Cost of living comparison
compared to
Wellington vs. Saitama Cost of Living Summary
Wellington is 94.7% more expensive than Saitama.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.7 times more in Wellington
- Groceries
- pay 15.3% more in Wellington
- Transportation
- pay 12.1% more in Wellington
- Housing
- pay 2.5 times more in Wellington
- Childcare
- pay 74.7% more in Wellington
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.5 times more in Wellington
- Clothing
- pay 94.4% more in Wellington
Wellington vs. Saitama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Wellington instead of Saitama, you would:
pay 2.7 times more for restaurants
Saitama | Wellington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $5.68 ¥919 | $14.42 NZ$25.55 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $4.68 ¥757 | $9.23 NZ$16.35 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.74 ¥119 | $2.46 NZ$4.36 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.68 ¥110 | $1.98 NZ$3.50 | |
Saitama vs. Wellington - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.3% more for groceries
Saitama | Wellington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.75 ¥284 | $1.98 NZ$3.50 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.86 ¥786 | $4.02 NZ$7.13 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.51 ¥892 | $6.79 NZ$12.02 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.21 ¥357 | $6.77 NZ$12.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.64 ¥427 | $4.77 NZ$8.45 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.63 ¥425 | $1.36 NZ$2.41 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.06 ¥171 | $1.01 NZ$1.79 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.76 ¥284 | $1.33 NZ$2.36 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.64 ¥427 | $2.32 NZ$4.10 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.44 ¥234 | $0.90 NZ$1.59 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.76 ¥123 | $0.68 NZ$1.20 | |
Saitama vs. Wellington - Cost of groceries
pay 12.1% more for transportation
Saitama | Wellington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.43 ¥717 | $6.14 NZ$10.87 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | $109.62 NZ$194.15 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $22,332.63 ¥4M | $31,154.21 NZ$55,179.28 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $24.99 ¥4,043 | $14.55 NZ$25.78 | |
Saitama vs. Wellington - Cost of transportation
pay 2.5 times more for housing
Saitama | Wellington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $32.74 ¥5,296 | $48.75 NZ$86.35 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $417.65 ¥67,557 | $1,240.57 NZ$2,197.26 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $245.02 ¥39,634 | $1,099.37 NZ$1,947.17 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $105.54 ¥17,071 | $109.37 NZ$193.71 | |
Saitama vs. Wellington - Cost of housing
pay 74.7% more for childcare
Saitama | Wellington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $271.75 ¥43,957 | $768.47 NZ$1,361.09 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $18,376.64 ¥3M | $12,211.68 NZ$21,628.92 | |
Saitama vs. Wellington - Cost of childcare
pay 2.5 times more for entertainment and sports
Saitama | Wellington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.00 ¥324 | $6.63 NZ$11.75 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.01 ¥486 | $3.54 NZ$6.27 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.01 ¥649 | $25.67 NZ$45.47 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $66.16 ¥10,701 | $34.12 NZ$60.43 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.69 ¥1,892 | $11.54 NZ$20.44 | |
Saitama vs. Wellington - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 94.4% more for clothing
Saitama | Wellington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $36.75 ¥5,945 | $69.31 NZ$122.76 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $26.73 ¥4,324 | $46.64 NZ$82.60 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $57.87 ¥9,361 | $113.30 NZ$200.68 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $66.82 ¥10,809 | $146.23 NZ$259.00 | |
Saitama 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: June 2026
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