New Zealand vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

New Zealand United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1735
$2516
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3946
$5730
🏠 One person rent
$989
$1598
🏘️ Family rent
$1624
$2655
🍽️ Food expenses
$498
$651
🚐 Transport expenses
$134
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3011
$4539
💸 GDP per capita
$48747
$85810
😃 Human freedom index
9.08
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
83
78.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
83
65
🌐 English speaking %
97.8%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
91
100
😀 Quality of life
89
87
🏙️ Population
5.34M
340M

The average cost of living in New Zealand ($1735) is 31% less expensive than in the United States ($2516). New Zealand ranked 26th vs 9th for the United States in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.7 months in New Zealand compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 16th and 20th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in New Zealand vs United States infographic

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Prices in New Zealand vs the United States

We calculate prices for New Zealand and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 31 and 2202 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

New Zealand United States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$13
$19.5
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$66
$76.5
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.1
$11.5
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$6.48
$6.31
 Cappuccino
$3.36
$5.34
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.19
$2.65
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1026
$1659
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$817
$1336
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1796
$3048
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1406
$2458
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$81.8
$125
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$126
$193
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$48.3
$67.5
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.44%
6.41%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5637
$4491
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4548
$3675
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.31
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$89.9
$69.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$16.9
$18.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.56
$0.92
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.61
$1.11
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.74
$3.57
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$4.43
🥚 Eggs, x12
$6.19
$4.7
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.42
$13.4
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.28
$12.3
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.7
$16.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.65
$5.12
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.09
$1.85
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.93
$4.48
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.43
$4.77
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.85
$2.83
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$2.9
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.76
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.33
$2.74
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.4
$14.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.89
$2.41
🚬 Cigarette pack
$23
$10.7
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.3
$10.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.8
$6.66
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.7
$4.53
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.33
$2.2
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$35.8
$52.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.7
$14.5
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$35.2
$124
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.3
$21.6
👖 Brand Jeans
$68.8
$53.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$97.4
$92.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$752
$1428
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13456
$20562

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in New Zealand vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In New Zealand

City Cost of living Population
Auckland
$1961
1.47M
Christchurch
$1638
383K
Wellington
$1869
216K
Hamilton
$1383
177K
Tauranga
$1678
151K
Lower Hutt
$1838
103K
Napier
$1493
66.3K
Dunedin
$1461
106K
Rotorua
$1312
58.5K
Palmerston North
$1379
81.5K
Hibiscus Coast
$1675
59.8K
Porirua
$1743
59.6K
Gisborne
$1612
37K
Nelson
$1396
51.1K
Invercargill
$1238
50.2K
Whangarei
$1250
54.4K
Upper Hutt
$1709
44.3K
New Plymouth
$1237
57.6K
Whanganui
$1425
42.2K
Hastings
$1480
49K
Queenstown
$2086
29K
Paraparaumu
$1612
30.1K
Taupo
$1423
25.4K
Pukekohe
$1499
26.5K
Timaru
$1847
28.7K
Blenheim
$1254
28.2K
Masterton
$1252
21.4K
Wanaka
$1536
8.9K
Manukau
$1678
4.12K
Avarua
$1019
4.01K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4203
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3361
3.9M
Chicago
$2799
2.75M
Houston
$2240
2.3M
San Diego
$3469
1.39M
Philadelphia
$2584
1.6M
Phoenix
$2340
1.61M
Dallas
$2447
1.3M
San Francisco
$4110
874K
San Jose
$3952
1.01M
San Antonio
$2023
1.43M
Seattle
$3162
737K
Austin
$2416
962K
Washington
$3328
690K
Boston
$3652
676K
Indianapolis
$2382
888K
Hempstead
$2655
793K
Fort Worth
$2217
919K
Jacksonville
$2222
950K
Charlotte
$2423
875K
Columbus
$2181
906K
Denver
$2775
716K
Portland
$2684
653K
Nashville
$2524
689K
Las Vegas
$2414
642K
Oklahoma City
$1872
681K
Atlanta
$2641
499K
Oakland
$3254
441K
Baltimore
$2323
586K
Sacramento
$2825
525K