Cost of living comparison
compared to
Wellington vs. East Lansing Cost of Living Summary
Wellington is 15.6% more expensive than East Lansing.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.9% more in Wellington
- Groceries
-
pay 12.2% more in Wellington
- Transportation
-
pay 49.7% more in Wellington
- Housing
-
pay 5.4% less in Wellington
- Childcare
-
pay 34.0% less in Wellington
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 25.1% more in Wellington
- Clothing
-
pay 59.6% more in Wellington
The cost of clothing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in Wellington are more expensive than in East Lansing. Expenses including childcare and housing are lower in Wellington.
Wellington vs. East Lansing Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Wellington instead of East Lansing, you would:
pay 1.9% more for restaurants
|
East Lansing
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.00
|
$14.42
NZ$25.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$9.23
NZ$16.04
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.57
|
$2.46
NZ$4.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.98
NZ$3.44
|
|
East Lansing vs. Wellington - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.2% more for groceries
|
East Lansing
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.31
|
$1.98
NZ$3.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$4.02
NZ$6.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.57
|
$6.79
NZ$11.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.50
|
$6.77
NZ$11.77
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.25
|
$4.77
NZ$8.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$1.36
NZ$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
|
$1.01
NZ$1.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$1.33
NZ$2.31
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.25
|
$2.32
NZ$4.02
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.90
NZ$1.56
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
|
$0.68
NZ$1.18
|
|
East Lansing vs. Wellington - Cost of groceries
pay 49.7% more for transportation
|
East Lansing
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.30
|
$6.14
NZ$10.67
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$109.62
NZ$190.44
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$31,154.21
NZ$54,124.77
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.68
|
$14.55
NZ$25.28
|
|
East Lansing vs. Wellington - Cost of transportation
pay 5.4% less for housing
|
East Lansing
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.14
|
$48.75
NZ$84.70
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,233.33
|
$1,240.57
NZ$2,155.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,066.67
|
$1,099.37
NZ$1,909.96
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.29
|
$109.37
NZ$190.00
|
|
East Lansing vs. Wellington - Cost of housing
pay 34.0% less for childcare
|
East Lansing
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,294.79
|
$768.47
NZ$1,335.08
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$12,211.68
NZ$21,215.57
|
|
East Lansing vs. Wellington - Cost of childcare
pay 25.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
East Lansing
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$6.63
NZ$11.53
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.86
|
$3.54
NZ$6.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$25.67
NZ$44.60
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.67
|
$34.12
NZ$59.28
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$11.54
NZ$20.05
|
|
East Lansing vs. Wellington - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 59.6% more for clothing
|
East Lansing
|
Wellington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.00
|
$69.31
NZ$120.41
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.00
|
$46.64
NZ$81.02
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.00
|
$113.30
NZ$196.84
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$85.00
|
$146.23
NZ$254.05
|
|
East Lansing vs. Wellington - 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
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. New Zealand.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States 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 East Lansing. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.