Cost of living comparison

compared to

Lawrence vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary

Lawrence is 10.1% more expensive than New Zealand overall.

Restaurants
pay 16.2% more in Lawrence
Groceries
pay 20.4% more in Lawrence
Transportation
pay 29.3% less in Lawrence
Housing
pay 28.0% more in Lawrence
Childcare
pay 24.6% more in Lawrence
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.7% more in Lawrence
Clothing
pay 7.4% less in Lawrence

The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Lawrence are more expensive than in New Zealand. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Lawrence.

Lawrence vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Lawrence instead of New Zealand, you would:

pay 16.2% more for restaurants

 
New Zealand
Lawrence
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $13.26
NZ$23.91
$15.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.99
NZ$16.20
$11.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.04
NZ$3.68
$2.55
 

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pay 20.4% more for groceries

 
New Zealand
Lawrence
Bread
1 loaf
$1.73
NZ$3.11
$3.15
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.78
NZ$6.82
$5.64
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.47
NZ$11.67
$3.30
 

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pay 29.3% less for transportation

 
New Zealand
Lawrence
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.34
NZ$11.42
$3.42
 
Monthly public transit pass $83.43
NZ$150.36
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $24,108.51
NZ$43,450.50
$22,349.00
 

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pay 28.0% more for housing

 
New Zealand
Lawrence
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$49.30
NZ$88.85
$64.75
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $976.74
NZ$1,760.36
$1,187.50
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $843.74
NZ$1,520.66
$924.25
 

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pay 24.6% more for childcare

 
New Zealand
Lawrence
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $716.92
NZ$1,292.09
$980.50
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $16,937.81
NZ$30,526.82
$19,239.33
 

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pay 5.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
New Zealand
Lawrence
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.70
NZ$10.26
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.26
NZ$5.88
$5.09
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$22.75
NZ$40.99
$7.00
 

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pay 7.4% less for clothing

 
New Zealand
Lawrence
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$63.30
NZ$114.09
$51.67
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$33.63
NZ$60.60
$39.56
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$91.48
NZ$164.87
$80.00
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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