Cost of living in New Zealand – 2015

Region - East Auckland area

> accommodation prices - Very high ---$550 per week

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.) - Very high - $200 per month

> food prices (your monthly budget) - don't even ask about it. It varies a lot.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance) - GP visit $30 to $50 per visit.

> education prices (if you need to pay) - Not applicable for us.

> energy prices (oil, electricity) - varies from summer to winter - $200 to $600 per month...

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone) - $300 per month

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant - it sucks ---varies to $60 to $120

> price for a coffee or a drink - very high $4.50 per cup

> price for cinema tickets - $14 to $16 per person.

In summary it is getting harder and harder to be in Auckland.

cost of living is very high....
and has kept rising over the years....
the monthly train ticket depending where you are cots $ 250 per month
a Gp visit between $ 36 and $ 50 per visit and you might not be refunded depending
on your health insurance
Salaries are ridiculous and employee protection is ridiculous, employers make you work
long hours, public holidays and don t pay you, if you kick a fuss you loose your job
food of good quality is expensive too...  not a decent piece of bred to buy,  only so
can you find good food if you live in Wellington
things have gone up over the roof lately,  I am glad that I have my house paid though,
otherwise I don t know how we would manage

but in saying that ..... situation is a bit the same everywhere....

In conclusion it seems more tough time ahead for NewZealanders

Auckland

accommodation prices  - I have a mortgage, it's very high, very high

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.) - I take the train to work every day.  Costs me $10 return.

> food prices (your monthly budget) - $250.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance) - I don't have health insurance, doesn't make sense to me, public health here is free and very good.  GP visit can be between $10 and $50 depending on your area.

> education prices (if you need to pay) - I was not educated here so I don't know.

> energy prices (oil, electricity) - expensive.

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone) - expensive.

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant - expensive compared to other places where I have lived in the world like the US, etc.  Cheaper to cook at home.

> price for a coffee or a drink -   A good coffee is about $4.50 to $5.50.  Not sure about other drinks.

> price for cinema tickets - don't know, but I hear expensive compared to other countries.

Cost of living here is high compared to other developed countries like US, especially Auckland, definitely up there in cost of living... ouch.

Central Auckland

Phone and Internet together (just gone up $78 pcm)
Sky TV (with sports to watch football) $90 pcm
Mobile $20 pcm (unlimited text, 500 mbs data and carryover mins)
$30-50 petrol per week

I agree its ridiculously expensive to live in Auckland but depends how you manage:

> accommodation prices : 450 /wk

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.) : I use car and petrol cost me around 120 / month

> food prices (your monthly budget) : 150 / month

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance) : 15 to 35 per visit

> education prices (if you need to pay) : Almost free in Government schools

> energy prices (oil, electricity) : 200 / month

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone) : 200 / month

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant :30 to 50

> price for a coffee or a drink :  3-5

> price for cinema tickets :16 to 22 ( This one sucks here )

Living on North Shore

> accommodation prices
$690 per week to rent 4-bed

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.)
$135 for monthly ferry pass to CBD

> food prices (your monthly budget)
$1,000 per month for groceries; excludes eating out.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
About $200 per week for 4 people.

> education prices (if you need to pay)
$500 p.a. for school contribution.

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
$150 to $200 fortnightly for electricity and gas.

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
$69 per month for Internet.

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant
1 main course: $15 to $30

> price for a coffee or a drink
Coffee: $3.50 for long black; $4.50 for latte
Glass wine: $6.50 to $9

> price for cinema tickets
Don't know.

Living in Temuka, South island.

:Accommodation we own our  own house. 3 bedroom bungalow $270,000. Houses are expensive considering the poor standards of them in New Zealand

public transport: doesn`t exist where we live. there are no bus/train services south of Christchurch apart from in  the major towns where there are bus services. You have to have a car to get around otherwise you will starve to death!!!!!

Food prices: expensive on the South island. For 2 people allow 8-900 dollars per month

Health prices: visit to a doctor /nurse is $35/28 each  visit. Dentistry : a tooth extraction $220!. very expensive. We cannot afford health insurance.

Education : no interest

Energy prices: Average electricity $120-140 per month. woodburner costs about $80 per month to run..

Common bills (internet tv, telephone ,mobile phone about $220 per month.

a good meal in a restaurant $20-40

Coffee/tea about$4.60  each cup

price Cinema, We ain`t got one!

All in all New Zealand is a very expensive place to live.

I need to tell you that I have read NZ is 2nd expensive country to live in 2014. I really agree with this.
Here are my answers anyways.

> accommodation prices
$620 per week to rent 4-bed - North Shore

> food prices (your monthly budget)
$1,000 per month for groceries; excludes eating out.

> education prices (if you need to pay)
Average $150 per month for high school contribution & donation.

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
$150 to $200 per month when summer. $350 ~ $450 when winter (using oil heater costs crazy bill)

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
$50 p.m - mobile
$120 p.m - unlimited internet & home phone
$40 p.m - Sky TV
$45 p.m - Water

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant
$15 ~ $22 for Lunch
$20 ~ $40 for Dinner

> price for a coffee or a drink
$3.50 ~ $4.00 for Long Black

> price for cinema tickets
$16 ~ $18

Few things you guys should know are, NZ housing is really poor. It doesn't matter when it was built. Their structure and ending is really bad, but cost is crazy expensive. Many people blame that is because of Chinese or people from oversea, but I like to say No! That's because of you guys did vote for a crazy president!
Living cost is way too expensive if I consider the life style in NZ. If you consider moving to NZ, please... Re-consider it to Australia or Canada.

that answer is spot on! people really do need to understand that it is hard making ends meet here so don't be fooled by the fantastic lifestyle the better off paint about this country.

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for your contribution.

Shaazia
Expat.com Team

$250 monthly budget on shopping? I just come home from new world $250 a week for a couple and that's not buying anything fancy just the norm! Cinema $50 for two with drinks and popcorn, don't bother anymore, wait for DVD!
If you are thinking of moving to Auckland be prepared, have plenty of savings, and don't bother unless you can at least earn 100k + per couple, had some minor dental work in January $3000, my rates are going up 3%+ a year to pay for a rail link to areas of Auckland where you cannot buy a house for under $1.5 million? If I could afford to spend a couple of million on a house don't think I'd bother catching a train! Does this remind anyone of the viaduct tram line! Cheers Len Brown. Most of are friends are professional couples with average incomes of around $65k per person, none of us class ourselves as rich and we all work extra hours, those of us who bought property when it was still affordable were lucky, I have friends now that  have really good jobs but will never be able to afford a home, how can you save a $120k for a deposit when your living expenses are $1000 per week! Auckland's getting less affordable by the week, I'm tempted to sell my place and move to the south island, anyone want a two bedroom 500 metre section in waitakere  for $580 cash?

Nobody can live on $250 a month for food etc, it just isn`t possible. There are only 2 in our house way down on the south island and we spend a average of approx. $3000 to $3500 every month and we don't have a mortgage. House insurance is very expensive even down here where we live in a flat area. the house totals 140 sq metres and the insurance is nearly $1000 dollars a year and that includes $5000 excess. Anybody who thinks living here is cheap think again. Its a fab country but you pay a heavy price for living here. The rents are very high as well even down on the south island well away from the big cities, I know a English couple who pay rent every month but want to go back home but because the rent is so high they cant save enough to  afford the flights back home(they have 4 children). so have at least enough money put away when you come out to be able to afford to fly back home if need be wherever that is.

The dream is ending for so many people due to high cost of living.

NOT in Auckland - am in rural town in Bay of Plenty



> accommodation prices - rent for a decent 3 bedroom house between 400 - 500 pw

> public transportation fares - don't use local transport but for longer journeys people used Naked Bus.  They still advertise cheap fares but charge you extra money for a bag or suitcase.

> food prices - only two of us but about $600 per months + cost of feeding the dog

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance) - $55 per visit

> education prices (if you need to pay) - do not use but some of the families I work with struggle with this.  Each school is different and if going on a school trip, parents are asked to provide clothing and equipment that many of them cannot afford.  Also, an overseas trip to Oz or the Islands is out of the question for many families if their child attends a school where no fund raising is done to help pay for the trip.  The parents are expected to do their own fundraising. 

> energy prices (oil, electricity)  too high

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)  Sky $96 per months.  Phone and internet about $85.  No mobile phone.  I honestly cannot afford one.

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant - usually $30 - $40 per head but usually not worth it. 

> price for a coffee or a drink - $4.50 to $5.50

> price for cinema tickets - $16 per head

Dental Treatment - there is a reason why so many people have missing or rotten teeth.  No one can afford to go to the dentist.  Cost of an x ray, two fillings and an extraction, $950, and that was from the cheapest dentist we could find.  Many people save to go to Thailand for a holiday and have their dental treatment done there.  What is saves them at the dentist pays for the holiday.

Vet Fees - again shop around as they vary enormously.  I paid $355 for treatment to my dog but the first two vets quoted around $875 for the same treatment.

General medicines if you are from the UK.  You cannot buy many of the everyday items you find in Asda,  and what there is costs on average 2 to 4 times the price.

The price of items such as TV's and cheap furniture appears to have gone down in the last year, as has car fuel (for now), but everything else has gone up substantially in price.

I am a qualified allied health professional working 20 hours per week.  My take home pay is $460 per week.  The last time I was this poor was 30yrs ago.

These are realistic prices.. However in Bucklands Beach, Hawick. Half Moon Bay. farm Cove it is even worse! $700- 800 per week for not a big place!  We also had to buy frig, clothes washer.", 6 heaters that only do a partial job!  And so much morre

It Costa a few thousand a month just to survive.  Who takes vacations?  Who can save $.
We bought the PR too. Now there is a big price to get back on feet  somewhere else in the world.

thank you so much friend for gave such a great information which will help me to manage my funds for living in New Zealand with a proper way

Can someone help me on getting info for Wellington