Cost of living
What it costs to live in New Zealand may be quite different from your home country. How it compares depends on where you are coming from and what part of New Zealand you settle in.
If you have just arrived in New Zealand you may find the cost of living is more, or less than you expected. Use this calculator to find out what your income and expenses may be.
We didn’t have enough salary data for that scenario. The national average for the selected occupation is shown below.
Income
Personalise these results by entering your details in the above form.
Use the slider to select your desired income from the average, or enter a figure below.
Select your yearly income for Engineering > Civil & Structural
Select your partner's yearly income for Accounting > Accountants
Your combined weekly take home pay could be
0.00 NZDExpenses
Use the sliders in each of the categories below to adjust your spending.
Adjust your weekly spend
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3.50 - 4.50Milk - standard, 2 Litres
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6Big Mac
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8 - 30Bottle of wine from supermarket
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4Coffee from café (flat white)
Buying grocery supplies
Depending on where you are from, grocery supplies may cost more than you are used to.
Most New Zealand supermarkets offer online grocery shopping. As an experiment, try pricing the weekly shop you do at home on one of their websites. Remember that Kiwi supermarkets regularly have special offers, so you may well pay less in store.
Two supermarket chains to look for on the internet are New World and Countdown.
Adjust your weekly spend
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60 - 150Pair of jeans
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20 - 200Pair of sports shoes
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40 - 400Rain jacket
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40 - 120Business shirt
Buying clothing and footwear
Clothing and footwear prices in New Zealand can vary greatly.
A number of global clothing brands, such as Zara, H&M, Topshop and Nike have stores in large cities. These complement many New Zealand-owned specialty and department stores.
Explore these popular shops to get an idea of prices:
Low-cost: The Warehouse, Cotton On, Number One Shoes
Medium-cost: Farmers, Glassons, Hallenstein Brothers, Hannahs Shoes
High-cost: Cue, Marcs, Karen Walker, Mi Piaci
Adjust your weekly spend
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1,044,000Buy house in Auckland (average)
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555 per weekRent house in Auckland (average)
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902,477Buy house in Manukau (average)
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510 per weekRent house in Manukau (average)
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709,806Buy house in Wellington (average)
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506 per weekRent house in Wellington (average)
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498,652Buy house in Porirua (average)
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434 per weekRent house in Porirua (average)
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532,171Buy house in Hamilton (average)
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370 per weekRent house in Hamilton (average)
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673,923Buy house in Tauranga (average)
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439 per weekRent house in Tauranga (average)
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498,710Buy house in Christchurch (average)
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392 per weekRent house in Christchurch (average)
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344,881Buy house in Ashburton (average)
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306 per weekRent house in Ashburton (average)
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359,629Buy house in Dunedin (average)
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357 per weekRent house in Dunedin (average)
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513,933Buy house in Nelson (average)
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347 per weekRent house in Nelson (average)
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1,044,000Buy house in Auckland (average)
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555 per weekRent house in Auckland (average)
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498,710Buy house in Christchurch (average)
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392 per weekRent house in Christchurch (average)
Renting or buying a house
Rent and house purchase prices vary widely depending on where you are in New Zealand, so find out the current rental prices. A popular place to start is online at Trade Me Property.
Residential property | Trade Me Property
Rates
Rates are the taxes levied by councils to help fund the work they do locally. They are based on the value of your property and charged to the home owner. If you are renting you will not have to pay this cost directly. You can find out what the rates are going to be on a property by looking on the council’s website.
Councils by region | localcouncils.govt.nz
Mortgages
You can find a list of mortgage, personal and business lenders on the privately operated website interest.co.nz.
Mortgage providers & rates | Interest.co.nz
Electricity
There are a number of electricity and gas retailers in New Zealand, and they offer a variety of plans. You can look around for the best deal on the Powerswitch and Glimp websites.
Compare electricity & gas providers | Consumer Powerswitch
Compare electricity & gas providers | Glimp
More information
Our housing pages have information about what you might expect to pay when buying or renting a home, apartment or room.
Adjust your weekly spend
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600 – 1,500Washing machine
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600 – 1,50042inch LED television
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75 per hourElectrician call-out
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300 - 800Lawnmower
Most New Zealand rental properties are unfurnished, so whether you rent or buy you will need to purchase household items when you arrive in New Zealand.
Buying new
Most of the large retailers have online stores where you can explore prices for common household items.
Explore these popular shops to get an idea of prices:
- Harvey Norman
- Smith City
- The Warehouse
- Briscoes
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Buying second-hand
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You can also purchase second-hand goods from Trade Me or a local opportunity or charity store.
- Trade Me Marketplace
- Op Shop Directory
Adjust your weekly spend
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45 - 60Doctor’s visit - adult
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FreeDoctor’s visit – child under 13
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5Prescription from pharmacy
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70 - 150Dentist check-up – Adult
Healthcare costs
New Zealand’s public health system is subsidised by the government, but there may be part-charges for services when private providers are involved.
You qualify for subsidised care if you are a citizen or resident or hold a work visa that is valid for two years or more from when you first arrive. If you meet these criteria, then your children aged 17 years or under will also be eligible for publicly funded healthcare.
If you are on a work visa that is for less than two years, you will need to pay for your healthcare as and when you need it. However, most costs of injuries from accidents are covered by our accident compensation scheme, called ACC.
Adjust your weekly spend
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36,350Car - Ford Focus (2.0L, 5 door)
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90 per yearCar registration (Ford Focus)
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50 yearCar warrant of fitness
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2 - 10Ride on urban bus - Adult
Owning a car
Most people in New Zealand need a car for their daily travel. Many buy their cars second hand. Trade Me Motors can give you a good idea of what used cars cost here.
An annual expense involved with owning a car is the vehicle registration. Registration costs vary according to the car’s make and its age.
All cars also need to be tested for a Warrant of Fitness to ensure they are safe to drive. How often you need to have your car tested will depend on the age of the car, but for most cars it is an annual process.
If you choose a diesel engine car, you will also pay road user charges which are calculated per kilometre.
- Browse cars, bikes and boats | Trade Me
- Vehicle registration and licensing fees | NZ Transport Agency
- Getting a Warrant of Fitness | NZ Transport Agency
- Road user charges for diesel vehicles | NZ Transport Agency
- Petrol and diesel prices | Automobile Association (AA)
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Public transport
All New Zealand cities and most towns have buses and Auckland and Wellington both have city-suburban rail services. Many New Zealanders use buses and trains to get to and from work. Prices vary depending on the location.
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To explore your local public transport options visit the community services page in our regions and cities section.
Adjust your weekly spend
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19 - 80 / monthMobile phone plan
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70 / monthInternet – fibre 80GB
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1119iPhone (device only)
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44 / per monthHome phone
Telecommunications in New Zealand are fairly typical for an industrialised country.
Mobile phone
Mobile services are provided by Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees, although a number of smaller mobile virtual network operators also exist.
Internet and phone
Fixed-line internet and phone lines are increasingly provided through New Zealand’s ultra-fast broadband network. Older cable and copper networks are still also used in some parts of the country. There are over 70 telecommunications retailers, so do your research to find the best package and price.
Adjust your weekly spend
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30 – 100Round of golf
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10 - 20Cinema ticket
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80 - 120 per daySki lift pass
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3 - 6Swimming pool entry - Adult
Cost of recreation and cultural activities
New Zealand is known as nature’s playground. There is a huge range of recreational activities on offer in New Zealand, from skiing to kitesurfing, rugby to tennis and swimming to horse-riding. It offers something for everyone and every budget.
While New Zealand is a young country, its diverse wealth of Māori culture, performing arts, literature, museums and art galleries provide opportunities for the lovers of arts and culture. It also has a strong festival culture celebrating local and international music, film, food and comedy. Some festivals are free to attend while others, such as the many musical festivals, will cost from $50 to $200.
Adjust your weekly spend
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40 - 400 per yearPublic school donation
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15,000 - 25,000 per yearPrivate school fees
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80 - 250 per yearStationery products
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5,500 - 7000 per yearUniversity fees - Domestic student (BA)
Cost of schooling and education
New Zealand has a range of educational choices, both public and private (fee paying), from preschool through to high school. Most public schools require a donation of around $50 to $250 per child a year, while there is a large variation in private school fees. Schools may also charge extra fees for activities throughout the school year. Stationery supplies are not covered by schools and can range from between $80 to $200 a year, per child. Some primary and many intermediate and secondary schools also require students to purchase a laptop or tablet.
Tertiary education also varies widely in cost, depending on the type of institution you study at and the course taken.
Adjust your weekly spend
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40 - 150Salon haircut
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7 – 22 per weekGym membership
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500 per yearCar Insurance - Ford Focus
Insurance costs
To get an idea of the costs of life, health, income and mortgage insurance, TradeMe has a site where you can source quotes from a range of providers.
Try an internet search for vehicle, house and contents insurance prices.
Adjust your weekly spend
Your weekly expenses could be
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Sources:
- Income: TradeMe Jobs - Q4 2016 salaries
- Expenses: Statistics NZ Household Economic survey
Disclaimer:
This tool is intended to provide general information to the public. Reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that the data is accurate and the information displayed is up to date.
Next steps
Research current job vacancies
Income varies widely according to what you do, how much experience you have and where you live. The above income data was compiled by Trade Me Jobs. The Government publishes similar data on Occupation Outlook and Careers.govt.nz.
However, the best way to predict your likely income is to look at current job listings online. This will also help you assess where in the country your skills are most needed, and the specific skills employers need.
Make a detailed budget
The Sorted website has a great budgeting tool to help make sure you do not spend more than you earn. You can use the links on this webpage to help you complete sections in the budgeting tool.
Make a global comparison
Mercer's 2018 Cost of Living survey ranked Auckland 81st in the world in terms of its cost of living, and Wellington 101st, far better than other major cities.
More expensive cities included Hong Kong (1), Singapore (4), Shanghai (7), New York (13), London (19), Sydney (29), Los Angeles (35), and Melbourne (58) - showing that in comparison, New Zealand’s major metropolitan areas are more affordable than those in other countries.
What do others think?
See what some successfully settled New Zealand migrants say about the balance between cost of living and quality of life
New Zealand cost of living comparison (01:57)
Here in New Zealand I did realise that the pay difference was considerable.
Just like with anything else,
it's weighing the benefits and the risks.
There's other benefits that make it worthwhile.
The cost of living was always a concern for us
housing, food, transport even.
But once you weigh that up against what you actually get here
is real quality of life.
We found that going away from the city would allow us to buy a nice place
and at the same time have a different lifestyle.
We get a seven hundred squaremetre land
big garden, standalone house.
it's just not something you can get easily in China.
00:52
For me the cost of living in New Zealand is probably more
than in South Africa.
that could be offset by the fact that you don't have
to have expensive security system or a private company looking after you.
It's balanced out for us as a family.
New Zealand is a place with awesome products
like all the veggies are great.
the meat is just beautiful,
it's much better than what we get in Europe
There are different markets
especially on the weekends and you can go and buy
fresh veggies and foods.
Food is roughly twice as expensive as we could get back in home.
There's a number of trade-offs when you take up specific jobs or move
to specific places.
One thing for me would be I can earn more money in the UK
but I'm paid back in so many other ways that for me that balance is correct.
The wine, the scenery, the climate
it's just a little piece of heaven.
English
