Cost of living

New migrants generally find that New Zealand offers a better balance between cost of living and lifestyle than they had before.

Housing in New Zealand is often found to be more reasonable than in many parts of Asia, Europe and North America.

New Zealand produces a wide range of competitively priced consumer goods of a similar style and quality to those found overseas.

The items we do need to import such as motor vehicles, electrical and computer equipment and petroleum products are priced similarly to or, in many cases, are cheaper than in other comparable countries.

While bargains can be found during frequent retail sales, overall the cost of individual items doesn’t vary markedly between regions.

New Zealand also has a goods and services tax (GST) of 12.5 percent. In most instances this is included in the price of goods and services and is not charged separately at the cash register.

Compare costs for some standard items

To give you an idea of the standard cost of consumer items in New Zealand, here are some examples in New Zealand dollars.

Washing machine
5kg electronic
NZ$600

Big Mac
NZ$4.45

Television
Sony – 29” SW29
NZ$800

Movie ticket
NZ$15

Golf: Round of golf
18 holes
NZ$20-100

Cup of coffee

Cappuccino / Latte
NZ$3 - $3.50 (regular size)
NZ$4 - $4.50 (bowl size)

Pair of Jeans Pair of jeans
NZ$80-200

Car Ford Focus
1.6L, 5 speed manual,
5 door hatch
NZ$26,990

Car insurance
NZ$350/year

Litre of petrol
NZ $1.55
(Prices fluctuate)

Source: New Zealand Immigration Service, accessed April 2006

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