Cost of living comparison
California is 53.5% more expensive than New Zealand.
If you lived in California instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 30.8% more for restaurants
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.47
NZ$23.09
|
$21.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.81
NZ$15.10
|
$11.52
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
NZ$3.71
|
$2.71
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.94
NZ$3.33
|
$2.16
|
|
pay 41.2% more for groceries
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.86
NZ$3.20
|
$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.77
NZ$6.46
|
$6.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.55
NZ$11.22
|
$4.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.92
NZ$10.16
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.25
NZ$7.28
|
$5.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.15
NZ$1.97
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.04
NZ$1.78
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.31
NZ$2.24
|
$1.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
NZ$3.96
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.90
NZ$1.54
|
$1.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.83
NZ$1.42
|
$1.44
|
|
pay 0.1% more for transportation
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.26
NZ$10.73
|
$4.83
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$69.15
NZ$118.53
|
$62.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,735.85
NZ$42,395.86
|
$30,005.28
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.90
NZ$30.68
|
$20.07
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.16
NZ$87.68
|
$68.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,007.66
NZ$1,727.08
|
$2,371.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$809.64
NZ$1,387.67
|
$2,055.18
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$91.68
NZ$157.13
|
$171.68
|
|
pay 2.8 times more for childcare
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$611.89
NZ$1,048.74
|
$1,682.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,661.07
NZ$18,272.48
|
$30,905.75
|
|
pay 25.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.10
NZ$10.45
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.30
NZ$5.66
|
$5.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$22.88
NZ$39.21
|
$10.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.53
NZ$66.04
|
$66.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.92
NZ$18.71
|
$14.41
|
|
pay 8.4% less for clothing
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.31
NZ$111.93
|
$52.77
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.78
NZ$69.90
|
$40.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$93.71
NZ$160.61
|
$85.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$121.74
NZ$208.66
|
$117.31
|
|
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