Cost of living comparison

 Wellington, New Zealand
compared to
 Arlington (VA), United States
Arlington vs. Wellington Cost of Living Summary

Arlington is 36.4% more expensive than Wellington.

Restaurants
pay 15.8% more in Arlington
Groceries
pay 39.5% more in Arlington
Transportation
pay 25.3% less in Arlington
Housing
pay 37.9% more in Arlington
Childcare
pay 2.9 times more in Arlington
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.4% more in Arlington
Clothing
pay 21.8% less in Arlington

The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Arlington are more expensive than in Wellington. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Arlington. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Arlington.

Arlington vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Arlington instead of Wellington, you would:

pay 15.8% more for restaurants

 
Wellington
Arlington
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.93
NZ$25.04
$20.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.96
NZ$15.02
$10.75
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.57
NZ$4.32
$2.78
 

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pay 39.5% more for groceries

 
Wellington
Arlington
Bread
1 loaf
$1.96
NZ$3.29
$4.08
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.15
NZ$6.96
$8.81
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.98
NZ$11.71
$4.36
 

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pay 25.3% less for transportation

 
Wellington
Arlington
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.42
NZ$10.76
$3.66
 
Monthly public transit pass $127.57
NZ$213.93
$68.75
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,339.84
NZ$57,588.22
$35,699.74
 

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pay 37.9% more for housing

 
Wellington
Arlington
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$54.27
NZ$91.01
$64.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,487.35
NZ$2,494.29
$2,566.67
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,335.17
NZ$2,239.10
$2,025.00
 

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pay 2.9 times more for childcare

 
Wellington
Arlington
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $871.44
NZ$1,461.41
$2,070.83
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,649.75
NZ$21,213.75
$43,200.00
 

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pay 19.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Wellington
Arlington
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.17
NZ$12.02
$7.75
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.41
NZ$5.72
$5.55
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$24.46
NZ$41.01
$13.00
 

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pay 21.8% less for clothing

 
Wellington
Arlington
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$75.78
NZ$127.08
$61.78
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$55.09
NZ$92.39
$39.50
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$119.44
NZ$200.31
$87.50
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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