Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and New Zealand

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

City in United States:
City in New Zealand:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in New Zealand is 8.6% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in New Zealand is 18.0% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in New Zealand are 37.1% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in New Zealand are 13.8% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in New Zealand are 8.5% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in New Zealand is 13.8% lower than in United States

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	20.00 $ (33.29 NZ$)	15.02 $ (25.00 NZ$)	-24.9 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (124.83 NZ$)	78.10 $ (130.00 NZ$)	+4.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.50 $ (19.14 NZ$)	9.61 $ (16.00 NZ$)	-16.4 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (9.99 NZ$)	6.76 $ (11.25 NZ$)	+12.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (11.65 NZ$)	6.61 $ (11.00 NZ$)	-5.6 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.24 $ (8.73 NZ$)	3.45 $ (5.74 NZ$)	-34.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.57 $ (4.27 NZ$)	2.30 $ (3.82 NZ$)	-10.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.09 $ (3.48 NZ$)	2.13 $ (3.54 NZ$)	+1.9 %
Markets	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.01 $ (6.68 NZ$)	6.87 $ (11.44 NZ$)	+71.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.30 $ (5.49 NZ$)	1.75 $ (2.91 NZ$)	-47.0 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.49 NZ$)	0.84 $ (1.39 NZ$)	-60.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.31 $ (7.18 NZ$)	6.49 $ (10.81 NZ$)	+50.5 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.86 $ (9.75 NZ$)	3.74 $ (6.23 NZ$)	-36.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.54 $ (9.22 NZ$)	4.37 $ (7.28 NZ$)	-21.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.41 $ (12.33 NZ$)	5.95 $ (9.91 NZ$)	-19.6 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (3.99 NZ$)	1.28 $ (2.13 NZ$)	-46.5 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.27 NZ$)	1.03 $ (1.71 NZ$)	+35.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.40 NZ$)	1.38 $ (2.31 NZ$)	-32.1 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (3.71 NZ$)	2.15 $ (3.57 NZ$)	-3.8 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.22 NZ$)	0.93 $ (1.55 NZ$)	-30.3 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.39 $ (2.32 NZ$)	0.79 $ (1.32 NZ$)	-43.2 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.20 $ (3.67 NZ$)	2.33 $ (3.88 NZ$)	+5.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.72 NZ$)	1.17 $ (1.94 NZ$)	-47.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (24.97 NZ$)	9.61 $ (16.00 NZ$)	-35.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.96 $ (3.26 NZ$)	3.01 $ (5.01 NZ$)	+53.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.60 $ (5.99 NZ$)	3.57 $ (5.94 NZ$)	-0.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (16.64 NZ$)	24.03 $ (40.00 NZ$)	+140.3 %
Transportation	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (4.16 NZ$)	2.40 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-3.9 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (108.19 NZ$)	106.64 $ (177.50 NZ$)	+64.1 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (6.24 NZ$)	2.40 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-35.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.66 NZ$)	3.38 $ (5.63 NZ$)	+20.9 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (49.93 NZ$)	36.05 $ (60.00 NZ$)	+20.2 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.49 $ (5.81 NZ$)	6.37 $ (10.60 NZ$)	+82.6 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (49,933.56 NZ$)	27,630.72 $ (45,990.00 NZ$)	-7.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,984.83 $ (43,250.51 NZ$)	21,609.95 $ (35,968.73 NZ$)	-16.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.45 $ (346.96 NZ$)	137.19 $ (228.34 NZ$)	-34.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.40 $ (95.54 NZ$)	35.14 $ (58.49 NZ$)	-38.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.82 $ (119.54 NZ$)	51.63 $ (85.93 NZ$)	-28.1 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	45.88 $ (76.36 NZ$)	36.81 $ (61.28 NZ$)	-19.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.90 $ (36.46 NZ$)	14.86 $ (24.74 NZ$)	-32.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.00 $ (23.30 NZ$)	12.02 $ (20.00 NZ$)	-14.2 %
Childcare	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,372.77 $ (2,284.91 NZ$)	763.25 $ (1,270.39 NZ$)	-44.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,614.98 $ (37,641.55 NZ$)	11,722.08 $ (19,510.83 NZ$)	-48.2 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.31 $ (87.06 NZ$)	67.79 $ (112.83 NZ$)	+29.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.61 $ (70.93 NZ$)	42.75 $ (71.15 NZ$)	+0.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	90.02 $ (149.83 NZ$)	97.62 $ (162.48 NZ$)	+8.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.69 $ (189.24 NZ$)	119.57 $ (199.01 NZ$)	+5.2 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,734.47 $ (2,886.95 NZ$)	1,096.14 $ (1,824.48 NZ$)	-36.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,435.54 $ (2,389.39 NZ$)	917.72 $ (1,527.50 NZ$)	-36.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,877.99 $ (4,790.28 NZ$)	1,779.01 $ (2,961.07 NZ$)	-38.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,393.67 $ (3,984.15 NZ$)	1,516.94 $ (2,524.88 NZ$)	-36.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	302.17 $ (502.94 NZ$)	458.63 $ (763.36 NZ$)	+51.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	253.48 $ (421.90 NZ$)	392.94 $ (654.03 NZ$)	+55.0 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,321.71 $ (7,193.28 NZ$)	3,054.47 $ (5,084.01 NZ$)	-29.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.74	+3.5 %
Last update:	13 June 2025	11 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	11345	499

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