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 10.5% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in New Zealand is 19.8% 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 9.9% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in New Zealand is 14.8% 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 $ (33.77 NZ$)	14.81 $ (25.00 NZ$)	-26.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (126.63 NZ$)	74.04 $ (125.00 NZ$)	-1.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.00 $ (18.57 NZ$)	8.88 $ (15.00 NZ$)	-19.2 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (10.13 NZ$)	6.52 $ (11.00 NZ$)	+8.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (11.82 NZ$)	6.52 $ (11.00 NZ$)	-6.9 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.22 $ (8.82 NZ$)	3.37 $ (5.69 NZ$)	-35.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.56 $ (4.32 NZ$)	2.23 $ (3.77 NZ$)	-12.8 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.08 $ (3.52 NZ$)	2.07 $ (3.49 NZ$)	-0.7 %
Markets	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.00 $ (6.75 NZ$)	6.69 $ (11.30 NZ$)	+67.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.55 NZ$)	1.73 $ (2.92 NZ$)	-47.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.53 NZ$)	0.83 $ (1.40 NZ$)	-60.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.21 $ (7.10 NZ$)	6.36 $ (10.74 NZ$)	+51.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.87 $ (9.90 NZ$)	3.69 $ (6.23 NZ$)	-37.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.51 $ (9.31 NZ$)	4.24 $ (7.16 NZ$)	-23.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.38 $ (12.46 NZ$)	5.78 $ (9.75 NZ$)	-21.7 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (4.05 NZ$)	1.25 $ (2.11 NZ$)	-47.7 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.28 NZ$)	1.01 $ (1.71 NZ$)	+33.5 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.44 NZ$)	1.36 $ (2.30 NZ$)	-33.3 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (3.76 NZ$)	2.12 $ (3.58 NZ$)	-5.0 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.24 NZ$)	0.93 $ (1.58 NZ$)	-29.7 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.40 $ (2.36 NZ$)	0.79 $ (1.33 NZ$)	-43.5 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.21 $ (3.72 NZ$)	2.32 $ (3.92 NZ$)	+5.2 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.76 NZ$)	1.12 $ (1.89 NZ$)	-49.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (25.33 NZ$)	9.48 $ (16.00 NZ$)	-36.8 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.95 $ (3.29 NZ$)	2.95 $ (4.98 NZ$)	+51.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.60 $ (6.07 NZ$)	3.45 $ (5.82 NZ$)	-4.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (16.88 NZ$)	23.69 $ (40.00 NZ$)	+136.9 %
Transportation	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (4.22 NZ$)	2.37 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-5.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (109.74 NZ$)	105.87 $ (178.75 NZ$)	+62.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (6.33 NZ$)	2.37 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-36.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.73 NZ$)	3.24 $ (5.47 NZ$)	+15.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (50.65 NZ$)	35.54 $ (60.00 NZ$)	+18.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.51 $ (5.92 NZ$)	6.29 $ (10.62 NZ$)	+79.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (50,650.17 NZ$)	26,653.41 $ (45,000.00 NZ$)	-11.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,965.26 $ (43,838.16 NZ$)	21,331.24 $ (36,014.36 NZ$)	-17.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.35 $ (351.77 NZ$)	134.95 $ (227.84 NZ$)	-35.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.20 $ (96.58 NZ$)	34.51 $ (58.27 NZ$)	-39.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.47 $ (120.67 NZ$)	50.98 $ (86.07 NZ$)	-28.7 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.42 $ (78.38 NZ$)	36.28 $ (61.25 NZ$)	-21.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.95 $ (37.06 NZ$)	14.73 $ (24.87 NZ$)	-32.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.25 $ (24.06 NZ$)	11.85 $ (20.00 NZ$)	-16.9 %
Childcare	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,375.24 $ (2,321.87 NZ$)	739.32 $ (1,248.23 NZ$)	-46.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,697.08 $ (38,320.36 NZ$)	11,627.94 $ (19,631.90 NZ$)	-48.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.06 $ (87.89 NZ$)	67.49 $ (113.95 NZ$)	+29.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.58 $ (71.89 NZ$)	42.21 $ (71.26 NZ$)	-0.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.63 $ (151.33 NZ$)	95.11 $ (160.58 NZ$)	+6.1 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.18 $ (191.08 NZ$)	116.85 $ (197.27 NZ$)	+3.2 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,739.34 $ (2,936.59 NZ$)	1,085.33 $ (1,832.41 NZ$)	-37.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,436.78 $ (2,425.77 NZ$)	912.02 $ (1,539.80 NZ$)	-36.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,898.80 $ (4,894.15 NZ$)	1,722.99 $ (2,909.00 NZ$)	-40.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,402.49 $ (4,056.22 NZ$)	1,487.99 $ (2,512.23 NZ$)	-38.1 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	300.94 $ (508.09 NZ$)	444.82 $ (751.02 NZ$)	+47.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.29 $ (424.27 NZ$)	375.14 $ (633.37 NZ$)	+49.3 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,334.57 $ (7,318.23 NZ$)	2,961.86 $ (5,000.63 NZ$)	-31.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.77	+3.9 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	10600	473

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