Cost of living comparison

 Wellington, New Zealand
compared to
 Mackay, Australia
Mackay vs. Wellington Cost of Living Summary

Mackay is 12.2% more expensive than Wellington.

Restaurants
pay 21.7% more in Mackay
Groceries
pay 10.6% less in Mackay
Transportation
pay 21.8% less in Mackay
Housing
pay 18.9% less in Mackay
Childcare
pay 2.0 times more in Mackay
Entertainment and Sports
pay 40.6% more in Mackay
Clothing
pay 27.0% less in Mackay

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

Mackay vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown

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

pay 21.7% more for restaurants

 
Wellington
Mackay
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.93
NZ$25.95
$16.48
A$26.03
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.96
NZ$15.57
$11.86
A$18.74
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.57
NZ$4.47
$3.13
A$4.95

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pay 10.6% less for groceries

 
Wellington
Mackay
Bread
1 loaf
$1.96
NZ$3.41
$2.31
A$3.64
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.15
NZ$7.21
$4.94
A$7.81
Milk (1 gallon) $6.98
NZ$12.14
$5.36
A$8.47

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pay 21.8% less for transportation

 
Wellington
Mackay
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.42
NZ$11.16
$4.65
A$7.34
Monthly public transit pass $127.57
NZ$221.76
$65.90
A$104.11
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,339.84
NZ$59,695.52
$37,894.22
A$59,864.49

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pay 18.9% less for housing

 
Wellington
Mackay
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$54.27
NZ$94.34
$74.47
A$117.65
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,487.35
NZ$2,585.56
$670.01
A$1,058.47
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,335.17
NZ$2,321.03
$561.82
A$887.56

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pay 2.0 times more for childcare

 
Wellington
Mackay
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $871.44
NZ$1,514.88
$1,753.02
A$2,769.38
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,649.75
NZ$21,990.01
??

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pay 40.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Wellington
Mackay
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.17
NZ$12.46
$6.59
A$10.41
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.41
NZ$5.93
$3.87
A$6.12
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$24.46
NZ$42.51
$39.54
A$62.47

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pay 27.0% less for clothing

 
Wellington
Mackay
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$75.78
NZ$131.73
$82.38
A$130.14
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$55.09
NZ$95.77
$29.66
A$46.85
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$119.44
NZ$207.64
$95.56
A$150.96

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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: March 2025
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