Cost of living comparison

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

Oceanside is 16.6% more expensive than Wellington.

Restaurants
pay 21.5% more in Oceanside
Groceries
pay 2.0% more in Oceanside
Transportation
pay 22.6% less in Oceanside
Housing
pay 40.5% more in Oceanside
Childcare
pay 2.2 times more in Oceanside
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.6% more in Oceanside
Clothing
pay 42.8% less in Oceanside

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

Oceanside vs. Wellington Cost Breakdown

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

pay 21.5% more for restaurants

 
Wellington
Oceanside
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.93
NZ$24.83
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.96
NZ$14.90
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.57
NZ$4.28
$2.95
 

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pay 2.0% more for groceries

 
Wellington
Oceanside
Bread
1 loaf
$1.96
NZ$3.27
$3.58
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.15
NZ$6.90
$6.87
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.98
NZ$11.61
$4.32
 

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pay 22.6% less for transportation

 
Wellington
Oceanside
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.42
NZ$10.67
$4.73
 
Monthly public transit pass $127.57
NZ$212.15
$72.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,339.84
NZ$57,109.35
$30,499.50
 

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pay 40.5% more for housing

 
Wellington
Oceanside
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$54.27
NZ$90.25
$72.71
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,487.35
NZ$2,473.55
$2,500.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,335.17
NZ$2,220.48
$2,033.33
 

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pay 2.2 times more for childcare

 
Wellington
Oceanside
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $871.44
NZ$1,449.25
$1,778.57
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,649.75
NZ$21,037.35
$28,750.00
 

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pay 1.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Wellington
Oceanside
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.17
NZ$11.92
$7.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.41
NZ$5.68
$5.00
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$24.46
NZ$40.67
$10.00
 

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pay 42.8% less for clothing

 
Wellington
Oceanside
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$75.78
NZ$126.02
$30.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$55.09
NZ$91.62
$42.72
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$119.44
NZ$198.64
$60.00
 

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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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