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Cost of Living in Auckland
Summary about cost of living in Auckland:
- Four-person family monthly costs: 3,384.28$ (4,945.37NZ$) without rent (using our estimator).
- A single person monthly costs: 935.21$ (1,366.60NZ$) without rent.
- Cost of living rank 37th out of 444 cities in the world.
- Auckland has a cost of living index of 79.55.
| Restaurants | [ Edit ] | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 16.00 NZ$ | |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 90.00 NZ$ | |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 12.00 NZ$ | |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 8.25 NZ$ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 9.00 NZ$ | |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 4.53 NZ$ | |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 3.03 NZ$ | |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 2.82 NZ$ | |
| Markets | [ Edit ] | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 10.32 NZ$ | |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 2.14 NZ$ | |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 1.27 NZ$ | |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 4.89 NZ$ | |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 4.20 NZ$ | |
| Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1 lb) | 6.01 NZ$ | |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 8.42 NZ$ | |
| Apples (1 lb) | 1.71 NZ$ | |
| Banana (1 lb) | 1.24 NZ$ | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 1.87 NZ$ | |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 2.46 NZ$ | |
| Potato (1 lb) | 1.63 NZ$ | |
| Onion (1 lb) | 1.28 NZ$ | |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 2.82 NZ$ | |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 1.86 NZ$ | |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 14.00 NZ$ | |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 5.33 NZ$ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 4.60 NZ$ | |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 26.75 NZ$ | |
| Transportation | [ Edit ] | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 4.00 NZ$ | |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 200.00 NZ$ | |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 3.72 NZ$ | |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 4.18 NZ$ | |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 50.00 NZ$ | |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 8.59 NZ$ | |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 34,990.00 NZ$ | |
| Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 29,064.17 NZ$ | |
| Utilities (Monthly) | [ Edit ] | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 176.15 NZ$ | |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 0.70 NZ$ | |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 84.62 NZ$ | |
| Sports And Leisure | [ Edit ] | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 73.20 NZ$ | |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 15.75 NZ$ | |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 18.00 NZ$ | |
| Childcare | [ Edit ] | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 1,071.39 NZ$ | |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 20,086.67 NZ$ | |
| Clothing And Shoes | [ Edit ] | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 106.15 NZ$ | |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 62.51 NZ$ | |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 142.72 NZ$ | |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 168.13 NZ$ | |
| Rent Per Month | [ Edit ] | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 1,795.96 NZ$ | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 1,462.20 NZ$ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 3,206.71 NZ$ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 2,432.29 NZ$ | |
| Buy Apartment Price | [ Edit ] | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 927.99 NZ$ | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 748.19 NZ$ | |
| Salaries And Financing | [ Edit ] | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 3,807.06 NZ$ | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.75 |
Prices in Auckland
These data are based on 2876 entries in the past 18 months from 389 different contributors.
Last update: November 2018
Last update: November 2018
This page in other languages:
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54 Comments so far
Any information will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Karthik
If you find yourself in a conversation with a young kiwi professional who is complaining about their pay, ask them why they don't just move to Australia. They will come up with ridiculous reasons like "I'm scared of the snakes and spiders" and "I heard it's really racist".
Many New Zealanders will become extremely offended when you point out its problems. These people have never been overseas.
Few job opportunities - New Zealand is tiny and ocean-locked, very limited job opportunities, very low pay compared to OECDs, high tax rate
Housing and rent - Extremely poorly built houses. Winter gets cold (2 - 7 degrees at night) but not cold enough to kill, so people get away with building terribly insulated houses. Unless you're willing to spend $300 - $600 a month in heating fees then your home will be freezing.
High burglary and theft - Criminals regularly drive past and patrol almost every single residential street in the city. Almost everyone can expect their house/car to be broken into once every few years, especially in "nice" areas.
Lack of culture - If you've been anyway outside of NZ, you will find that Auckland is far from a world class city, it is an extremely dull and expensive place to live. If you like nightlife, then this is absolutely not the place to be. I won't go into detail, but go into Auckland CBD and you'll see what I mean.
Car culture - you absolutely cannot survive in Auckland without a car. Walking is not an option. Public transport is extremely inconvenient due to suburban sprawl. Traffic jams happen everyday around rush hour. Gas is ridiculously expensive. 2nd hand Japanese cars are plentiful and relatively cheap.
Drugs and drinking - lots of drinking, lots of drugs. cigarettes cost $25 per pack (and increase 10% every year), NZ is very dull.
Climate - summer is tolerable, but it is impossible to stay under the sun for more than 1 minute without feeling extremely burned. The sun here is ridiculously strong, NZ has the highest rate of sun cancer in the world. Winters are extremely rainy. Clothes will take a week to dry if they do dry at all. Rain everyday, the smell of mold everywhere.
On the flip side, whilst houses are averaging over 1million in many suburbs, the amount of house you get for your money compared to many big cities, whilst retaining such beautiful surroundings and access to other great areas (Waiheke, Bay of Island, Coromandel) is still arguably unparalleled. I sense that with population increase it will continue to see houses in good neighbourhoods continue to rise. Saying that, if you have the same option to get a slightly lower wage, i'd have gone for Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, or even my original Dunedin (if you can handle London like weather). I chose Auckland over Sydney because NZ income tax is about 10% lower than Sydney, and housing whilst expensive is still far more accessible unless you want a 1hour commute.
I've read a few comments below, and suggest people use the following site to get a feeling for what their take home pay will be and factor in the above costs of living to establish if it's sustainable for you:
https://www.paye.net.nz/calculator.html
Thanking you in advance.
Awaiting your reply/feedback please.
Thanks in advance
pls any one answer me
thanks for all of u :)
Www.trademe.co.nz for properties to buy and rent, job listings
Search Countdown, Pak n Save and New World websites for cost of groceries in NZ
Search Harvey Norman, Freedom Furniture, the Warehouse and Kmart for furnishings
Www.seek.co.nz for job listings
You'll note in NZ they don't like to publish salary on offer because it is much lower than other countries.
To buy a house in Auckland you need 20% deposit, that will cost you at least 11x your salary. Wages are low with minimal benefits. Rents will be 70% or more of your take home pay. Food, healthy and junk food will cost you a fortune.
This is throughout the country.
Transport infrastructure is poor in Auckland. 2 lane motorways, no super highways. To travel 15km will take you at least 40 minutes on a good day peak and off-peak and Auckland drivers do NOT know how to drive. Majority of cars you will note that have bumps and dents and scratches. There's more cars on the road than people. Even if 75k - 100k sounds like a lot, your purchasing power is minimal.
NZ is a 3rd world country with first world problems. It's only classed as a developed nation because of a white male Prime Minister. I have seen more development in Asian cities!
If you rent, be prepared for mouldy, drafty timber frames, single pane windows, poor electrics, limited areas with high speed Internet and no pets allowed policy. Furthermore a lot of places may have been used as P labs, even in good areas! Furthermore, the law is on the landlords side & not tenants. Good tenants get screwed over by poor landlords (vast majority are cowboys)
As for Melbourne, it's grimey, high crime, trying hard to be an international city but not quite there. Rents are also rising as well as cost of living. People are unfriendly, unelpful, rough & uncultured. Summer flies will eat you alive, even in the city, extreme heat & cold. Beyond city centre it's a hell hole. Not pretty green like Auckland (only real positive). You might get a little more money, but it's a god awful place! High homelessness on city streets shouting obscenities as you walk past.
I urge people to do their own research if you are looking to move to either country and not to believe media about most liveable city ratings, because that's simply misleading!
I have a Job offer for 75000 nzd per annum in Auckland.
I will be travelling with my wife, but at the beginning she won't be working.
Will this salary be enough for both of us? At least for the firsts months?
Thanks!
Let me first say big thank you for all of you who support this web based platform; much appreciated!
I am big nature lover and going to NZ is my dream; i graduate this year from Uni in UK with construction management degree and wanted to see whether moving in Auckland, NZ would be possible. I have been in UK for the last 7 years and I may be granted my UK Citizenship this summer (2017). My question is if I cannot secure q graduate programme construction job while i am still in UK, i will still be able to go as a visitor. I will have about £5k nearly 9k NZD would that be enough to support me till i find a job there? What your views are?? If anyone can suggest websites for jobs in NZ i will be gratefull. Also would you please say your view on the suggestion that AU is better for career realisation etc?? I am 27 in few months but i would prefer bit more laid back life rather than killing myself for titles etc... (no offence for all of you who have hard earned titles before and after your names). Thank you in advance. Kind Regards. Shef
As for transportation, AT (Auckland Transport) is the main means of travel in Auckland and there are few metros and buslines in other cities. If you're looking to moving to Auckland - Great! Auckland has a very well, world class developed metroline and bus service, expanding as far as 40km north of the city to roughly 30-50km's south. There are 4 main lines (West, South, Onehunga and East) which operate very similar to a New York metro. There are trains in Wellington and Christchurch as well as good bus services. As for the rest of NZ, KiwiRail operates a service between each city and there is the occasional busses.
If you're new and looking to come to New Zealand look at outer Auckland. There are good job opportunities and it's roughly a 30min drive from the city centre. Fuel is pricey so do watch that. NZ does have a housing crisis where there are too few houses however the government recently announced massive sub-division plans in Outer Auckland.
A good salary in New Zealand is around 60-100k (don't quote me), it should get you through with payments such as rent, however in Auckland you will need more as it's more expensive.
Auckland City is very vibrant as with other places. New Zealand is very rich in culture. It's astounding, beautiful, it's like you're walking in an untouched environment, amazing fauna, there is the Tane Mahuta tree, one of the largest trees in the world, then you have the Rotorua hot pools, to the Wellington Te Papa Museum, the Picton Ferry, Mt. Cook, Milford Sound, Stewart Island, you could go on and on. Best of all it's very short travelling distance (roughly from Los Angeles to Portland is the distance from Auckland to Invercargill I believe). You are surrounded by beaches.
If you're looking for a laid back, Hawaii-California type place, then definitely consider NZ. If you are looking to maximise your career, and earn better wages look at Australia.
He is young, will have some company support, but will have a rude awakening I'm sure coming from San Diego, California.
How can he even get a car to drive, is public transportation available outside the city center?
I understand he wants to see the world, and better to do it now while he is young, heard its a Beautiful, but expensive place to Live?
Any advice?
I have a Job offer for 75000 nzd per annum in Wellington.
I will be travelling with my wife, but at the beginning she won't be working.
Will this salary be enough for both of us? At least for the firsts months?
Thanks!
Coming back to auckland,its a beautiful city and has a lot to offer but you need some serious cash to enjoy the lifestyle and it rains....all the time....the constant rains is driving people mad so if you are coming from the UK then Auckland is not the place you want to be unless you like the grey dull weather..I'd say be prepared for 300 days of rain!and if you are thinking of renting-Good luck with your find-I feel your pain.
Read the property and economy section of the NZ herald and you will know what I am talking about.I feel sorry for the 10,000 people from UK making a beeline to come to NZ.The grass is not always greener...as for me Perth is doing just fine..I need the 300 days of sunshine!
-How much TAX i need to pay
-Room rent per month (1bhk)
-Food expenses for 2 person with one kid
-Any major expenses
And how much i ca save per month
The average wage is 75K, and that gets you nowhere in Auckland. If you missed the housing escalator and find you have to rent, you face a blanket requirement of $400 a week. The ageing population, who no longer want to flat, are fast discovering their wages are not going up and they are certainly not going any further. I work in media, and I am accepting less than what I was on in 10 years ago, yet I am now in a senior position. I no longer buy the designer clothes but I refuse to quite the coffees and odd nice meal out. But I am not moving forward and will soon back peddle. So we don't wax that last $100... it seems fruitless to do so. I used to save $300 a week 10 years ago, and save I did. But it's getting a harder ask. And given how much harder we're asked to work for less, is it no wonder that odd nice out seems a better punt than slow save in a banking system not tipped in your odds either?
His estimate of 500$ per week is about spot on.
Auckland is ridiculousy expensive !!
Premiuim fuel now back around 2.00$ per litre.
Im earning in top 10 % of incomes and have business on side also and I have to be careful with my budget.
Almost no chance of myself buying a house now as the average home is nearing a million dollars.
Auckland now has 62 suburbs with average house prices over 1 million. An absolute joke
Yet the incomes kiwis make arent keeping pace with the cost of living. Average income in NZ approximatley 75000$. Very large disproportions.
Be prepared for a shock if you move here !
Most New Zealanders are not all that well paid. I have no clue how Aucklanders can afford their mortgages. Everybody in my neighbourhood seems to drive a SUV (I don't). Again, I have no clue how they afford it.
One consequence of the low pay in New Zealand is very low levels of savings.
The New Zealand income tax is harsh unless you have children and an annual income under 50K/year. Each child then entitles you to $100/week from the income tax department.
For from about $420 pw you can have something private...
Someone wrote in Jan 2015 that food expanse is $140pw - to clarify - this is per person. Not per family. Cheapest meal is $8. If you have 2 a day * 7 days = $112 a week. But you need fruits..
So, $140 is really cheap I would say... Should be about $190.
I had to a project in financial literacy with $2000 per week, and it's impossible!!!
I would like to ask are there a future for me in aukland? I have been in the manufacturing company for 7 yrs and currently in the sugar industry..What are the chances of getting an employer there? Thanks.
Other parts of New Zealand are much cheaper because rent and housing generally is a lot cheaper than in Auckland.
For the low budget minded - here are some estimates...
Weekly outgoings/costs (approximates) :
One Bedroom Flat $300 per week
Food $140 / water $20 / Electricity $13 / Gas $9 / public transport $35
Total NZD$517.00 per week
If you share your house and bills you can halve this amount
If you know where to shop and do your own cooking then you should be able to halve the food costs too