Cheapest Cities in Oceania — Cost of Living Index (2026)
6 cities in Oceania across 2 countries, ranked from cheapest to most expensive. New York City is the baseline at 100 — a city at 40 is roughly 60% cheaper than New York for the same basket of rent, food, transport, and utilities.
Cheapest cities (one per country)
- 1.Wellington, New Zealand64.1
- 2.Perth, Australia71.5
Most expensive cities
- 1.Sydney, Australia79.6
- 2.Melbourne, Australia75.8
- 3.Gold Coast, Australia73.1
- 4.Perth, Australia71.5
- 5.Auckland, New Zealand64.4
- 6.Wellington, New Zealand64.1
These are global averages — what about you?
The Money Map adjusts every cost to your home city, income, and budget, and shows where you would actually come out ahead.
Full ranking
| # | City | Country | Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellington | New Zealand | 64.1 |
| 2 | Auckland | New Zealand | 64.4 |
| 3 | Perth | Australia | 71.5 |
| 4 | Gold Coast | Australia | 73.1 |
| 5 | Melbourne | Australia | 75.8 |
| 6 | Sydney | Australia | 79.6 |
Related rankings
How this works
Every city is scored on a single index where New York City = 100. The score blends rent, groceries, restaurants, transport, and utilities into one comparable number, so a city at 50 costs about half what New York does for the same lifestyle.
We rank city-level data only — never a country average painted across its cities. A city is included only when it has genuine local price coverage (real rent and meal prices), which keeps the ranking credible at both ends. Countries under active-conflict travel advisories are excluded.
Want this personalized to your budget and home city? Read our full methodology.