Many of you are probably wondering what is the cost of living in New Zealand. It is definitely something to consider if you plan to move here. There are multiple websites that helps one to compare between countries. However while these website provide a glimpse at the difference between the cost of living, we felt it wasn't adequate. This is mainly due to the difference in culture between Singapore vs other countries (especially western).
Case in point: When you compare the price of bread between SG and NZ, what bread we are comparing against? Gardenia vs Sunflower Canterberry Lindseed bread? Kaya toast vs focaccia bread (exotic in SG but common in NZ)? Or fancy (and overpriced) Breadtalk vs run of the mill croissant? Unfortunately Numbeo doesn't make a distinction. Bread is bread.
This leaves a lot of room for ambiguity. When you are brought up on Gardenia white bread, you are not likely to immediately switch your diet to German dark rye bread and this is where we felt the websites were not specific enough.
Thus we've tried to compile of list of our living expenses and household stuff/groceries below. As far as possible, we tried choosing brands that can be commonly found in Singapore. Hopefully this would remove some of the ambiguity and give you a better idea of how much you may be spending.
(Note that this is only for Wellington where prices are a tiny little bit more expensive than in Auckland)
Case in point: When you compare the price of bread between SG and NZ, what bread we are comparing against? Gardenia vs Sunflower Canterberry Lindseed bread? Kaya toast vs focaccia bread (exotic in SG but common in NZ)? Or fancy (and overpriced) Breadtalk vs run of the mill croissant? Unfortunately Numbeo doesn't make a distinction. Bread is bread.
This leaves a lot of room for ambiguity. When you are brought up on Gardenia white bread, you are not likely to immediately switch your diet to German dark rye bread and this is where we felt the websites were not specific enough.
Thus we've tried to compile of list of our living expenses and household stuff/groceries below. As far as possible, we tried choosing brands that can be commonly found in Singapore. Hopefully this would remove some of the ambiguity and give you a better idea of how much you may be spending.
(Note that this is only for Wellington where prices are a tiny little bit more expensive than in Auckland)
Living Expenses
Rent: $500/week (inclusive of car park) [average rate for a car park is $50/week]
Home insurance: $40/month [to cover for contents in our house in case of natural disasters or burglary]
Power: $120-$200/month [varies between summer and winter]
Internet: $90/month [unlimited usage plan]
Petrol: $80/month [we only drive during weekends]
Household Stuff & Groceries
There are 4 big supermarket chains in Wellington – Moore Wilsons, New World, Countdown and Pak n Save.
Moore Wilsons is the most expensive. In relative terms of ambiance, pricing and speciality goods, we rank it on par with MarketPlace. Followed by New World (Cold Storage) and Countdown (NTUC) and Pak n Save is something like Giant or Sheng Siong. Although Moore Wilsons and New World may be the most expensive, there are sometimes deals where you can get stuff cheaper than Pak n Save. You can bring down your spending if you know where and when to buy.
There is also the Sunday Farmers Market where we get our fresh fruits and vegetables. Can’t get any fresher than that as Ms Shortie often find caterpillars in her veg. Yucks but I guess it means no pesticide!
There are also quite a number of asian supermarket where one can get asian ingredients. While items sold here are generally more expensive, they are not exorbitant.
In general, we go to:
- Sunday Farmers Market for fruits and veg
- Pak n Save for meat, other food and household stuff
- New World for convenience coz its near our home
- Asian supermarket for most things Asian
Prices from Pak n Save & New World
| Item | Quantity | Brand (or similar to) | Normal Price | Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread | 1 loaf | Gardenia | $2.18 | 3 for $5 |
| Bread | 1 loaf | Ploughman (wheat, nuts; healthy kind) | $2.99 | |
| Milk | 1L | $2.45 | ||
| Eggs | 30; size 7 | $11.00 | $9.78 | |
| Ham | 100g | $1.00 | ||
| Cheese | 12 slices | Cheesedale | $2.69 | |
| Potato chips | 150g | Kettle | $1.99 | |
| Potato chips | 150g | Pams (homebrand) | $1.30 | |
| Cup noodle | Maggi | $1.25 | ||
| Instant noodle | 5 pack | Maggi | $2.78 | |
| Tea | 100 bags | Dilmah | $4.19 | |
| Coffee (plunger powder) | 200g | Robert Harris | $6.00 | |
| Coffee (granulated instant powder) | 360g | Nescafe | $18.98 | |
| Milo | 530g | $6.38 | ||
| Coke | 1.5L | $1.74 | ||
| Cornflakes | 380g | Kellogs | $2.48 | |
| Pasta | 500g | San Remo | $2.11 | |
| Pasta | 500g | Budget (homebrand) | $0.83 | |
| Canola oil | 500ml | $2.68 | ||
| Olive oil | 1L | Borges | $9.98 | |
| Nutella | 400g | $5.84 | ||
| Tabasco | 60ml | $4.99 | ||
| Rice | 1kg | Sunrise | $2.50 | $1.98 |
| Beer | 330ml x 12 bottles | Heineken | $21.98 | |
| Minced pork | 1kg | $14.50 | $9.99 | |
| Pork loin chop | 1kg | $16.98 | ||
| Chicken drumsticks/thighs | 1kg | $9.98 | ||
| Chicken breast | 1kg | $12.98 | ||
| Whole chicken | 1kg | $14.98 | ||
| Beef rum steak | 1kg | $21.98 | ||
| Beef porterhouse steak | 1kg | $30.98 | ||
| Red cod fish | 1kg | $13.98 | ||
| Salmon | 1kg | $26.98 | ||
| Frozen uncooked prawns | 1kg | $24.98 | $17.00 | |
| Shampoo | 300ml | Clairol Herbal Essence | $6.30 | |
| Shampoo | 300ml | Dove | $5.00 | |
| Shampoo | 350ml | Pantene | $5.00 | |
| Shampoo | 250ml | Garnier | $2.99 | |
| Body wash | 250ml | Original Source | $4.06 | $2.99 |
| Body wash | 375ml | Dove | $4.98 | |
| Kitchen towel | 2 rolls | $2.45 | ||
| Tissue box | 180 sheets | Homebrand | $1.30 | |
| Toilet paper | 18 rolls | Kleenex | $12.00 | |
| Dishwashing liquid | 750ml | Palmolive | $2.69 | |
| Laundry detergent | 2kg | Persil | $12.00 | |
| Laundry softener | 400ml | Comfort | $4.00 | |
| AA Battery | 12 pcs | Energizer | $13.00 |
Prices from Sunday Farmers Market
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 1 head | $1.00 - $1.20 |
| Bok Choy | 1 bunch (4 - 5 stalks) | $1.50 |
| Kai Lan | 1 bunch | $3.00 |
| Chai Sim | 1 bunch | $2.50 - $3.00 |
| Leek | 1 stalk | $1.00 |
| Lettuce | whole | $1.50 |
| Cabbage | whole | $1.50 - $2.50 |
| Potatoes | 2kg bag | $2.50 |
| White onions | 1 bag (6 - 7 onions) | $1.00 |
| Ginger | 1kg | $7.00 |
| Chinese garlic | 1 bag (7 - 8 bulbs) | $2.00 |
| NZ garlic | 1 bulb | $1.00 |
| Carrots | 1kg bag | $1.00 |
| White button mushrooms | 1kg | $9.99 |
| Brown button mushrooms | 1kg | $10.99 |
| Shallots | 1kg | $6.99 |
| Capsicum (Red) | each | $0.99 - $1.50 |
| Apple (Royal Gala) | 1kg | $1.50 |
| Apple (Granny Smith) | 1kg | $1.50 |
| Oranges | 1kg | $5.00 |
| Mandarin oranges | 1kg | $2.69 |
| Pineapple | each | $3.00 |
| Banana | 1kg |
