Cost of Living Comparison Between Whangarei and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Whangarei and Wellington

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Whangarei is 2.8% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 27% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Whangarei is 3.7% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 26% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.70 NZ$34.99
$17.83 NZ$30.13
16.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 NZ$145
$84.2 NZ$142
1.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.37 NZ$17.53
$9.46 NZ$15.99
9.62%
Cappuccino
$3.84 NZ$6.49
$3.65 NZ$6.17
5.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 NZ$3.50
$2.57 NZ$4.35
-19.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 NZ$2.87
$2.20 NZ$3.71
-22.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 NZ$10.86
$7.20 NZ$12.17
-10.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.97 NZ$13.48
$7.44 NZ$12.58
7.12%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 NZ$3.31
$1.82 NZ$3.08
7.69%
White Bread (500g)
$2.15 NZ$3.63
$2.04 NZ$3.45
5.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 NZ$3.46
$1.97 NZ$3.33
4.06%
Eggs
$6.72 NZ$11.35
$7.24 NZ$12.24
-7.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.52 NZ$16.09
$8.16 NZ$13.80
16.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.82 NZ$18.28
$10.90 NZ$18.43
-0.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.91 NZ$28.58
$13.19 NZ$22.28
28.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 NZ$5.06
$3.06 NZ$5.18
-2.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.38 NZ$4.01
$2.36 NZ$3.98
0.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 NZ$4.92
$2.98 NZ$5.04
-2.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.60 NZ$7.77
$4.83 NZ$8.17
-4.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.52 NZ$4.26
$2.02 NZ$3.42
24.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 NZ$3.16
$1.58 NZ$2.67
18.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.49 NZ$4.21
$2.30 NZ$3.88
8.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 NZ$1.81
$1.29 NZ$2.18
-17.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.25 NZ$40.99
$26.71 NZ$45.14
-9.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.96 NZ$16.83
$10.89 NZ$18.41
-8.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 NZ$4.05
$3.51 NZ$5.93
-31.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 NZ$4.93
$3.26 NZ$5.51
-10.43%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.84 NZ$3.11
$2.67 NZ$4.52
-31.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$141 NZ$239
$107 NZ$181
32.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.00 NZ$6.75
$2.77 NZ$4.67
44.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 NZ$2.77
$1.79 NZ$3.03
-8.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.60 NZ$24.67
$60.9 NZ$103
-76.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.64 NZ$2.77
$1.67 NZ$2.83
-1.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$46.1K NZ$77.9K
$33.0K NZ$55.8K
39.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K NZ$38.1K
$24.9K NZ$42.1K
-9.40%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 NZ$227
$155 NZ$262
-13.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.76 NZ$67.2
$33.64 NZ$56.9
18.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.0 NZ$87.9
$51.1 NZ$86.3
1.86%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.48 NZ$63.3
$36.54 NZ$61.8
2.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.07 NZ$5.19
$20.82 NZ$35.18
-85.25%
Cinema Ticket
$10.91 NZ$18.43
$12.26 NZ$20.71
-11.01%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$776 NZ$1,311
$818 NZ$1,382
-5.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K NZ$20.3K
$12.8K NZ$21.7K
-6.64%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.3 NZ$115
$70.9 NZ$120
-3.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.63 NZ$56.8
$53.2 NZ$90.0
-36.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.1 NZ$139
$120 NZ$203
-31.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 NZ$169
$145 NZ$246
-31.18%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$525 NZ$887
$1,297 NZ$2,192
-59.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$457 NZ$773
$1,094 NZ$1,849
-58.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,040 NZ$1,757
$2,127 NZ$3,595
-51.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$783 NZ$1,323
$1,916 NZ$3,238
-59.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,536 NZ$7,666
$6,806 NZ$11.5K
-33.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,475 NZ$5,873
$4,067 NZ$6,873
-14.55%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Whangarei
Wellington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,486 NZ$4,202
$3,107 NZ$5,251
-19.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.7
6.94
-3.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Whangarei: March 1, 2026

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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