Salary needed to move city: the pay that leaves you as well off
To be as well off in another city, a new salary has to cover the change in rent and other costs after tax, so it rises by more than the extra rent. Put in your salary, your housing and other costs now, and what they would be in the new city: the calculator finds the salary that leaves the same money each week.
Worked out for the example. Change the boxes to make it yours.
| Take-home a week, Christchurch | $1,083.50 |
|---|---|
| Housing and other costs a week, Christchurch | -$610.00 |
| Left a week now | $473.50 |
| Costs a week, Auckland | $800.00 (+$190.00) |
| Salary needed in Auckland | $90,850 |
| Take-home a week on it | $1,273.51 |
| Left a week there | $473.51 |
| Difference from your salary now | +$15,850 (21.1% more) |
| As an hourly rate at 40 hours a week | $43.68 |
- Worked on the 2026/27 rates: PAYE, ACC earners' levy 1.75% up to $156,641, KiwiSaver at 3.5%. Tax credits are not included.
- Only the costs you enter change between the cities. There is no official measure of how other prices differ between New Zealand cities, so everything else is treated as costing the same.
Your Job Hunt shows the real take-home pay on every job you save that advertises pay, in any city, so you can hold each one against the salary you need. Free while you are between jobs.
See Your Job HuntHow the salary is worked out
The calculator takes your salary now, works out the take-home pay a week after PAYE, the ACC earners' levy, KiwiSaver and any student loan, and takes off your housing and other costs. That leaves the money you have each week for everything else. It then finds the salary in the new city whose take-home pay, less the costs you entered for there, leaves exactly the same amount. Because the extra pay is taxed, the salary has to rise by more than the extra costs: an extra $190 a week of costs needs well over $190 a week more before tax. Tax is worked at the 2026/27 rates, the same engine as our pay rise calculator.
Why you enter the costs yourself
There is no official measure of how prices differ between New Zealand cities. Stats NZ's consumers price index measures the rate of price change, and its regional figures show how prices move within a region over time, not whether one city is dearer than another. So the calculator uses no regional index, and changes only the costs you enter. Housing is usually the biggest difference. For rent, Tenancy Services publishes the lower quartile, median and upper quartile rent by area, dwelling type and number of bedrooms, from bonds lodged over the previous six months and updated monthly. For a mortgage, use your own repayments for the home you would buy.
What else to count
Put in every cost that would change with the move: getting to work, parking, childcare, school fees, power and heating, and travel back to family. Leave out anything that would cost the same in both places, such as phone plans or insurance. The cost of getting to work can be large on its own: Commute Cost works it out for a car or public transport. A move also has one-off costs, such as a bond, moving the furniture and time between jobs, which this weekly figure does not include; our article on relocating for a job within New Zealand covers what to ask an employer to help with.
Edge cases
If the new city is cheaper, the salary needed is lower than yours now, and the gap is what a lower offer could be while leaving you as well off. Tax credits such as Working for Families and the independent earner tax credit are not included, and they can change with income. The hourly rate shown is the salary over 52 weeks of 40 hours. To compare two real offers in different cities side by side, the Offer Comparer puts their take-home pay together.
Questions
What salary do I need to live in Auckland?
It depends on your rent and costs there. The calculator finds the salary that leaves you the same money each week as now, after tax and the housing and other costs you expect in Auckland.
Is there an official cost of living comparison between NZ cities?
No. Stats NZ's consumers price index measures how prices change over time, including in regions, but not how price levels differ between cities. Rent is the cost with good official data, from Tenancy Services.
How much more do I need to earn to cover higher rent?
More than the extra rent, because the extra pay is taxed. On a $75,000 salary with KiwiSaver at 3.5%, $190 a week more in costs needs a salary of $90,850, which is $15,850 a year more before tax at the 2026/27 rates.
Does moving city change my tax?
No. PAYE, the ACC earners' levy, KiwiSaver and student loan repayments are the same everywhere in New Zealand. Only your costs change, which is why the calculator asks for them.
Can jobtracker.co.nz show take-home pay on jobs in another city?
Yes. Your Job Hunt shows the real take-home pay on every job you save that advertises pay, wherever it is. It is free while you are between jobs.
Sources
- Inland Revenue: tax rates for individuals.
- Inland Revenue: ACC earners' levy rates.
- Inland Revenue: KiwiSaver employee contributions.
- Inland Revenue: student loans.
- Stats NZ: consumers price index (CPI).
- Tenancy Services: market rent.
More free tools: see all the calculators.