Cost of living comparison
New Zealand is 6.8% cheaper than Illinois.
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Illinois, you would:
pay 9.7% less for restaurants
|
Illinois
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.03
|
$13.47
NZ$22.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.33
|
$8.81
NZ$14.77
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.49
|
$2.16
NZ$3.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$1.94
NZ$3.26
|
|
pay 6.7% more for groceries
|
Illinois
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.19
|
$1.86
NZ$3.13
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.63
|
$3.77
NZ$6.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.30
|
$6.55
NZ$10.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.92
|
$5.92
NZ$9.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.08
|
$4.25
NZ$7.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$1.15
NZ$1.92
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$1.04
NZ$1.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.05
|
$1.31
NZ$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.82
|
$2.31
NZ$3.87
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$0.90
NZ$1.51
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$0.83
NZ$1.39
|
|
pay 14.0% more for transportation
|
Illinois
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.61
|
$6.26
NZ$10.50
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.95
|
$69.15
NZ$115.92
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,096.73
|
$24,735.85
NZ$41,464.86
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.96
|
$17.90
NZ$30.01
|
|
pay 27.9% less for housing
|
Illinois
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.96
|
$51.16
NZ$85.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,375.37
|
$1,007.66
NZ$1,689.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,146.99
|
$809.64
NZ$1,357.20
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$137.37
|
$91.68
NZ$153.68
|
|
pay 56.2% less for childcare
|
Illinois
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,394.11
|
$611.89
NZ$1,025.71
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,405.00
|
$10,661.07
NZ$17,871.22
|
|
pay 14.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Illinois
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.17
|
$6.10
NZ$10.22
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.81
|
$3.30
NZ$5.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.79
|
$22.88
NZ$38.35
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$60.87
|
$38.53
NZ$64.59
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$10.92
NZ$18.30
|
|
pay 11.6% more for clothing
|
Illinois
|
New Zealand
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.50
|
$65.31
NZ$109.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.59
|
$40.78
NZ$68.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.60
|
$93.71
NZ$157.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.89
|
$121.74
NZ$204.08
|
|
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