Cost of living comparison
compared to
Auckland vs. Christchurch Cost of Living Summary
Auckland is 17.7% more expensive than Christchurch.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.9% less in Auckland
- Groceries
-
pay 3.0% more in Auckland
- Transportation
-
pay 52.0% more in Auckland
- Housing
-
pay 8.8% more in Auckland
- Childcare
-
pay 43.2% more in Auckland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.8% more in Auckland
- Clothing
-
pay 10.0% more in Auckland
The cost of transportation, childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries in Auckland are more expensive than in Christchurch.
Auckland vs. Christchurch Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Auckland instead of Christchurch, you would:
pay 2.9% less for restaurants
|
Christchurch
|
Auckland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.15
NZ$27.96
|
$14.42
NZ$24.97
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.52
NZ$16.48
|
$9.23
NZ$15.98
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.27
NZ$3.92
|
$2.17
NZ$3.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
NZ$3.56
|
$2.20
NZ$3.80
|
|
Christchurch vs. Auckland - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.0% more for groceries
|
Christchurch
|
Auckland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.76
NZ$3.04
|
$2.04
NZ$3.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.02
NZ$6.96
|
$4.18
NZ$7.23
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.54
NZ$11.33
|
$6.83
NZ$11.82
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.10
NZ$10.56
|
$6.46
NZ$11.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.26
NZ$7.37
|
$4.18
NZ$7.23
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.25
NZ$2.17
|
$1.23
NZ$2.13
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.08
NZ$1.88
|
$0.94
NZ$1.63
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.31
NZ$2.26
|
$1.38
NZ$2.40
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.99
NZ$3.44
|
$2.04
NZ$3.54
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
NZ$1.21
|
$0.81
NZ$1.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
NZ$1.18
|
$0.65
NZ$1.13
|
|
Christchurch vs. Auckland - Cost of groceries
pay 52.0% more for transportation
|
Christchurch
|
Auckland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.06
NZ$10.49
|
$5.96
NZ$10.32
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$40.13
NZ$69.47
|
$125.42
NZ$217.10
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,961.84
NZ$44,940.03
|
$27,115.94
NZ$46,937.77
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.44
NZ$28.46
|
$15.27
NZ$26.42
|
|
Christchurch vs. Auckland - Cost of transportation
pay 8.8% more for housing
|
Christchurch
|
Auckland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.19
NZ$86.88
|
$48.52
NZ$83.99
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,413.48
NZ$2,446.73
|
$1,258.91
NZ$2,179.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$971.55
NZ$1,681.76
|
$1,096.07
NZ$1,897.29
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$85.85
NZ$148.61
|
$117.26
NZ$202.98
|
|
Christchurch vs. Auckland - Cost of housing
pay 43.2% more for childcare
|
Christchurch
|
Auckland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$612.99
NZ$1,061.08
|
$878.54
NZ$1,520.76
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,525.11
NZ$16,488.00
|
$13,628.85
NZ$23,591.58
|
|
Christchurch vs. Auckland - Cost of childcare
pay 9.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Christchurch
|
Auckland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.63
NZ$11.48
|
$6.92
NZ$11.98
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.36
NZ$5.82
|
$3.39
NZ$5.87
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.65
NZ$40.95
|
$24.23
NZ$41.94
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.33
NZ$57.70
|
$38.35
NZ$66.38
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.96
NZ$18.97
|
$13.85
NZ$23.97
|
|
Christchurch vs. Auckland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.0% more for clothing
|
Christchurch
|
Auckland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.06
NZ$102.24
|
$67.87
NZ$117.48
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.79
NZ$65.41
|
$46.78
NZ$80.97
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.87
NZ$157.29
|
$95.31
NZ$164.99
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$123.08
NZ$213.05
|
$118.80
NZ$205.65
|
|
Christchurch vs. Auckland - 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: December 2025
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