Cost of living comparison
New Zealand is 20.1% cheaper than California.
If you lived in New Zealand instead of California, you would:
pay 22.4% less for restaurants
|
California
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.02
|
$13.47
NZ$22.74
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.52
|
$8.81
NZ$14.87
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.71
|
$2.16
NZ$3.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
|
$1.94
NZ$3.28
|
|
pay 18.0% less for groceries
|
California
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.14
|
$1.86
NZ$3.15
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.95
|
$3.77
NZ$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
|
$6.55
NZ$11.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$5.92
NZ$10.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.70
|
$4.25
NZ$7.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$1.15
NZ$1.94
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.04
NZ$1.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.31
NZ$2.21
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.31
NZ$3.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
|
$0.90
NZ$1.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$0.83
NZ$1.40
|
|
pay 3.2% more for transportation
|
California
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
|
$6.26
NZ$10.57
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.05
|
$69.15
NZ$116.72
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,005.28
|
$24,735.85
NZ$41,751.79
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.07
|
$17.90
NZ$30.21
|
|
pay 47.5% less for housing
|
California
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.54
|
$51.16
NZ$86.35
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,371.29
|
$1,007.66
NZ$1,700.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,055.18
|
$809.64
NZ$1,366.59
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.68
|
$91.68
NZ$154.74
|
|
pay 64.5% less for childcare
|
California
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,682.51
|
$611.89
NZ$1,032.81
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,905.75
|
$10,661.07
NZ$17,994.88
|
|
pay 1.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$6.10
NZ$10.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.34
|
$3.30
NZ$5.57
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.91
|
$22.88
NZ$38.62
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.35
|
$38.53
NZ$65.03
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
|
$10.92
NZ$18.43
|
|
pay 9.8% more for clothing
|
California
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.77
|
$65.31
NZ$110.23
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.15
|
$40.78
NZ$68.84
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.15
|
$93.71
NZ$158.17
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.31
|
$121.74
NZ$205.49
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New Zealand or California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.