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 11.7% higher than in New Zealand (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 24.7% higher than in New Zealand
Rent Prices in United States are 62.8% higher than in New Zealand
Restaurant Prices in United States are 19.8% higher than in New Zealand
Groceries Prices in United States are 11.0% 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$ (14.81 $)	33.77 NZ$ (20.00 $)	+35.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	125.00 NZ$ (74.04 $)	126.63 NZ$ (75.00 $)	+1.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.00 NZ$ (8.88 $)	18.57 NZ$ (11.00 $)	+23.8 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	11.00 NZ$ (6.52 $)	10.13 NZ$ (6.00 $)	-7.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.00 NZ$ (6.52 $)	11.82 NZ$ (7.00 $)	+7.4 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.69 NZ$ (3.37 $)	8.82 NZ$ (5.22 $)	+54.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	3.77 NZ$ (2.23 $)	4.32 NZ$ (2.56 $)	+14.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	3.50 NZ$ (2.07 $)	3.52 NZ$ (2.08 $)	+0.5 %
Markets	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	11.30 NZ$ (6.69 $)	6.75 NZ$ (4.00 $)	-40.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	2.92 NZ$ (1.73 $)	5.55 NZ$ (3.29 $)	+90.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.40 NZ$ (0.83 $)	3.53 NZ$ (2.09 $)	+152.7 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	10.74 NZ$ (6.36 $)	7.10 NZ$ (4.20 $)	-33.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	6.23 NZ$ (3.69 $)	9.90 NZ$ (5.86 $)	+58.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	7.16 NZ$ (4.24 $)	9.31 NZ$ (5.52 $)	+30.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	9.75 NZ$ (5.78 $)	12.46 NZ$ (7.38 $)	+27.8 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.11 NZ$ (1.25 $)	4.05 NZ$ (2.40 $)	+91.4 %
Banana (1 lb)	1.71 NZ$ (1.01 $)	1.28 NZ$ (0.76 $)	-25.1 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.30 NZ$ (1.36 $)	3.45 NZ$ (2.04 $)	+50.0 %
Tomato (1 lb)	3.58 NZ$ (2.12 $)	3.76 NZ$ (2.23 $)	+5.2 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.58 NZ$ (0.93 $)	2.24 NZ$ (1.33 $)	+42.3 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.33 NZ$ (0.79 $)	2.36 NZ$ (1.40 $)	+77.0 %
Lettuce (1 head)	3.92 NZ$ (2.32 $)	3.72 NZ$ (2.21 $)	-4.9 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1.89 NZ$ (1.12 $)	3.76 NZ$ (2.23 $)	+99.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	16.00 NZ$ (9.48 $)	25.33 NZ$ (15.00 $)	+58.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	4.98 NZ$ (2.95 $)	3.29 NZ$ (1.95 $)	-33.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	5.82 NZ$ (3.45 $)	6.08 NZ$ (3.60 $)	+4.4 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	40.00 NZ$ (23.69 $)	16.88 NZ$ (10.00 $)	-57.8 %
Transportation	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.00 NZ$ (2.37 $)	4.22 NZ$ (2.50 $)	+5.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	178.75 NZ$ (105.87 $)	109.74 NZ$ (65.00 $)	-38.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	4.00 NZ$ (2.37 $)	6.33 NZ$ (3.75 $)	+58.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	5.47 NZ$ (3.24 $)	4.73 NZ$ (2.80 $)	-13.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	60.00 NZ$ (35.54 $)	50.65 NZ$ (30.00 $)	-15.6 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	10.62 NZ$ (6.29 $)	5.92 NZ$ (3.51 $)	-44.2 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	45,000.00 NZ$ (26,653.41 $)	50,650.17 NZ$ (30,000.00 $)	+12.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	36,014.36 NZ$ (21,331.24 $)	43,842.76 NZ$ (25,967.99 $)	+21.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	227.84 NZ$ (134.95 $)	351.80 NZ$ (208.37 $)	+54.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	58.33 NZ$ (34.55 $)	96.56 NZ$ (57.19 $)	+65.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	86.16 NZ$ (51.03 $)	120.64 NZ$ (71.46 $)	+40.0 %
Sports And Leisure	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	61.25 NZ$ (36.28 $)	78.30 NZ$ (46.38 $)	+27.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	24.87 NZ$ (14.73 $)	37.06 NZ$ (21.95 $)	+49.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	20.00 NZ$ (11.85 $)	24.09 NZ$ (14.27 $)	+20.5 %
Childcare	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,248.23 NZ$ (739.32 $)	2,320.71 NZ$ (1,374.55 $)	+85.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,631.90 NZ$ (11,627.94 $)	38,320.36 NZ$ (22,697.08 $)	+95.2 %
Clothing And Shoes	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	113.95 NZ$ (67.49 $)	87.87 NZ$ (52.04 $)	-22.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	71.26 NZ$ (42.21 $)	71.93 NZ$ (42.60 $)	+0.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	160.58 NZ$ (95.11 $)	151.34 NZ$ (89.64 $)	-5.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	197.27 NZ$ (116.85 $)	191.06 NZ$ (113.17 $)	-3.1 %
Rent Per Month	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,832.41 NZ$ (1,085.33 $)	2,937.10 NZ$ (1,739.64 $)	+60.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,539.80 NZ$ (912.02 $)	2,425.88 NZ$ (1,436.84 $)	+57.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,909.00 NZ$ (1,722.99 $)	4,895.07 NZ$ (2,899.34 $)	+68.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,512.23 NZ$ (1,487.99 $)	4,057.04 NZ$ (2,402.98 $)	+61.5 %
Buy Apartment Price	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	751.02 NZ$ (444.82 $)	507.86 NZ$ (300.81 $)	-32.4 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	633.37 NZ$ (375.14 $)	424.33 NZ$ (251.33 $)	-33.0 %
Salaries And Financing	New Zealand Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	5,000.63 NZ$ (2,961.86 $)	7,318.54 NZ$ (4,334.76 $)	+46.4 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.77	6.51	-3.8 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	472	10583

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