Cost of living comparison
California is 51.3% more expensive than New Zealand.
If you lived in California instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 32.1% more for restaurants
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.17
NZ$22.09
|
$19.89
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.60
NZ$14.43
|
$11.74
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
NZ$3.58
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.99
NZ$3.33
|
$2.23
|
|
pay 34.6% more for groceries
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.87
NZ$3.14
|
$4.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.07
NZ$6.82
|
$6.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.91
NZ$11.59
|
$4.57
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.29
NZ$10.55
|
$4.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.25
NZ$7.12
|
$5.53
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.17
NZ$1.97
|
$2.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.06
NZ$1.79
|
$0.95
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.37
NZ$2.30
|
$1.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.55
NZ$4.27
|
$2.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
NZ$1.64
|
$1.49
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.89
NZ$1.49
|
$1.45
|
|
pay 4.7% more for transportation
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.39
NZ$10.71
|
$4.84
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$64.20
NZ$107.67
|
$67.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,268.60
NZ$39,024.92
|
$29,950.13
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.67
NZ$31.32
|
$20.46
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$51.53
NZ$86.43
|
$69.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,008.44
NZ$1,691.31
|
$2,333.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$831.90
NZ$1,395.21
|
$2,022.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$87.73
NZ$147.14
|
$178.08
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for childcare
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$644.78
NZ$1,081.40
|
$1,629.83
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,893.97
NZ$18,270.81
|
$29,739.09
|
|
pay 28.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.79
NZ$9.71
|
$7.06
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.36
NZ$5.64
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$22.83
NZ$38.29
|
$10.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.17
NZ$64.02
|
$68.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.57
NZ$17.72
|
$14.08
|
|
pay 6.1% less for clothing
|
New Zealand
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.21
NZ$109.36
|
$52.63
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
NZ$67.88
|
$41.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.20
NZ$164.70
|
$84.49
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.95
NZ$181.05
|
$115.90
|
|
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