How much to budget for New Zealand Trip (Updated 2024)

New Zealand Travel Budget

New Zealand is known for its amazing landscapes, jaw-dropping scenery, and the land of sheep haha. It’s probably also known as one of the most expensive countries to visit and live in. I have lived here for 8+ years now, and got my residency here (woohoo) and it is true that the cost is getting crazier by the year! But despite all these, New Zealand is still a popular tourist destination, for any type of traveler; including budget travelers. So don’t be discouraged! Here I will show suggestions and tips on how much to budget for New Zealand trip!

When there’s a will, there’s a way

All you need to know is that it’s possible

Wolf, A trial hiker

Save it to budget your trip later 🙂

This article will be in NZD, use this currency converter to convert to your own country’s currency!

I came here first as a student on a budget but still managed to travel through the country with limited funds. And after I graduate, I have a bit more money so my budget becomes higher! So I’m going to show you the budget for both budget travelers, and mid-range travelers. Not going to touch much on luxury travel, as I haven’t fully done it myself, and to be honest, there’s no ceiling for luxury travelers. You can always find something to splurge on 🙂 

Considering your priority

Before you jump into budgeting your trip, you should first consider what are the things you 100% can’t compromise. And what are the things you prioritize when it comes to traveling? I’m alright staying in the lower scale of accommodation if it means I can splurge more on activities and food. As I think I’d be too busy exploring the country and not stay in my room often anyway.

So really it’s understanding yourself and your travel habits, don’t be shy when doing this, especially when you’re deciding this with your travel companion. There’s no right and wrong answer 🙂 And it’s better to discuss it before, than during the trip!! It’s true that not all friendships/ relationships are suited to travel together!

I’m going to break it down into 5 main sections. Flights, accommodation, food, car rental, and activities just depend on what you are interested in 🙂 And I won’t mention public transportation, as really driving is the best and cheapest way!

I actually thought hard before writing this topic, as it’s very hard to estimate. It largely depends on when you go, which part of New Zealand you travel to, how many people you’re traveling with, and what activities you join. But I decided to write this in the hopes of encouraging people to travel to NZ, and to show it is possible to travel without breaking your bank!

New Zealand Travel Breakdown cost for Budget Travelers

	Flights	Accommodation	Food	Car Rental	Fuel
Daily	$500+per person	$40- $100 per person	$15-$50 per person	$55+ per day	$3+ per liter
Weekly		$280- $450	$60-$250	$350+	Varies

 New Zealand Travel Breakdown cost for Mid-range Travelers

	Flights	Accommodation	Food	Car Rental	Fuel
Daily	$500+per person	$150-$250 per room	$50-$100 per person	$55+ per day	$3+ per liter
Weekly		$1080-$$1500	$350-700	$350+	Varies

Car Rentals prices are before insurance. And it’s always good to add on full insurance to reduce hassle on-road 🙂 And for accommodation, car rental; daily cost could get cheaper if you stay longer! As for fuel, it goes without saying the more people you split with the cheaper it is.

Flights-  How much to budget for New Zealand Trip

International Flights

I’m not going to put any actual prices here, as I know it really depends on where you fly from; when you visit, where you book from, etc. Summer in New Zealand (December- February) is the busiest season for tourists, hence everything including flights would be more expensive. So avoid this time if you’re on a budget! 

I usually use Skyscanner to compare flights, they compare a huge range of deals and companies. Also, I’ll go look at each airline’s direct website to check if they have any deals or promotions going on! You’d be surprised what kind of promotions they put on sometimes, but do note usually the travel dates are quite restrictive. So you need to be flexible with your travel dates 🙂

Another thing to consider is your luggage and meal plans. Some cheap airlines offer a really good price, but it often doesn’t come with any checked-in bag or meals. And after you add on both, the prices are more expensive than big airlines or only a few dollars off. 

Domestic Travel

On a side note, it’s possible to drive everywhere in NZ. Even from North Island to South Island, you can travel on a ferry which you can bring your car on.

As for the cost of domestic flights within New Zealand, it is actually quite crazy, sometimes it’s more expensive to travel domestically than internationally to Australia or nearby islands (Cook Island, Fiji etc.) 

There are two main airlines

Air New Zealand

Which is often the more expensive option, but their service and comfy level are better as well. You can sometimes score good deals on Grabaseat but usually only flights from Mon-Thursday.

Air NZ does fly to more places in NZ than JetStar does.

JetStar

The cheaper option, but have a fair amount of reviews saying extreme delays or cancellations. I personally never experience it! So I actually like this airline, just sometimes the landing can be a bit rough haha. Fly to limited places,  but cover the big tourist towns like Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown, Christchurch, and Dunedin!

It’s always good to add at least one checked-in bag, especially if you know that you don’t travel light. It often is very expensive to add on more luggage at the airport. And airlines are quite restrictive with the weight, so be mindful before you check-in! I have experienced multiple embarrassments of trying to move my stuff from one bag to another lol

Accommodation- How much to budget for New Zealand Trip

New Zealand has a variety of accommodation styles that cater to different travelers. Hostels, motels, campgrounds, hotels, luxury homes, etc. And the cost can range from $30 to as high as you’d like! You can definitely find somewhere to stay that suits your preferences and budget.

And of course again with the different seasons and locations; the prices can differ, and it’s always good to book in advance if you can only travel during the peak season (Dec-February)

I’m going to start with the cheapest option and on to the more expensive ones! I am not going into details about camping or traveling in a campervan. I will write a detailed one in another article 🙂

Hostel

$40-$100 for a bunk bed

$100-$200 for private rooms

Suitable for budget travelers

Good place to find travel buddies, and new friends

Arranged activities at the hostel

Shared kitchen

Hostel bunk beds are usually the cheapest option unless you’re renting a campervan or have a tent for camping. And it is a great place to meet new friends, find a travel buddy to share fuel costs, food etc. They also often have arranged activities at the hostel, like bar crawls, movie nights, pizza nights, or arrange a day tour and so on.  Which could either be free or at a very reasonable cost.

And if you’re looking for more privacy, there are private rooms as well. And they’d still be cheaper than most other accommodation, especially if you split the cost between two people.

If you’re traveling solo, bunk beds would usually be the cheapest. However, if you’re traveling as 2+ people; it might be cheaper with private rooms or not much difference at all. So it might be worth the upgrade 🙂

HostelWorld is where I usually compare when I’m booking hostels, they have a good range of hostels and you can change regions, currency, etc. They also have a good amount of reviews from travelers!

Airbnb + Motels

$150-$250

Family Friendly

Usually have free parking

Most have kitchen space

Airbnb and Motels’ costs are quite similar I think, so I put them in the same section. New Zealand motels are actually quite nice, it doesn’t give out the creepy vibe (at least the ones I’ve stayed in haha)

And a lot of families choose to stay in motels, as it has parking, big space and comes with a kitchen. So you could save a lot by cooking yourself! Airbnb can actually go way higher than $250, but as I’m focusing on budget and mid-range travelers, that’s the price I think it’s reasonable within the category.

Booking.com is where I compare motels, and I believe is where most people do their research as well. After all, that’s the first thing that pops up in google when you type “accommodation in xxx”. And it is actually really good, with many traveler reviews, good deals, and tiers of the account which come with different benefits 🙂

I usually go on Airbnb when I’m trying to find a unique stay, or if I want to learn more about the local lifestyle!

Booking.com

Hotel

$200+ (4 and 5 stars)

Restaurants on-site

Facilities like gym, pools

24 hours staff on-site

Most expensive choice out of all mentioned, especially as it rarely comes with a kitchen. And eating out in NZ is no joke, the cost really builds up if you eat out for all meals during your trip! So I really don’t recommend staying at hotels for your whole trip, it’s ok to splurge a bit for a few nights. Unless of course, you are looking for luxury all the way! 

Booking.com

Food in New Zealand- How much to budget for New Zealand Trip

This is one of the things you can really control the budget for your New Zealand trip, and it’s inevitable to cook yourself if you want to save up. So learn a dish or two before your trip haha.

Groceries cost for self-cooking

Approx $100-$150 per week for a couple 

To save money on food, the best way is to cook most of the meals during the trip. And you can save a huge amount of money by doing so! Buy your groceries from three main supermarkets, PAK’nSAVE, Countdown, and New World. With PAK’nSAVE being the cheapest, and New World the most expensive. (First Costco is opening up in Auckland in 2022, will update this if they are cheaper!) First Costco officially opened in September 2023, and YES they have a lot of cheaper options but of course they sell in bulk. Also, the gas is cheaper comparing to many others!

Always buy enough groceries before going to one of the tourist destinations, especially on South Island like Lake Tekapo, Fox Glacier, and Mount Cook. Those tourist destinations usually don’t have any of the big supermarkets, instead, they have FourSquare which is fairly overpriced, as you are paying for the convenience!

As of now 2024, New Zealand is mostly only having cage-free eggs. If you’re an egg lover, you might have to budget a bit more or be disappointed as you might find many supermarket eggs are very expensive!

Dine out in New Zealand

As I mentioned before, the cost is quite crazy to dine out. So you would need to budget a good amount of money for food if you’re planning to dine out often. Below is some sample cost for dining out based on one person:

• Meat Pies: $5-$7
• Fish and Chips takeaway: $9+ per fish, $4+ for chips
• Fast Food Restaurants: $12-$20 for a meal
• Chinese Takeaway: $15-$25 for a meal
• Breakfast/Brunch food: $14-$30 for a meal
• Asian Restaurants: $16-$30 per meal
• Higher Scale Restaurants: $100-$200

Due to the nature of ingredients costs increasing, you can see many restaurants up their price as a result. (As of 2024)

Drinks- How much to budget for New Zealand Trip?

Feel free to skip this if you’re not a drinker, and tap water is all you need 🙂 Many restaurants, bars, and pubs have happy hour(s). Usually, between the time of 3-6 pm, use this time to get lots of cheap drinks 🙂 Or buy from supermarkets or liquor shops if you’re planning to drink lots! Always a good idea to pre-drink at your accommodation before going off to the club!

• Beer: $9-$12 per glass
• Wine: $11-$20 per glass
• Mixed drinks: $12-$20 per glass
• Soju: $15+
• Sodas: $4-$8
• Juices: $5-$10
• Coffee: $4-$10
• Hot/Iced Chocolate: $6-$10
• Water: $4+

You can find a bottle of wine from supermarkets/liquor shops for $10, 4 cans of beer for $12, and soju for $6. 

Of course, you can always find even more expensive food or drinks than the price I listed out!

Drink Responsibly, DO NOT drink and drive, be safe on the road. Take care of yourself and the people you love

Activities in New Zealand- How much to budget for New Zealand Trip

New Zealand is known for its natural beauty, landscapes, and scenic roads. So you don’t necessarily need to budget anything for activities on your trip to New Zealand. Hiking is free, driving on a scenic road is free, visiting a viewpoint is free, jumping in a lake/ocean to swim is free, stargazing is absolutely free, and so much more 🙂

But of course, I would recommend allocating some budget to at least one of the below activities (based on one person)

• Learn about Maori Culture: $30-$120
• Hot Pools: $25-$80
• Scenic Flights: $150-$300
• Glacier Heli-Hike: $450-$600
• Bungy Jump: $150-$275
• Big Swing: $140-$230
• Milford Sound Cruise: $60-$150
• Whale watching: $120- $150
• Skydiving:  $280-$500

Book your activities on Bookme to get discounted deals 🙂

Read More: Best things to do on South Island, New Zealand I Places to visit on North Island, New Zealand

Rental Cars- How much to budget for New Zealand Trip

Car itself $55+

Rental Car insurance plan: $15+ per day

The most basic car can be as cheap as $55 per day before the insurance cost. And if you’re getting a 4-wheel car or campervans etc. It will be more expensive.

And fuel is ridiculously high now, it’s currently at $3+ per liter in NZ. Getting more people to share the fuel cost with you would save a lot of money! Or walk to places when it’s within walking distance, it can save you fuel and parking. 

It is best to research and compare different companies before making a decision. Discovercars is a good website to compare rental companies. Insurance plans can vary between companies as well, so make sure to compare the total prices after you add on insurance.  Also, some companies will charge under $25 driver fee or an extra driver fee; so take all these into account before making the final decision!

Snaprental: I personally recommend this as I have rented with them before, the price was very good, and the process is very simple and quick. I remember only paying $400 for 7 days including the most comprehensive insurance back in 2021. But this is when the border was closed, I believe it’s not that cheap anymore 🙁

Summary- How much to budget for New Zealand Trip

Other costs to budget for your trip to NZ

• Travel Insurance- Very important!
• Souvenirs
• Postcards
• Winter Clothing- If you’re traveling during winter (May-September)

Conclusion

My recommendation is to always set your budget a bit higher than what you estimate, for emergencies, cancellations, spontaneous decisions, or other unexpected events. I know you think that is what travel insurance is for, and yes it is. But travel insurance doesn’t cover EVERYTHING as much as you’d like! And after all, you’re on a trip where you’re supposed to be enjoying your time and not constantly worrying about going over budget!

Lastly, to repeat again it is 100% possible to visit New Zealand on a budget, don’t let the cost scare you away. New Zealand is so worth the little extra money; when you see the landscapes, and experience how beautiful this country is. You will not have any regrets!!

There’s a quote I LOVE! 

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”

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Drop a comment and let me know what you think, and when are you planning to visit New Zealand 🙂