Word on the street is that New Zealand is an expensive country to live in. Is that true? Let’s break it down.

It’s not as expensive to live in New Zealand as other countries such as the UK or Australia.

Living costs in New Zealand will slightly vary depending on which city you’re living in. In general, Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown are a little more expensive to live in than the rest of the country. This is especially true when it comes to accommodation where prices in Auckland can be much higher than anywhere else in New Zealand. But considering Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand, the country’s business and entertainment hub, and home to two of New Zealand’s eight universities, it’s understandable. That being said, Auckland is certainly less expensive to live in than other cities around the world like Sydney or London.

There are certain places such as cafés and cinemas that offer discounts for students.

The costs below mainly refer to Auckland. Costs in other cities around New Zealand will be similar, if not slightly cheaper.

Accommodation
Depending on what kind of accommodation you choose to live in and in where exactly you choose to live, prices can range from $150/week to $400/week. Location is truly the biggest factor in determining the price of accommodation. Certain suburbs will be more expensive than others (for example in Auckland: Northcote will be more expensive than Pakuranga, while Mt. Albert will be more expensive than Te Atatu).

There are three types of accommodation you can choose to live in.

University halls are where you can live while you study at that particular university. This accommodation is usually in the form of apartment buildings very close to the university, or in some cases on the university campus grounds itself. You can choose between fully-catered apartments (all meals are provided) or self-catered (no meals are provided).
Fully catered rooms from around $310/week. On average around $380/week.
Self-catered rooms from around $260/week. On average around $300/week.

Pros of university halls:

• close to or inside university grounds = close to classes = can wake up just before class and still be on time

• more opportunities to make new friends (especially with fellow classmates and other students)

Cons of university halls:

• usually small living spaces

• can be noisy most of the time = no quiet time

Being a homestay means that you live with a homestay family. These homestay families host you - providing you with accommodation and sometimes other extras such as breakfast every morning or a home-cooked meal every night.
From $200/week depending on location and extra amenities. On average around $250/week.

Pros of a homestay family:

• opportunity to greatly improve your English

• can become really close with the family = keep in touch for years later = a possible place to stay when visiting NZ again in the future

• can have food and other amenities (power, water, wifi, etc.) taken care of for you

Cons of a homestay family:

• can be far from university depending on where the homestay family lives

Flatting is where you live with a few other people (“flatmates”) in the same apartment or house. In this situation, you would rent the apartment/house and divide the cost of everything (rent. groceries, bills, etc.) between however many people there are. You could potentially rent a big house with a lot of bedrooms and live with a lot of people to divide the rent into as little as possible.
From $150/week depending on location and type of house/apartment. On average around $250/week.

Pros of flatting:

• have fun living with your friends/make new flatmate friends

• more independence

Cons of flatting:

• can have issues living with friends/flatmates who each have different personalities/wants/needs

• have to take care of all bills etc. yourself

Travel/Transport
As an international student, you’ll most likely use public transport to get around. In Auckland, it’s much more cost effective and convenient to use the AT HOP card. It’s cheaper and quicker to use this card to tag on and tag off the bus/train/ferry than it is to use cash. Also as a student, you’ll get further discounts tagging on and off. If you happen to live in the CBD, you can walk to university.

In Wellington you can use the Snapper card.
In Hamilton you can use the BUSIT card.
In Christchurch you can use the Metro card.
In Dunedin you can use the GoCard.

Bus fares in Auckland for instance, work by zones (different areas of Auckland are split into different zones).
Student fares:
1 zone = $1.40
2 zones = $2.45
3 zones = $3.75
4 zones = $4.70

So let’s say you take the bus to university in the CBD from where you live on the North Shore, you will travel across two zones which means it will cost $2.45
And $2.45 there and back every weekday = $24.50/week for the bus to university

Uber is available for a reasonable price in main cities around New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Tauranga.

Food/Groceries
Eating in New Zealand can be expensive. The most cost effective way is to buy groceries at the supermarket and cook your own food. You can save money by buying groceries in bulk, either weekly or fortnightly. There are some Asian supermarkets where fruit and vegetables are usually cheaper than in main supermarkets. There are also weekly markets where fresh fruit and vegetables can be cheaper, but there aren’t many of these markets around.

Main supermarkets in New Zealand: Countdown, Pak’nSave, New World.
Pak’nSave is generally cheaper than the other supermarkets, while New World is generally more expensive than the others.

Grocery prices for a few basics:
1 kg rice = $1.80
1 litre milk = $2.30
1 kg cheese = $9.00
1 kg potatoes = $3.49
1 kg apples = $4.99
Loaf of bread = $1.00
Dozen free range eggs = $8.50
(prices correct as of January 2019)

There are a lot of options when it comes to eating out in New Zealand - ranging from cheaper food at Asian foodcourts, to mid-priced food at malls and various restaurants, to expensive food at high-end restaurants.
Cheaper food is usually around $11 - $15 per dish.
Mid-priced food is usually around $14 - $18 per dish.
More expensive food costs upwards of $22 per dish.

Other expenses
Movie ticket (student price) = $16.50
Mobile phone plan = around $19/month (depending on which plan you choose from which provider).
Check out GrabOne and GroupOn for deals and discounts on restaurants, events and activities.