How Much Does It Cost to Live In Hamilton?
Hamilton is a city in the North Island of New Zealand, and the seat as well as the most populous city of the Waikato region of New Zealand.
It is one of the cheaper cities in New Zealand, but the cost of living there depends entirely on you and your preferences.
It is a city of a gentler pace than, for instance Auckland or Wellington, so consider living there if you’re one to get away from the city hustle and bustle.
One more good thing about this city is that it is a short drive to many other parts of the North Island.
New Zealand : Cost of Living by City
Cost of Living in New Zealand
RESTAURANTS
Eating out will, without a doubt, cost you more than cooking by yourself. Though in Hamilton prices are lower than in major cities, the restaurants here are still expensive and you can expect to eat in an inexpensive restaurant for no less than 13$. A meal for two at a mid-range restaurant will cost you around 60$, while for a pint of domestic beer, you will pay around 6$.
MARKETS
The good thing about the north part of New Zealand and Hamilton is that it’s the market center for the farmlands of the Waikato. This mean you can expect to find plenty of freshest fruits and vegetables in many open markets and buy them directly from the farmers. As for grocery shopping, your groceries and amount of money you spend on food depends on your eating habit and may vary from $80 per week onwards.
TRANSPORTATION
Bus service is good and reliable in Hamilton. If you’re going somewhere relatively near you can walk or bike, and you’ll save a bunch of money on public transport – you just have to invest in buying a bike. However, if you need to use public transport, a one-way ticket will cost you around 2$.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are not too expensive in Hamilton, if you look at the price of all included utilities for an apartment of a larger structure (85m2): for such an apartment, all basic utilities – including electricity, along with heating and cooling, water, gas and garbage services – costs around 120$. Internet is pretty pricey though, amounting up to 60$.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Hamilton has a couple of cinemas and if you want to go and watch a movie in one of them, it will cost you around 10$. Comparing with the prices of everything else, enjoying some sports and fitness activities is way cheaper than in most other cities in New Zealand. Becoming a member of a gym or a fitness club will cost you less than 40$ a month.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Be warned – there are not too many options to shop and splurge in Hamilton, and Auckland is a way better option if you want to go for a shopping spree. This, however, also means that the prices are lower. For example, a pair of quality jeans like Levi’s costs around 65$, although a pair of quality running sneakers like Nike remains at around 95$, while simpler items of clothing like shirts cost around 30$.
RENT PER MONTH
In terms of the price of housing and rent costs – you will love the news we have for you: Hamilton is even cheaper than many cities in New Zealand known for low rent prices. If you want to live in the center of Hamilton, the apartment will cost you around 700$ and if you’re looking for one a bit outside of the center, you’re looking at around 600$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Hamilton
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $13.50 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $6.08 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.80 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.96 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.53 |
| Eggs (12) | $3.21 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $2.23 |
| Monthly Pass | $58.05 |
| Gasoline | $1.36 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $117.05 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.27 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $58.34 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $37.40 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $13.50 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $10.46 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $66.54 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $37.13 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $94.08 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $734.09 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $697.53 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $1192.55 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Hamilton?
Food is, without a doubt, the biggest expense of anyone living in Hamilton, along with the rent.
This goes to show that rent is definitely one of the most expensive aspects of living in this country, if not the most expensive one.
Apart from food and rent, people spend a lot of money on transportation and restaurants – although transportation here isn’t a necessity since everyone’s riding bikes, it still costs a lot.
Clothing definitely draws the least money from the residents of Hamilton.
Average Costs Breakdown
Hamilton: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Salaries in Hamilton are definitely high compared to the salaries around the world, though they are significantly lower than in many other major cities.
Still, the minimum wage of Hamilton that amounts to around 1300$ is still a reasonable amount of money that just goes in line with the high standard of New Zealand, especially taking into consideration that the prices here are lower than the country’s average.
If you’re planning on going to Hamilton for a period of time, it would be best to bring around 2000$ which would cover your basic expenses.
Cost of Living by City in Hamilton
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Auckland | 76.63 |
| Christchurch | 70.23 |
| Dunedin | 70.16 |
| Wellington | 71.52 |
