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 10.4% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in New Zealand is 19.7% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in New Zealand are 38.6% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in New Zealand are 16.6% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in New Zealand are 9.8% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in New Zealand is 14.3% 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 $ (33.72 NZ$)	14.83 $ (25.00 NZ$)	-25.9 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (126.45 NZ$)	74.14 $ (125.00 NZ$)	-1.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.50 $ (19.39 NZ$)	9.18 $ (15.47 NZ$)	-20.2 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (10.12 NZ$)	6.52 $ (11.00 NZ$)	+8.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (11.80 NZ$)	6.52 $ (11.00 NZ$)	-6.8 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.23 $ (8.82 NZ$)	3.38 $ (5.70 NZ$)	-35.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.56 $ (4.32 NZ$)	2.24 $ (3.77 NZ$)	-12.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.09 $ (3.53 NZ$)	2.09 $ (3.53 NZ$)	+0.1 %
Markets	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.00 $ (6.75 NZ$)	6.69 $ (11.29 NZ$)	+67.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.55 NZ$)	1.74 $ (2.93 NZ$)	-47.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.53 NZ$)	0.83 $ (1.40 NZ$)	-60.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.25 $ (7.17 NZ$)	6.38 $ (10.76 NZ$)	+50.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.86 $ (9.88 NZ$)	3.70 $ (6.23 NZ$)	-37.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.53 $ (9.32 NZ$)	4.26 $ (7.19 NZ$)	-22.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.39 $ (12.46 NZ$)	5.79 $ (9.76 NZ$)	-21.6 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (4.04 NZ$)	1.26 $ (2.12 NZ$)	-47.5 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.29 NZ$)	1.01 $ (1.71 NZ$)	+33.0 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.44 NZ$)	1.38 $ (2.33 NZ$)	-32.5 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (3.75 NZ$)	2.10 $ (3.54 NZ$)	-5.7 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.25 NZ$)	0.93 $ (1.57 NZ$)	-30.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.40 $ (2.35 NZ$)	0.78 $ (1.31 NZ$)	-44.2 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.20 $ (3.71 NZ$)	2.34 $ (3.95 NZ$)	+6.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.76 NZ$)	1.13 $ (1.91 NZ$)	-49.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (25.29 NZ$)	9.49 $ (16.00 NZ$)	-36.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.95 $ (3.29 NZ$)	2.96 $ (5.00 NZ$)	+52.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.60 $ (6.07 NZ$)	3.49 $ (5.89 NZ$)	-3.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (16.86 NZ$)	23.73 $ (40.00 NZ$)	+137.3 %
Transportation	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (4.21 NZ$)	2.37 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-5.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (109.59 NZ$)	103.80 $ (175.00 NZ$)	+59.7 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (6.32 NZ$)	2.37 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-36.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.72 NZ$)	3.25 $ (5.47 NZ$)	+15.9 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (50.58 NZ$)	35.59 $ (60.00 NZ$)	+18.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.50 $ (5.90 NZ$)	6.29 $ (10.61 NZ$)	+79.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (50,579.31 NZ$)	27,277.95 $ (45,990.00 NZ$)	-9.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,968.21 $ (43,781.80 NZ$)	21,485.66 $ (36,224.33 NZ$)	-17.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.94 $ (352.27 NZ$)	134.84 $ (227.34 NZ$)	-35.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.18 $ (96.41 NZ$)	34.46 $ (58.11 NZ$)	-39.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.58 $ (120.69 NZ$)	50.98 $ (85.95 NZ$)	-28.8 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.40 $ (78.23 NZ$)	36.20 $ (61.02 NZ$)	-22.0 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	22.05 $ (37.18 NZ$)	14.58 $ (24.58 NZ$)	-33.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.36 $ (24.22 NZ$)	11.86 $ (20.00 NZ$)	-17.4 %
Childcare	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,373.86 $ (2,316.30 NZ$)	753.51 $ (1,270.39 NZ$)	-45.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,581.03 $ (38,071.10 NZ$)	11,378.34 $ (19,183.62 NZ$)	-49.6 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.11 $ (87.86 NZ$)	66.94 $ (112.87 NZ$)	+28.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.57 $ (71.77 NZ$)	42.43 $ (71.54 NZ$)	-0.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.71 $ (151.26 NZ$)	95.21 $ (160.51 NZ$)	+6.1 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.40 $ (191.19 NZ$)	116.12 $ (195.77 NZ$)	+2.4 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,741.88 $ (2,936.78 NZ$)	1,078.77 $ (1,818.79 NZ$)	-38.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,436.93 $ (2,422.64 NZ$)	899.84 $ (1,517.12 NZ$)	-37.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,896.64 $ (4,883.66 NZ$)	1,736.67 $ (2,927.98 NZ$)	-40.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,402.30 $ (4,050.22 NZ$)	1,491.38 $ (2,514.43 NZ$)	-37.9 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	298.99 $ (504.09 NZ$)	454.78 $ (766.75 NZ$)	+52.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.69 $ (424.35 NZ$)	387.70 $ (653.65 NZ$)	+54.0 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,325.83 $ (7,293.26 NZ$)	2,976.26 $ (5,017.90 NZ$)	-31.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.76	+3.8 %
Last update:	May 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	10842	475

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