Cost of living in New Zealand, how much can you buy on $70,000 in groceries?
If you're outside of New Zealand, you're probably wondering how much it costs to live in New Zealand. I went grocery shopping at Parkin Save in New Zealand a few days ago, and I'm going to show you how much you can expect to spend on the most basic of groceries, and what you can expect to get for about $70,000 in Korean money.
Cost of living in New Zealand
Given New Zealand's reputation as an immigration destination, many people are curious about the cost of living in New Zealand. But what goes into what we call the cost of living? Join me as I break down the cost of living in New Zealand.
Are there more I'm missing? Of course there are, but these are probably the things that make up a typical cost of living.
Today, we're going to focus on the cost of groceries, specifically food. If you're curious about the cost of living in New Zealand in general, you can check out my previous article Comparing the cost of living in Korea and New Zealandto get an idea of the cost of living in New Zealand.
Groceries as part of the cost of living in New Zealand
A few days ago, a large supermarket in New Zealand PAK'nSAVEIn New Zealand, we have three big supermarket chains: Parkin Save, New World, and Woolworths (formerly Countdown).
Different items may be cheaper at different places, but Parkin Save is generally known to be the cheapest. Because there are so many items, we're going to focus on vegetables and fruits today.
New Zealand Fruit Prices
At the time of writing, it's August 2024, and it's winter in New Zealand. We want you to be aware of this because there are seasonal price differences.
The first fruits that caught my eye were melons, pineapples, and bananas. I don't pay much attention to prices, so I didn't really know how much these fruits cost.
New Zealand is famous for its sweet and delicious kiwis. I couldn't resist checking out how much kiwis cost: a green kiwi (package) costs NZD $3.7 (about $3,000), and the top kiwi costs $3.99 (about $3,200) per kilo.
Are they cheaper than in Korea? It's been a while since I've shopped in Korea, so I'm not sure what the current prices are, so I looked up the prices of green kiwis at Lotte Mart.
Apparently, New Zealand green kiwis are less than half the price of what they sell for here.
My favorite tangerines cost NZD $4.4 per kilo (about $3500). I thought about buying some tangerines, but my eyes were drawn to other things, so I didn't end up buying them.
Next up is apples. I didn't realize it when I was in Korea, but there are so many different varieties of apples available in New Zealand. Here are the prices of New Zealand fruit apples
Vegetable prices in New Zealand
A big part of the cost of living in New Zealand is the cost of groceries.
Let's start with cabbage: a whole cabbage costs NZD $5.99 (about $4800), a whole cabbage costs NZD $3.99 (about $3200), and a half costs NZD $ 2.49 (about $2000).
In New Zealand, cabbage is called Chinese Cabbage, so if you're looking for cabbage, just say that and the shop assistant will understand. I'm not sure why it's called that.
Right now, cucumbers are very expensive. They're bigger than Korean cucumbers, but they cost NZD $4.99 (about $4000) a kilo. Then there's the unfamiliar Fennel, which costs NZD $9.99 (about $8000) a kilo, and $3.99 (about $3200) a kilo of bok choy.
Mushrooms, a very common ingredient in Western cuisine, cost about NZD $9.99 (about $8000) per kilo. It seems like a lot of mushrooms are used in most dishes.
Onions, which we use a lot in our cooking, cost NZD $1.49 per kilo (about $1200). Now that we've got the onions, let's find the leeks.
A head of green onions costs about NZD $3.4 (about 2800 KRW). There are a lot of green onions in Korean food, but it doesn't seem to be used much in Western cuisine. In Asian food, it seems to be sliced thinly and used as a garnish.
Let's also look at sweet potatoes and pumpkins, both of which come in two varieties: the sweet potato on the left costs $6.99 per kilo (about $5600), and the orange-colored one on the right costs $5.49 per kilo (about $4400).
And the pumpkins are priced at $2.49 for a light-colored pumpkin crown (about 2000 cents) and $4.49 for a green pumpkin (Pumpkin Squash) (about 3600 cents).
Carrots vary so much that it's hard to standardize values, but baby carrots cost $2.99 (about $2400) each, and regular-sized carrots cost between $5.5 (about $4000) and $7.99 (about $4800) each.
How do the prices of fruits and vegetables in New Zealand compare to your country? Are they more expensive or cheaper?
What is the cost of living in New Zealand?
While shopping that day, I spent a total of NZD $88, which is about $70,000 in our money. I know that the cost of living in Korea has risen so much that you can't buy groceries for 100,000 won, but it's the same in New Zealand.
Finalize
Today we've looked at the cost of groceries in New Zealand, focusing on fruits and vegetables, but next time we'll show you how much other items cost.
Aside from rent, I think the biggest cost of living is groceries and eating out, so I thought it would be helpful to know what the cost of living is in New Zealand to help you plan your expenses.
If you're looking to buy a house in New Zealand, you may find my previous post on trademe real estate in New Zealand helpful in your search. Thank you for reading this article.
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