# Living costs in New Zealand



## Nigelawrence

HI,

Okay here goes.

My name is Nigel Lawrence, and I'm looking to move to New Zealand for completing my Masters.

I just wanted to know something about the living expenses in New Zealand, like 

1) Which cities are comparatively cheaper to live in
2) Also on average what will the cost of food and utilities.

Thanks in advance

Nigel Lawrence


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## escapedtonz

Hi,
First off, you're in for a long wait. Student visas and many others are closed until further notice due to Covid. No idea when they will be available again and highly likely there'll be many changes.

1. Auckland is the most expensive city to live, then probably Tauranga/Wellington joint second then Christchurch/Hamilton. There isn't a city in NZ that is comparatively cheaper to live in. All of them are expensive to live in. The lower the population of an area then cheaper they are to live and subsequently the cheaper associated costs are like rent, council services, council rates, groceries etc.
2. Difficult to answer as there are so many variables. If it is just you then you'll pay out whatever you need to pay out. If you find you can't afford current costs you'll adapt so you can afford it. Rent wise if you consider say a house share where you just rent a room inc your contribution to general household bills then you're probably looking at $200 per week say plus whatever you spend on food, then transport etc. I'm sure you could find cheaper accommodation and you can certainly find more expensive. All depends where in the country. Being in a city centre will have a premium obviously.
Utilities are also very subjective. All I can tell you is we pay around $160 to $300 a month for power for a family of 4 and depends how often we use the heat pump for heat or air con. We don't have gas. Water / wastewater availability is in the council rates (which any tenant doesn't have to pay), water usage is around $100 per quarter. A tenant can only be charged water usage if there's a meter. Internet approx $80 per month.


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## t8184

this is compare of cost of living in 2 major cities.




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Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland, New Zealand And Wellington, New Zealand







www.numbeo.com


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