Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in New Zealand:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 11.0% higher than in New Zealand (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 24.0% higher than in New Zealand
Rent Prices in United States are 62.1% higher than in New Zealand
Restaurant Prices in United States are 19.4% higher than in New Zealand
Groceries Prices in United States are 10.3% higher than in New Zealand
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 17.4% higher than in New Zealand

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	25.00 NZ$ (14.91 $)	33.52 NZ$ (20.00 $)	+34.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	125.00 NZ$ (74.57 $)	125.71 NZ$ (75.00 $)	+0.6 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.00 NZ$ (8.95 $)	18.84 NZ$ (11.24 $)	+25.6 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	11.00 NZ$ (6.56 $)	10.06 NZ$ (6.00 $)	-8.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.00 NZ$ (6.56 $)	11.73 NZ$ (7.00 $)	+6.7 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.69 NZ$ (3.39 $)	8.77 NZ$ (5.23 $)	+54.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	3.77 NZ$ (2.25 $)	4.30 NZ$ (2.56 $)	+14.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	3.49 NZ$ (2.08 $)	3.50 NZ$ (2.09 $)	+0.3 %
Markets	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	11.29 NZ$ (6.73 $)	6.71 NZ$ (4.00 $)	-40.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	2.92 NZ$ (1.74 $)	5.52 NZ$ (3.29 $)	+88.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.40 NZ$ (0.83 $)	3.50 NZ$ (2.09 $)	+150.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	10.76 NZ$ (6.42 $)	7.10 NZ$ (4.23 $)	-34.0 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	6.23 NZ$ (3.71 $)	9.82 NZ$ (5.86 $)	+57.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	7.16 NZ$ (4.27 $)	9.25 NZ$ (5.52 $)	+29.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	9.75 NZ$ (5.82 $)	12.38 NZ$ (7.38 $)	+26.9 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.11 NZ$ (1.26 $)	4.01 NZ$ (2.39 $)	+90.0 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.71 NZ$ (1.02 $)	1.27 NZ$ (0.76 $)	-25.5 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.30 NZ$ (1.37 $)	3.42 NZ$ (2.04 $)	+48.9 %
Tomato (1 lb)	3.58 NZ$ (2.13 $)	3.74 NZ$ (2.23 $)	+4.5 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.58 NZ$ (0.94 $)	2.23 NZ$ (1.33 $)	+41.5 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.33 NZ$ (0.80 $)	2.34 NZ$ (1.40 $)	+75.7 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3.92 NZ$ (2.34 $)	3.69 NZ$ (2.20 $)	-5.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1.89 NZ$ (1.13 $)	3.73 NZ$ (2.23 $)	+97.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	16.00 NZ$ (9.55 $)	25.14 NZ$ (15.00 $)	+57.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	4.98 NZ$ (2.97 $)	3.27 NZ$ (1.95 $)	-34.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	5.82 NZ$ (3.47 $)	6.02 NZ$ (3.59 $)	+3.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	40.00 NZ$ (23.86 $)	16.76 NZ$ (10.00 $)	-58.1 %
Transportation	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.00 NZ$ (2.39 $)	4.19 NZ$ (2.50 $)	+4.8 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	177.50 NZ$ (105.90 $)	108.95 NZ$ (65.00 $)	-38.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4.00 NZ$ (2.39 $)	6.29 NZ$ (3.75 $)	+57.1 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	5.47 NZ$ (3.26 $)	4.69 NZ$ (2.80 $)	-14.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	60.00 NZ$ (35.80 $)	50.28 NZ$ (30.00 $)	-16.2 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	10.62 NZ$ (6.34 $)	5.88 NZ$ (3.51 $)	-44.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	45,000.00 NZ$ (26,847.00 $)	50,284.95 NZ$ (30,000.00 $)	+11.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	36,014.36 NZ$ (21,486.17 $)	43,516.17 NZ$ (25,961.75 $)	+20.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	227.83 NZ$ (135.92 $)	349.08 NZ$ (208.26 $)	+53.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	58.11 NZ$ (34.67 $)	96.02 NZ$ (57.29 $)	+65.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	86.20 NZ$ (51.43 $)	119.85 NZ$ (71.50 $)	+39.0 %
Sports And Leisure	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	61.25 NZ$ (36.54 $)	78.04 NZ$ (46.56 $)	+27.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	24.87 NZ$ (14.84 $)	36.85 NZ$ (21.99 $)	+48.2 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	20.00 NZ$ (11.93 $)	24.20 NZ$ (14.44 $)	+21.0 %
Childcare	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,248.23 NZ$ (744.69 $)	2,308.24 NZ$ (1,377.09 $)	+84.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,631.90 NZ$ (11,712.39 $)	37,897.85 NZ$ (22,609.86 $)	+93.0 %
Clothing And Shoes	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	113.95 NZ$ (67.98 $)	87.36 NZ$ (52.12 $)	-23.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	71.62 NZ$ (42.73 $)	71.33 NZ$ (42.56 $)	-0.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	160.22 NZ$ (95.59 $)	150.29 NZ$ (89.66 $)	-6.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	196.48 NZ$ (117.22 $)	189.72 NZ$ (113.19 $)	-3.4 %
Rent Per Month	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,825.21 NZ$ (1,088.92 $)	2,919.25 NZ$ (1,741.62 $)	+59.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,526.87 NZ$ (910.93 $)	2,409.18 NZ$ (1,437.32 $)	+57.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,908.77 NZ$ (1,735.37 $)	4,864.26 NZ$ (2,902.02 $)	+67.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,512.23 NZ$ (1,498.80 $)	4,029.66 NZ$ (2,404.09 $)	+60.4 %
Buy Apartment Price	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	778.32 NZ$ (464.34 $)	505.20 NZ$ (301.40 $)	-35.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	640.55 NZ$ (382.15 $)	421.39 NZ$ (251.40 $)	-34.2 %
Salaries And Financing	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,997.06 NZ$ (2,981.25 $)	7,273.83 NZ$ (4,339.57 $)	+45.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.76	6.51	-3.7 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	479	10777

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