Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Zealand vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
New Zealand is 11.4% cheaper than United States overall.
New Zealand vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Zealand instead of United States, you would:
pay 15.1% less for restaurants
United States | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.45 | $14.45 NZ$25.59 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.12 | $9.14 NZ$16.18 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.56 | $2.11 NZ$3.73 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.00 | $2.02 NZ$3.57 | |
United States vs. New Zealand - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.2% less for groceries
United States | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.56 | $1.74 NZ$3.08 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.50 | $3.88 NZ$6.88 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.97 | $6.34 NZ$11.22 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.27 | $5.96 NZ$10.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.41 | $4.01 NZ$7.09 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.37 | $1.18 NZ$2.09 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.78 | $0.95 NZ$1.69 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.04 | $1.29 NZ$2.29 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.21 | $2.11 NZ$3.74 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.34 | $0.85 NZ$1.51 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.38 | $0.80 NZ$1.41 | |
United States vs. New Zealand - Cost of groceries
pay 17.2% more for transportation
United States | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.41 | $6.08 NZ$10.77 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.85 | $74.52 NZ$131.98 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,336.38 | $24,777.66 NZ$43,885.34 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.61 | $17.81 NZ$31.55 | |
United States vs. New Zealand - Cost of transportation
pay 37.0% less for housing
United States | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $68.97 | $50.00 NZ$88.55 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,664.59 | $978.36 NZ$1,732.83 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,416.15 | $810.06 NZ$1,434.75 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $150.19 | $95.66 NZ$169.44 | |
United States vs. New Zealand - Cost of housing
pay 48.1% less for childcare
United States | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,387.27 | $635.34 NZ$1,125.30 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $23,196.46 | $13,463.91 NZ$23,846.82 | |
United States vs. New Zealand - Cost of childcare
pay 10.8% more for entertainment and sports
United States | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.84 | $6.04 NZ$10.70 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.15 | $3.35 NZ$5.94 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.90 | $23.12 NZ$40.96 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.45 | $37.72 NZ$66.81 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.64 | $10.72 NZ$18.99 | |
United States vs. New Zealand - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.8% more for clothing
United States | New Zealand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $51.08 | $65.22 NZ$115.52 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.81 | $39.23 NZ$69.49 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.56 | $90.28 NZ$159.90 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.04 | $119.43 NZ$211.53 | |
United States vs. New Zealand - 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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