New Zealand vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

New Zealand United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1748
$2498
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3990
$5861
🏠 One person rent
$1005
$1595
🏘️ Family rent
$1684
$2818
🍽️ Food expenses
$494
$638
🚐 Transport expenses
$136
$100
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3064
$4485
💸 GDP per capita
$48281
$82769
😃 Human freedom index
9.08
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
82.8
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
83
65
🌐 English speaking %
97.8%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
91
100
😀 Quality of life
89
86
🏙️ Population
5.12M
340M

The average cost of living in New Zealand ($1748) is 30% less expensive than in the United States ($2498). New Zealand ranked 21st vs 7th 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 1.8 months in New Zealand compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 16th and 21st 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
$12.9
$19.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$66.3
$77.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$8.74
$11
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$6.31
$6.27
 Cappuccino
$3.25
$5.22
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.05
$2.59
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1017
$1640
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$849
$1347
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1785
$2923
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1456
$2471
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$74
$124
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$114
$190
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$47.9
$66.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.72%
6.52%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6045
$4583
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4804
$3784
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.18
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$87.6
$68.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$17.5
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.61
$0.96
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.64
$1.1
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.84
$3.59
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.77
$4.49
🥚 Eggs, x12
$6.14
$4.15
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.77
$13.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.96
$11.9
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.1
$16.4
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.68
$5.15
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.15
$1.78
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.86
$4.54
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.57
$4.63
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.95
$2.84
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.68
$2.86
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.77
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.3
$2.64
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$9.78
$14.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.05
$2.21
🚬 Cigarette pack
$22.7
$10.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.2
$9.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.89
$5.83
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.7
$4.44
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.37
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$35.2
$48.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.9
$14.2
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$35.5
$125
💇 Haircut, simple
$16
$21.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$65.5
$53.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$96.2
$90
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$769
$1451
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12107
$21164

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
$1968
1.47M
Christchurch
$1847
383K
Manukau
$1736
376K
Wellington
$1837
216K
Hamilton
$1506
177K
Tauranga
$1652
151K
Lower Hutt
$1751
103K
Napier
$1433
66.3K
Dunedin
$1435
106K
Palmerston North
$1444
81.5K
Rotorua
$1182
58.5K
Hibiscus Coast
$1670
59.8K
Porirua
$1607
59.6K
New Plymouth
$1248
57.6K
Invercargill
$1242
50.2K
Nelson
$1475
51.1K
Whangarei
$1213
54.4K
Upper Hutt
$1676
44.3K
Gisborne
$1524
37K
Hastings
$1144
49K
Timaru
$1717
28.7K
Queenstown
$1921
29K
Paraparaumu
$1560
30.1K
Pukekohe
$1493
26.5K
Taupo
$1418
25.4K
Blenheim
$1248
28.2K
Whanganui
$1457
42.2K
Wanaka
$1746
8.9K
Masterton
$1253
21.4K
Avarua
$1011
4.01K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4441
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3196
3.9M
Chicago
$2678
2.75M
Houston
$2265
2.3M
San Diego
$3428
1.39M
Phoenix
$2395
1.61M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$3905
874K
Dallas
$2471
1.3M
San Jose
$3810
1.01M
San Antonio
$2033
1.43M
Austin
$2455
962K
Seattle
$3015
737K
Indianapolis
$2189
888K
Washington
$3149
690K
Fort Worth
$2289
919K
Hempstead
$2664
793K
Charlotte
$2528
875K
Boston
$3547
676K
Jacksonville
$2364
950K
Denver
$2717
716K
Columbus
$2145
906K
Portland
$2629
653K
Nashville
$2508
689K
Atlanta
$2570
499K
Las Vegas
$2271
642K
Oklahoma City
$1832
681K
Baltimore
$2287
586K
Oakland
$2968
441K
Sacramento
$2813
525K