui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 70% above, Whanganui 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.93

$12.42 NZ$22.07

12.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$73.0 NZ$130

-8.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.40

$8.38 NZ$14.90

10.14%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.36 NZ$5.97

1.49%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.21 NZ$3.94

9.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$2.04 NZ$3.63

-17.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.30

$5.48 NZ$9.74

36.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$5.48 NZ$9.75

22.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.34 NZ$2.38

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$1.01 NZ$1.80

122.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$1.16 NZ$2.05

59.48%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.63

$5.54 NZ$9.85

28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.96

$5.64 NZ$10.03

69.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.10

$7.49 NZ$13.32

28.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.13

$11.96 NZ$21.26

27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$2.21 NZ$3.93

39.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$1.98 NZ$3.52

8.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.48

$1.89 NZ$3.36

62.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.42

$3.51 NZ$6.23

82.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$1.70 NZ$3.03

23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.32 NZ$2.35

-6.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.58

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-11.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.52 NZ$0.93

123.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.09

$23.29 NZ$41.40

8.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.41

$9.56 NZ$16.99

20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.54

$2.60 NZ$4.62

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$2.23 NZ$3.97

29.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$1.96 NZ$3.48

45.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$109 NZ$193

-3.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$3.59 NZ$6.39

-47.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$2.04 NZ$3.62

-10.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$61.0

$31.45 NZ$55.9

9.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.62 NZ$2.87

13.58%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

0.80%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$22.7K NZ$40.4K

4.76%

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

$201 NZ$357

$197 NZ$351

1.68%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.3

$32.21 NZ$57.3

3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.4

$47.07 NZ$83.7

13.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.8

$39.46 NZ$70.1

-9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.94

$5.66 NZ$10.06

108.13%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,892

$686 NZ$1,220

55.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$23.1K NZ$41.1K

-42.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$61.3 NZ$109

31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.84

$38.61 NZ$68.6

-27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$93.4 NZ$166

8.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$106 NZ$188

45.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,031

$1,030 NZ$1,831

10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,917

$939 NZ$1,670

14.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,656

$1,657 NZ$2,945

24.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,224

$1,465 NZ$2,605

23.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,694 NZ$8,344

40.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,497

$2,967 NZ$5,274

23.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,951

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.8

-20.74%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Whanganui: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Whanganui

$939 47% 12.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Whanganui

$248 12.4% 28.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Whanganui

$277 13.8% 3.8% $11

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Whanganui

$220 11% 11.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Whanganui

$135 6.7% 17.8% $29

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Whanganui

$130 6.5% 2.2% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Whanganui

$51 2.5% 14.6% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,143 in Wellington and $1,030 in Whanganui. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $73 in Whanganui. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $248, with Whanganui cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

42,300

💱 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

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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 Whanganui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Whanganui is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,470 in Wellington and $3,000 in Whanganui 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 $1,030 in Whanganui. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,065 in Wellington versus $686 in Whanganui. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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