Cost of living comparison
compared to
Grand Rapids vs. Wellington Cost of Living Summary
Grand Rapids is 12.0% more expensive than Wellington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.2% more in Grand Rapids
- Groceries
-
pay 31.2% more in Grand Rapids
- Transportation
-
pay 13.2% less in Grand Rapids
- Housing
-
pay 19.9% more in Grand Rapids
- Childcare
-
pay 47.8% more in Grand Rapids
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.6% more in Grand Rapids
- Clothing
-
pay 11.8% less in Grand Rapids
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Grand Rapids are more expensive than in Wellington. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Grand Rapids instead of Wellington, you would:
pay 7.2% more for restaurants
|
Wellington
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.42
NZ$24.97
|
$18.49
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.23
NZ$15.98
|
$11.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
NZ$4.26
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
NZ$3.42
|
$1.41
|
|
Wellington vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.2% more for groceries
|
Wellington
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
NZ$3.42
|
$3.13
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.02
NZ$6.96
|
$7.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.79
NZ$11.75
|
$3.41
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.77
NZ$11.73
|
$3.46
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.77
NZ$8.26
|
$4.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
NZ$2.36
|
$2.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.01
NZ$1.75
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
NZ$2.30
|
$2.53
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.32
NZ$4.01
|
$2.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.90
NZ$1.55
|
$0.97
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
NZ$1.17
|
$1.66
|
|
Wellington vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of groceries
pay 13.2% less for transportation
|
Wellington
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.14
NZ$10.63
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$109.62
NZ$189.75
|
$47.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,154.21
NZ$53,928.03
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.55
NZ$25.19
|
$20.70
|
|
Wellington vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of transportation
pay 19.9% more for housing
|
Wellington
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.75
NZ$84.39
|
$72.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,240.57
NZ$2,147.43
|
$1,691.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,099.37
NZ$1,903.02
|
$1,191.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$109.37
NZ$189.31
|
$93.79
|
|
Wellington vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of housing
pay 47.8% more for childcare
|
Wellington
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$768.47
NZ$1,330.22
|
$950.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,211.68
NZ$21,138.46
|
$21,000.00
|
|
Wellington vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of childcare
pay 2.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wellington
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.63
NZ$11.48
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.54
NZ$6.13
|
$4.88
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$25.67
NZ$44.44
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.12
NZ$59.06
|
$40.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.54
NZ$19.97
|
$15.00
|
|
Wellington vs. Grand Rapids - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.8% less for clothing
|
Wellington
|
Grand Rapids
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.31
NZ$119.97
|
$58.91
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.64
NZ$80.73
|
$47.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$113.30
NZ$196.13
|
$87.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.23
NZ$253.12
|
$130.00
|
|
Wellington vs. Grand Rapids - 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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