Cost of living comparison
compared to
The Villages vs. Wellington Cost of Living Summary
The Villages is 1.5% more expensive than Wellington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.3% more in The Villages
- Groceries
-
pay 66.7% more in The Villages
- Transportation
-
pay 50.2% less in The Villages
- Housing
-
pay 18.4% more in The Villages
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.1% more in The Villages
- Clothing
-
pay 34.0% less in The Villages
The cost of groceries, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in The Villages are more expensive than in Wellington. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in The Villages.
The Villages vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in The Villages instead of Wellington, you would:
pay 4.3% more for restaurants
|
Wellington
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.42
NZ$24.97
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.23
NZ$15.98
|
$8.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
NZ$4.26
|
$2.33
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
NZ$3.42
|
$2.50
|
|
Wellington vs. The Villages - Cost of restaurants
pay 66.7% more for groceries
|
Wellington
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.98
NZ$3.42
|
$4.25
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.02
NZ$6.96
|
$4.96
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.79
NZ$11.75
|
$4.55
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.77
NZ$11.73
|
$6.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.77
NZ$8.26
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
NZ$2.36
|
$3.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.01
NZ$1.75
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.33
NZ$2.30
|
$3.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.32
NZ$4.01
|
$2.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.90
NZ$1.55
|
$2.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.68
NZ$1.17
|
$2.00
|
|
Wellington vs. The Villages - Cost of groceries
pay 50.2% less for transportation
|
Wellington
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.14
NZ$10.63
|
$3.06
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$109.62
NZ$189.75
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,154.21
NZ$53,928.03
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.55
NZ$25.19
|
?? | |
Wellington vs. The Villages - Cost of transportation
pay 18.4% more for housing
|
Wellington
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.75
NZ$84.39
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,240.57
NZ$2,147.43
|
$1,425.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,099.37
NZ$1,903.02
|
$1,000.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$109.37
NZ$189.31
|
$158.17
|
|
Wellington vs. The Villages - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Wellington
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$768.47
NZ$1,330.22
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,211.68
NZ$21,138.46
|
?? |
Wellington vs. The Villages - Cost of childcare
pay 4.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wellington
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.63
NZ$11.48
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.54
NZ$6.13
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$25.67
NZ$44.44
|
$7.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.12
NZ$59.06
|
$50.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.54
NZ$19.97
|
$15.00
|
|
Wellington vs. The Villages - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 34.0% less for clothing
|
Wellington
|
The Villages
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.31
NZ$119.97
|
$37.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.64
NZ$80.73
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$113.30
NZ$196.13
|
$59.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.23
NZ$253.12
|
$105.00
|
|
Wellington vs. The Villages - 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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