Cost of living comparison
Des Moines is 5.7% cheaper than Wellington.
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Wellington, you would:
pay 0.8% less for restaurants
|
Wellington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.16
NZ$25.37
|
$16.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.09
NZ$15.22
|
$9.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.49
NZ$4.16
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
NZ$3.62
|
$2.06
|
|
pay 7.1% less for groceries
|
Wellington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.13
NZ$3.57
|
$2.02
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.53
NZ$7.59
|
$6.78
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.33
NZ$12.27
|
$3.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.98
NZ$11.69
|
$3.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.27
NZ$8.82
|
$4.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.44
NZ$2.40
|
$2.14
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.15
NZ$1.93
|
$0.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.48
NZ$2.47
|
$1.59
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.61
NZ$4.37
|
$1.74
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.09
NZ$1.82
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.93
NZ$1.56
|
$1.36
|
|
pay 36.5% less for transportation
|
Wellington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.60
NZ$11.05
|
$3.05
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$115.94
NZ$194.07
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,007.11
NZ$50,225.32
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.83
NZ$28.16
|
$11.94
|
|
pay 16.5% less for housing
|
Wellington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.37
NZ$96.02
|
$58.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,516.42
NZ$2,538.16
|
$1,215.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,371.90
NZ$2,296.27
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$134.66
NZ$225.40
|
$115.16
|
|
pay 33.9% more for childcare
|
Wellington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$777.00
NZ$1,300.52
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,897.92
NZ$21,588.29
|
$11,812.00
|
|
pay 6.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Wellington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.28
NZ$12.18
|
$4.75
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.39
NZ$5.68
|
$4.92
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.83
NZ$39.88
|
$7.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.32
NZ$64.13
|
$66.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.13
NZ$20.30
|
$14.50
|
|
pay 19.9% less for clothing
|
Wellington
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$80.07
NZ$134.01
|
$47.44
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$53.09
NZ$88.86
|
$41.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$124.73
NZ$208.77
|
$90.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$129.08
NZ$216.05
|
$143.00
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Des Moines or Wellington. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.