Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. Wellington Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 38.2% more expensive than Wellington.
- Restaurants
- pay 31.2% more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 34.4% more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 8.1% less in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 92.5% more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 76.1% more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 48.1% more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 6.5% less in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Wellington, you would:
pay 31.2% more for restaurants
Wellington | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $14.42 NZ$25.55 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $9.23 NZ$16.35 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.46 NZ$4.36 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.98 NZ$3.50 | $2.00 | |
Wellington vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 34.4% more for groceries
Wellington | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.98 NZ$3.50 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.02 NZ$7.13 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.79 NZ$12.02 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $6.77 NZ$12.00 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.77 NZ$8.45 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.36 NZ$2.41 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.01 NZ$1.79 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.33 NZ$2.36 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.32 NZ$4.10 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.90 NZ$1.59 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.68 NZ$1.20 | $1.22 | |
Wellington vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 8.1% less for transportation
Wellington | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $6.14 NZ$10.87 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $109.62 NZ$194.15 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $31,154.21 NZ$55,179.28 | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $14.55 NZ$25.78 | $18.01 | |
Wellington vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 92.5% more for housing
Wellington | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $48.75 NZ$86.35 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,240.57 NZ$2,197.26 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,099.37 NZ$1,947.17 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $109.37 NZ$193.71 | $155.53 | |
Wellington vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 76.1% more for childcare
Wellington | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $768.47 NZ$1,361.09 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $12,211.68 NZ$21,628.92 | $15,000.00 | |
Wellington vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 48.1% more for entertainment and sports
Wellington | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.63 NZ$11.75 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.54 NZ$6.27 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $25.67 NZ$45.47 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $34.12 NZ$60.43 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.54 NZ$20.44 | $18.00 | |
Wellington vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.5% less for clothing
Wellington | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $69.31 NZ$122.76 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $46.64 NZ$82.60 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $113.30 NZ$200.68 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $146.23 NZ$259.00 | $149.85 | |
Wellington vs. Santa Monica - 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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