Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Willemstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Willemstad: $2,017 a month against $2,376 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Wellington outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Willemstad
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Willemstad Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,376

/mo nomad

Willemstad

🇨🇼 Curacao

$2,017

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Willemstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Wellington versus $2,017 in Willemstad.

Wellington $2,376
Willemstad $2,017

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,407 in Wellington versus $3,102 in Willemstad.

Wellington $3,407
Willemstad $3,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,439 in Wellington versus $4,187 in Willemstad.

Wellington $4,439
Willemstad $4,187

Living in Wellington is roughly 18% more expensive than in Willemstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 75% above, Willemstad 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.01 NZ$24.78

$18.52 ANG 33.15

-24.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NZ$116

$75.2 ANG 135

-12.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 NZ$16.56

$11.02 ANG 19.73

-14.97%

Cappuccino

$3.40 NZ$6.02

$3.63 ANG 6.50

-6.34%

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

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$2.94 ANG 5.26

-16.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.74 ANG 3.12

0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 NZ$12.85

$5.76 ANG 10.31

26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 NZ$11.87

$5.46 ANG 9.78

22.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$2.00 ANG 3.58

-3.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.86 ANG 5.12

-24.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$3.57 ANG 6.40

-48.74%

Eggs

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$4.15 ANG 7.42

65.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.26

$16.60 ANG 29.71

-44.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 NZ$17.67

$7.23 ANG 12.94

38.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 NZ$26.48

$11.97 ANG 21.43

25.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.36

$5.44 ANG 9.74

-44.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 NZ$3.96

$3.03 ANG 5.42

-26.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$3.33 ANG 5.96

-7.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 NZ$11.59

$3.82 ANG 6.83

71.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.83

$2.53 ANG 4.52

-14.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 NZ$2.27

$1.98 ANG 3.54

-35.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 NZ$3.71

$2.44 ANG 4.37

-13.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$2.93 ANG 5.24

-59.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.79 NZ$45.60

$10.16 ANG 18.18

153.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 NZ$19.94

$12.32 ANG 22.05

-8.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.51

$2.35 ANG 4.21

32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 NZ$4.98

$2.40 ANG 4.30

17.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$1.92 ANG 3.44

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$184

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$22.77 ANG 40.76

-91.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.72 NZ$59.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$1.35 ANG 2.41

37.04%

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

$28.7K NZ$50.8K

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

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

$20.4K ANG 36.5K

16.61%

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

$194 NZ$344

$272 ANG 487

-28.60%

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

$33.42 NZ$59.1

$77.1 ANG 138

-56.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 NZ$94.7

$64.6 ANG 116

-17.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 NZ$67.4

$47.22 ANG 84.5

-19.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.15 NZ$28.56

$43.82 ANG 78.4

-63.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 NZ$21.17

$11.92 ANG 21.33

0.42%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$328 ANG 587

222.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

$12.3K ANG 22.0K

5.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$104 ANG 186

-23.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.87 NZ$51.1

$73.8 ANG 132

-60.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$182

$164 ANG 293

-37.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 NZ$275

$94.1 ANG 168

65.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 NZ$2,152

$797 ANG 1,426

52.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 NZ$2,028

$645 ANG 1,155

77.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,154 NZ$3,809

$1,690 ANG 3,025

27.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 NZ$3,061

$1,204 ANG 2,155

43.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,780 NZ$12.0K

$837 ANG 1,498

709.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,464

$165 ANG 296

2111.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,812 NZ$4,972

$1,238 ANG 2,217

127.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.97

8.45%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 18, 2026

Last update for Willemstad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

Willemstad

$645 32% 43.7% $501

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 14.6%

Willemstad

$377 18.7% 8.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.8%

Willemstad

$414 20.5% 47.1% $133

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.4%

Willemstad

$283 14.1% 14.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$165 6.9%

Willemstad

$196 9.7% 18.9% $31

Getting Around

Wellington

$126 5.3%

Willemstad

$30 * 1.5% 75.8% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Willemstad

$71 3.5% 14.5% $9

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 $1,217 in Wellington and $797 in Willemstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 127% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Wellington vs $75.0 in Willemstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $377 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇨🇼 Willemstad

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

17 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

140,000 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wellington Willemstad 13,080 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Willemstad

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 Willemstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Willemstad is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 127% higher in Wellington, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,217 in Wellington versus $797 in Willemstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Wellington pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Wellington versus $2,017 in Willemstad – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,017 in Willemstad versus $2,376 in Wellington, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Willemstad but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Willemstad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Willemstad 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 Willemstad are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Willemstad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.