Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary
United States is 30.2% more expensive than New Zealand overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 19.2% more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 38.1% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 6.5% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 60.0% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 95.3% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 11.3% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 6.1% less in United States
United States vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 19.2% more for restaurants
New Zealand | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $14.45 NZ$25.59 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.14 NZ$16.18 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.11 NZ$3.73 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.02 NZ$3.57 | $2.00 | |
New Zealand vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 38.1% more for groceries
New Zealand | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.74 NZ$3.08 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.88 NZ$6.88 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.34 NZ$11.22 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.96 NZ$10.55 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.01 NZ$7.09 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.18 NZ$2.09 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.95 NZ$1.69 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.29 NZ$2.29 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.11 NZ$3.74 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.85 NZ$1.51 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.80 NZ$1.41 | $1.38 | |
New Zealand vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 6.5% less for transportation
New Zealand | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $6.08 NZ$10.77 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $74.52 NZ$131.98 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $24,777.66 NZ$43,885.34 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.81 NZ$31.55 | $17.61 | |
New Zealand vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 60.0% more for housing
New Zealand | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $50.00 NZ$88.55 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $978.36 NZ$1,732.83 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $810.06 NZ$1,434.75 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $95.66 NZ$169.44 | $150.19 | |
New Zealand vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 95.3% more for childcare
New Zealand | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $635.34 NZ$1,125.30 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,463.91 NZ$23,846.82 | $23,196.46 | |
New Zealand vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 11.3% more for entertainment and sports
New Zealand | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.04 NZ$10.70 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.35 NZ$5.94 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $23.12 NZ$40.96 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $37.72 NZ$66.81 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $10.72 NZ$18.99 | $13.64 | |
New Zealand vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.1% less for clothing
New Zealand | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $65.22 NZ$115.52 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $39.23 NZ$69.49 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $90.28 NZ$159.90 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $119.43 NZ$211.53 | $112.04 | |
New Zealand vs. United States - 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: June 2026
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