Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Zealand vs. Australia Cost of Living Summary
New Zealand is 11.9% cheaper than Australia overall.
New Zealand vs. Australia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Australia, you would:
pay 11.7% less for restaurants
Australia | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.15 A$24.87 | $14.45 NZ$25.59 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.64 A$13.98 | $9.14 NZ$16.18 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.63 A$3.82 | $2.11 NZ$3.73 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.14 A$3.11 | $2.02 NZ$3.57 | |
Australia vs. New Zealand - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.9% less for groceries
Australia | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.39 A$3.47 | $1.74 NZ$3.08 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.21 A$6.11 | $3.88 NZ$6.88 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.84 A$8.47 | $6.34 NZ$11.22 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.36 A$6.33 | $5.96 NZ$10.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.87 A$5.61 | $4.01 NZ$7.09 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.48 A$2.15 | $1.18 NZ$2.09 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.27 A$1.84 | $0.95 NZ$1.69 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.32 A$1.91 | $1.29 NZ$2.29 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.93 A$2.80 | $2.11 NZ$3.74 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.10 A$1.60 | $0.85 NZ$1.51 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.97 A$1.41 | $0.80 NZ$1.41 | |
Australia vs. New Zealand - Cost of groceries
pay 2.9% more for transportation
Australia | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.48 A$6.49 | $6.08 NZ$10.77 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $86.18 A$124.98 | $74.52 NZ$131.98 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $27,666.22 A$40,125.04 | $24,777.66 NZ$43,885.34 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.83 A$25.86 | $17.81 NZ$31.55 | |
Australia vs. New Zealand - Cost of transportation
pay 17.8% less for housing
Australia | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $54.93 A$79.67 | $50.00 NZ$88.55 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,188.50 A$1,723.72 | $978.36 NZ$1,732.83 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $962.42 A$1,395.82 | $810.06 NZ$1,434.75 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $133.71 A$193.93 | $95.66 NZ$169.44 | |
Australia vs. New Zealand - Cost of housing
pay 29.8% less for childcare
Australia | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,475.00 A$2,139.22 | $635.34 NZ$1,125.30 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,848.50 A$20,084.83 | $13,463.91 NZ$23,846.82 | |
Australia vs. New Zealand - Cost of childcare
pay 15.3% less for entertainment and sports
Australia | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.47 A$9.38 | $6.04 NZ$10.70 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.56 A$5.17 | $3.35 NZ$5.94 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $28.78 A$41.74 | $23.12 NZ$40.96 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.13 A$74.16 | $37.72 NZ$66.81 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.10 A$19.00 | $10.72 NZ$18.99 | |
Australia vs. New Zealand - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.0% less for clothing
Australia | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $69.65 A$101.01 | $65.22 NZ$115.52 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $48.53 A$70.39 | $39.23 NZ$69.49 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $99.22 A$143.90 | $90.28 NZ$159.90 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $107.98 A$156.60 | $119.43 NZ$211.53 | |
Australia vs. New Zealand - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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