Cost of living comparison
compared to
Fairbanks vs. Wellington Cost of Living Summary
Fairbanks is 36.0% more expensive than Wellington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.0% more in Fairbanks
- Groceries
-
pay 86.7% more in Fairbanks
- Transportation
-
pay 19.5% less in Fairbanks
- Housing
-
pay 53.4% more in Fairbanks
- Childcare
-
pay 56.2% more in Fairbanks
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 54.7% more in Fairbanks
- Clothing
-
pay 17.6% less in Fairbanks
The cost of groceries, childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, and restaurants in Fairbanks are more expensive than in Wellington. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Fairbanks. Notably, groceries is significantly more expensive in Fairbanks.
Fairbanks vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Fairbanks instead of Wellington, you would:
pay 38.0% more for restaurants
|
Wellington
|
Fairbanks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.42
NZ$25.15
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.23
NZ$16.10
|
$15.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
NZ$4.29
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
NZ$3.45
|
$2.00
|
|
Wellington vs. Fairbanks - Cost of restaurants
pay 86.7% more for groceries
|
Wellington
|
Fairbanks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
NZ$3.45
|
$5.26
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.02
NZ$7.02
|
$8.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.79
NZ$11.84
|
$4.39
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.77
NZ$11.81
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.77
NZ$8.32
|
$7.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
NZ$2.37
|
$3.62
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.01
NZ$1.77
|
$1.29
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
NZ$2.32
|
$3.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.32
NZ$4.04
|
$3.32
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.90
NZ$1.56
|
$1.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
NZ$1.18
|
$2.17
|
|
Wellington vs. Fairbanks - Cost of groceries
pay 19.5% less for transportation
|
Wellington
|
Fairbanks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.14
NZ$10.71
|
$3.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$109.62
NZ$191.17
|
$40.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,154.21
NZ$54,332.45
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.55
NZ$25.38
|
$20.90
|
|
Wellington vs. Fairbanks - Cost of transportation
pay 53.4% more for housing
|
Wellington
|
Fairbanks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.75
NZ$85.02
|
$115.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,240.57
NZ$2,163.54
|
$1,533.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,099.37
NZ$1,917.29
|
$1,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$109.37
NZ$190.73
|
$128.78
|
|
Wellington vs. Fairbanks - Cost of housing
pay 56.2% more for childcare
|
Wellington
|
Fairbanks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$768.47
NZ$1,340.20
|
$1,200.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,211.68
NZ$21,296.98
|
?? | |
Wellington vs. Fairbanks - Cost of childcare
pay 54.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wellington
|
Fairbanks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.63
NZ$11.57
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.54
NZ$6.17
|
$5.99
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$25.67
NZ$44.77
|
$11.19
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.12
NZ$59.51
|
$100.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.54
NZ$20.12
|
$16.99
|
|
Wellington vs. Fairbanks - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.6% less for clothing
|
Wellington
|
Fairbanks
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.31
NZ$120.87
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.64
NZ$81.33
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$113.30
NZ$197.60
|
$85.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.23
NZ$255.02
|
$120.00
|
|
Wellington vs. Fairbanks - 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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