Cost of living comparison
compared to
Wellington vs. Canterbury Cost of Living Summary
Wellington is 5.4% cheaper than Canterbury.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.8% less in Wellington
- Groceries
-
pay 35.4% more in Wellington
- Transportation
-
pay 31.8% less in Wellington
- Housing
-
pay 22.6% less in Wellington
- Childcare
-
pay 27.1% less in Wellington
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.5% less in Wellington
- Clothing
-
pay 26.8% more in Wellington
The cost of groceries and clothing in Wellington are more expensive than in Canterbury. Expenses including transportation, childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Wellington.
Wellington vs. Canterbury Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Wellington instead of Canterbury, you would:
pay 2.8% less for restaurants
|
Canterbury
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.36
£14.52
|
$14.42
NZ$24.97
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.68
£8.01
|
$9.23
NZ$15.98
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.94
£1.45
|
$2.46
NZ$4.26
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.96
£1.47
|
$1.98
NZ$3.42
|
|
Canterbury vs. Wellington - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 35.4% more for groceries
|
Canterbury
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.30
£0.97
|
$1.98
NZ$3.42
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.52
£3.39
|
$4.02
NZ$6.96
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.03
£4.52
|
$6.79
NZ$11.75
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.45
£2.59
|
$6.77
NZ$11.73
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.26
£2.44
|
$4.77
NZ$8.26
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.21
£0.91
|
$1.36
NZ$2.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
£0.47
|
$1.01
NZ$1.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.36
£1.02
|
$1.33
NZ$2.30
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.48
£1.11
|
$2.32
NZ$4.01
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.57
£0.42
|
$0.90
NZ$1.55
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.65
£0.49
|
$0.68
NZ$1.17
|
|
Canterbury vs. Wellington - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 31.8% less for transportation
|
Canterbury
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.11
£5.33
|
$6.14
NZ$10.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$222.57
£166.85
|
$109.62
NZ$189.75
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,772.71
£28,315.37
|
$31,154.21
NZ$53,928.03
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$26.44
£19.82
|
$14.55
NZ$25.19
|
|
Canterbury vs. Wellington - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 22.6% less for housing
|
Canterbury
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$56.76
£42.55
|
$48.75
NZ$84.39
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,335.43
£1,001.07
|
$1,240.57
NZ$2,147.43
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,179.63
£884.28
|
$1,099.37
NZ$1,903.02
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$291.78
£218.72
|
$109.37
NZ$189.31
|
|
Canterbury vs. Wellington - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 27.1% less for childcare
|
Canterbury
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,102.18
£826.22
|
$768.47
NZ$1,330.22
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,025.19
£12,012.88
|
$12,211.68
NZ$21,138.46
|
|
Canterbury vs. Wellington - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 15.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canterbury
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.68
£5.01
|
$6.63
NZ$11.48
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.65
£3.48
|
$3.54
NZ$6.13
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$21.57
£16.17
|
$25.67
NZ$44.44
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.64
£36.46
|
$34.12
NZ$59.06
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$20.03
£15.02
|
$11.54
NZ$19.97
|
|
Canterbury vs. Wellington - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 26.8% more for clothing
|
Canterbury
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$96.82
£72.58
|
$69.31
NZ$119.97
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.71
£23.02
|
$46.64
NZ$80.73
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.46
£58.81
|
$113.30
NZ$196.13
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$104.83
£78.58
|
$146.23
NZ$253.12
|
|
Canterbury vs. Wellington - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United Kingdom vs. New Zealand.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Wellington or Canterbury. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.