Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 26.3% more expensive than New Zealand overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.9% more in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 49.6% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 5.5% less in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 48.0% more in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 90.8% more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.3% more in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 9.3% less in North Carolina
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in North Carolina are more expensive than in New Zealand. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in North Carolina. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 7.9% more for restaurants
|
New Zealand
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.45
NZ$25.01
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.14
NZ$15.82
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.11
NZ$3.65
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
NZ$3.49
|
$1.82
|
|
New Zealand vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 49.6% more for groceries
|
New Zealand
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.74
NZ$3.01
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
NZ$6.72
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.34
NZ$10.97
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.96
NZ$10.31
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.01
NZ$6.93
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
NZ$2.04
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
NZ$1.65
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
NZ$2.24
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.11
NZ$3.65
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
NZ$1.47
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
NZ$1.38
|
$1.80
|
|
New Zealand vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 5.5% less for transportation
|
New Zealand
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.08
NZ$10.52
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$74.52
NZ$128.99
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,777.66
NZ$42,890.20
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.81
NZ$30.83
|
$19.99
|
|
New Zealand vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 48.0% more for housing
|
New Zealand
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.00
NZ$86.54
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$978.36
NZ$1,693.54
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$810.06
NZ$1,402.22
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$95.66
NZ$165.59
|
$132.31
|
|
New Zealand vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 90.8% more for childcare
|
New Zealand
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$635.34
NZ$1,099.78
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,463.91
NZ$23,306.07
|
$24,633.15
|
|
New Zealand vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 2.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Zealand
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.04
NZ$10.46
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
NZ$5.80
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.12
NZ$40.03
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.72
NZ$65.30
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.72
NZ$18.56
|
$12.98
|
|
New Zealand vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.3% less for clothing
|
New Zealand
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.22
NZ$112.90
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.23
NZ$67.91
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.28
NZ$156.27
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.43
NZ$206.73
|
$111.01
|
|
New Zealand vs. North Carolina - 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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