Cost of living comparison
compared to
State College vs. Wellington Cost of Living Summary
State College is 2.9% more expensive than Wellington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.2% more in State College
- Groceries
-
pay 5.9% less in State College
- Transportation
-
pay 13.5% less in State College
- Housing
-
pay 17.5% more in State College
- Childcare
-
pay 45.8% more in State College
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.2% less in State College
- Clothing
-
pay 13.1% less in State College
State College vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in State College instead of Wellington, you would:
pay 6.2% more for restaurants
|
Wellington
|
State College
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.73
NZ$24.27
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.02
NZ$15.95
|
$9.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.42
NZ$4.28
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.71
NZ$3.02
|
$1.72
|
|
Wellington vs. State College - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.9% less for groceries
|
Wellington
|
State College
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.16
NZ$3.82
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.62
NZ$8.18
|
$4.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.12
NZ$12.59
|
$4.35
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.89
NZ$12.19
|
$3.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.37
NZ$7.73
|
$4.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.40
NZ$2.47
|
$1.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.99
NZ$1.75
|
$0.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.37
NZ$2.42
|
$2.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.93
NZ$5.18
|
$1.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
NZ$1.69
|
$0.80
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.57
NZ$1.01
|
$1.15
|
|
Wellington vs. State College - Cost of groceries
pay 13.5% less for transportation
|
Wellington
|
State College
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.03
NZ$12.44
|
$4.17
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$101.23
NZ$179.01
|
$85.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,203.61
NZ$44,568.72
|
$35,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.19
NZ$28.63
|
$13.70
|
|
Wellington vs. State College - Cost of transportation
pay 17.5% more for housing
|
Wellington
|
State College
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.32
NZ$94.29
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,215.08
NZ$2,148.69
|
$1,742.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,141.32
NZ$2,018.26
|
$1,271.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$149.83
NZ$264.95
|
$121.12
|
|
Wellington vs. State College - Cost of housing
pay 45.8% more for childcare
|
Wellington
|
State College
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,055.30
NZ$1,866.14
|
$1,046.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,899.11
NZ$22,810.11
|
$27,666.67
|
|
Wellington vs. State College - Cost of childcare
pay 10.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Wellington
|
State College
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.28
NZ$12.88
|
$6.75
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.34
NZ$5.91
|
$3.50
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$25.18
NZ$44.53
|
$11.86
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.09
NZ$67.36
|
$25.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.04
NZ$21.30
|
$16.50
|
|
Wellington vs. State College - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.1% less for clothing
|
Wellington
|
State College
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$77.76
NZ$137.50
|
$46.16
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$28.15
NZ$49.78
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.77
NZ$179.97
|
$80.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$152.66
NZ$269.95
|
$131.25
|
|
Wellington vs. State College - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Wellington vs. State College
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in New Zealand vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within New Zealand and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about State College or Wellington. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.