New Zealand vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

New Zealand United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1823
$2522
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4074
$5757
🏠 One person rent
$1058
$1593
🏘️ Family rent
$1643
$2642
🍽️ Food expenses
$508
$656
🚐 Transport expenses
$141
$103
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3019
$4550
💸 GDP per capita
$49205
$84534
😃 Human freedom index
9.02
8.71
❤️ Life expectancy
83
78.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
81
64
🌐 English speaking %
97.2%
95.9%
🎓 Higher education
91
100
😀 Quality of life
89
88
🏙️ Population
5.29M
340M

The average cost of living in New Zealand ($1823) is 28% less expensive than in the United States ($2522). New Zealand ranked 24th 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 20th and 22nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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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
$13.1
$19.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$63.3
$77
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.41
$11.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$6.62
$6.39
 Cappuccino
$3.44
$5.44
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.23
$2.76
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1029
$1682
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$886
$1337
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1758
$2997
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1416
$2414
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$92
$130
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$142
$200
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$49.3
$68.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
5.71%
6.16%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6151
$4871
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4176
$3394
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.33
$2.34
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$95.2
$71.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$17.6
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.69
$1.02
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.71
$1.11
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.87
$3.58
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.7
$4.47
🥚 Eggs, x12
$6.11
$4.73
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.63
$13.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.88
$12.3
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.9
$17.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.84
$5.06
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.16
$1.82
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.04
$4.57
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.66
$4.83
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.98
$2.88
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$2.97
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.72
$1.52
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.22
$2.75
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.4
$15
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.99
$2.45
🚬 Cigarette pack
$24.6
$11.1
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.3
$10.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.87
$6.66
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.72
$4.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.38
$2.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$35.1
$52.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12
$14.7
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$35.7
$127
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.4
$22.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$73.3
$55.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$98.5
$94.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$937
$1520
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17500
$20019

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in New Zealand vs the United States

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In New Zealand

City Cost of living Population
Auckland
$2100
1.47M
Christchurch
$1705
383K
Wellington
$2003
216K
Hamilton
$1424
177K
Tauranga
$1660
151K
Lower Hutt
$1869
103K
Dunedin
$1507
106K
Rotorua
$1259
58.5K
Palmerston North
$1395
81.5K
Napier
$1653
66.3K
Hibiscus Coast
$1745
59.8K
Porirua
$1803
59.6K
New Plymouth
$1261
57.6K
Gisborne
$1647
37K
Invercargill
$1282
50.2K
Upper Hutt
$1751
44.3K
Whangarei
$1239
54.4K
Nelson
$1469
51.1K
Whanganui
$1400
42.2K
Queenstown
$2232
29K
Paraparaumu
$1709
30.1K
Timaru
$1800
28.7K
Pukekohe
$1530
26.5K
Hastings
$1503
49K
Taupo
$1475
25.4K
Blenheim
$1248
28.2K
Masterton
$1440
21.4K
Wanaka
$1567
8.9K
Avarua
$1075
4.8K
Manukau
$1553
4.12K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4202
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3420
3.9M
Chicago
$2851
2.75M
Houston
$2261
2.3M
San Diego
$3486
1.39M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$4110
874K
Phoenix
$2423
1.61M
Dallas
$2472
1.3M
San Jose
$3957
1.01M
San Antonio
$2071
1.43M
Washington
$3350
690K
Seattle
$3183
737K
Austin
$2475
962K
Boston
$3680
676K
Fort Worth
$2259
919K
Hempstead
$2710
793K
Indianapolis
$2405
888K
Charlotte
$2470
875K
Jacksonville
$2192
950K
Columbus
$2140
906K
Denver
$2848
716K
Portland
$2785
653K
Nashville
$2451
689K
Atlanta
$2628
499K
Oklahoma City
$1931
681K
Baltimore
$2224
586K
Las Vegas
$2294
642K
Sacramento
$2682
525K
Memphis
$1917
633K