Cost of living in New Zealand

Summary of cost of living in New Zealand

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: NZ$8,974
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: NZ$5,098
  • Cost of living in New Zealand is more expensive than in 85% of countries in the World (11 out of 66)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district NZ$25
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) NZ$17
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast NZ$9
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk NZ$2.80
12 eggs, large NZ$12
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes NZ$10
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese NZ$8
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples NZ$4.79
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes NZ$4.14
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket NZ$6
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality NZ$20
2 liters of coca-cola NZ$4.46
Bread for 2 people for 1 day NZ$3.26
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area NZ$4,070
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area NZ$3,352
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat NZ$197
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area NZ$2,492
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area NZ$2,198
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio NZ$153
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) NZ$90
40” flat screen tv NZ$565
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) NZ$231
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) NZ$19
Hourly rate for cleaning help NZ$32
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) NZ$139
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) NZ$95
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) NZ$186
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes NZ$225
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new NZ$41,100
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas NZ$2.85
Monthly ticket public transport NZ$190
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) NZ$10
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) NZ$5.00
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) NZ$60
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) NZ$7
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) NZ$5.35
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) NZ$8
4 rolls of toilet paper NZ$3.09
Tube of toothpaste NZ$3.99
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city NZ$38
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub NZ$70
2 tickets to the movies NZ$43
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) NZ$180
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert NZ$136
1 cocktail drink in downtown club NZ$20
Cappuccino in expat area of the city NZ$5.95
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) NZ$13
Ipad wi-fi 128gb NZ$1,526
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) NZ$0.41
1 month of gym membership in business district NZ$73
1 package of marlboro cigarettes NZ$40

Map of Cost of Living in New Zealand

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This map shows only the top cities in New Zealand. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan

The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.

What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Cost of Living Ranking in New Zealand

(top cities by data quality)

Ranking City Price Index *
1st Auckland 162
2nd Wellington 141
3rd Hamilton, New Zealand 118
4th New Plymouth 102
5th Palmerston North 95

Price Index:

To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Are you moving to New Zealand? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?

Find out what is the real equivalent in New Zealand of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.

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Prices recently added

  • Summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) in Auckland costs NZ$140 (2 days ago)
  • 2 liters of coca-cola in Napier costs NZ$5.99 (5 days ago)
  • Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Rotorua costs NZ$6.00 (10 days ago)
  • 2 tickets to the movies in Rotorua costs NZ$30 (10 days ago)
  • 110 g tube of toothpaste in Rotorua costs NZ$6 (10 days ago)
  • 4 rolls of toilet paper in Rotorua costs NZ$4.00 (10 days ago)
  • Short visit to private doctor in Rotorua costs NZ$38 (10 days ago)
  • 1 liter of gasoline in Rotorua costs NZ$2.65 (10 days ago)
  • Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new in Rotorua costs NZ$30,000 (10 days ago)
  • Sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) in Rotorua costs NZ$230 (10 days ago)

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