So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Are there food or general items you've found to be more expensive than you expected in NZ?.
I hear to buy a bit of lamb is! Hows that then?...:blink:

Gary. :thumbup:

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Decent Houses
Petrol
(don't know about lamb, or meat for that matter)
'Proper' kids shoes
Electricity
Doctors/Dentists charges and medicines
Good quality wool carpets
Imported British Food and drink
Sky TV installation
Air travel

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

wasnt aware you could get 'proper' kids shoes!!!

Central heating. Must be the most expensive thing in NZ as you really cannot find much of it.

I would wine quite expensive and really did not expect it to be. That came as quite a shock.

Hairdressers. Good ones. My hairdresser (bloody nice girl and one of my best friends earns more than my husband who is a captain on a large jet)

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Hi, this is a good question, but you know, I think it can be a tough one. We often find things priced at more than we think we would like to pay. That is one story, but we often think that things are more expense then back home. However, we have been here 16 months now and prices will have changed in both places.

That said, when we landed we found that the food was more expensive then at home, but not all food items. Since coming, butter has more than doubled in price. I don't know what it has done at home. Much more expensive is electricity, shaving cream, anti-perspirant, books, petrol, clothes, shoes, whiteware, carpeting, fabric for sewing at home. Things about the same, paint, some furniture, small appliances (toasters and such), some fruit and veg, ball point pens, sewing machines.

This is a partial list. What we have found is that one needs to be careful when shopping, never pay full price, always say you want to pay less and look for sales.

Other than price, we have found that the selection is limited, which also makes shopping a challenge.

We spend about the same amount each week on groceries, but we don't eat the same. We eat less meat and poultry for example. Brocolli is so very expensive. We find it twice the price for half the amount.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Yes, good one, I pay nearly 50% more for a haircut. They aren't as good either. That is a hard part of moving. The same person cut all our family member's hair for 10 years. It is hard to tell someone what you want, when before, all you did was sit down, talk, pay and leave.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

No way on earth is petrol more expensive than in the UK its now just over £1.00 a litre.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Nerine is comparing petrol prices (as she does everything) to Australia.
CAN2NZ, well I think the name says it all :confused:

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

out of interest what is it in NZ? I have no idea.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

my friend is wonderful actually, my hair was never as nice as it was with her doing it. But at $120 a pop it should have been! Lovely girl, though. Miss her dearly.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Central heating. Must be the most expensive thing in NZ as you really cannot find much of it.


Hairdressers. Good ones. My hairdresser (bloody nice girl and one of my best friends earns more than my husband who is a captain on a large jet)[/QUOTE]

We got 16 rads, a boiler (all european) fitted in our house..and it was a REALLY awkward installation for a shade over $9000. Whilst $9k is not pocket money for what we got it is incredible value.

We have loads of really good, inexpensive hairdressers in Palmy too. I guess its all about your previous experiences and frame of reference.

Savona in Wanganui are the european CH people)......they are NZ wide (i think)and I would recommend them.

Electricity and gas are expensive but then again I understand the price has rocketed in the UK in the last 3 years.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Where are you Lexy? We are in Welly and there are several pages in the Yellow pages dedicated to central heating and air conditioning systems.

And same goes for wine - depends what your taste is. $8 has bought me a decent flavoured wine, and when they are on special for $4.50 they taste even better!


Actually I like this. We have been spoilt by Tesco and the like. It would drive me mad standing in the baking aisle thinking 'I just want a packet of ruddy flour' and there were about two dozen different brands of plain flour. It was ridiculous!!

That was just flour - I had this 'Choice' for every item on my shopping list. It really drove me insane. So I started using the Co-op.

So I like shopping here. I have three choices, at most, bada-bing.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

I disagree on some of these
Petrol is not that expensive, especially compared to the UK - currently about $1.70 a litre
We find dentists cheaper than private dentists in the UK
Sky TV installation - can be had for $49

I don't think wine is expensive either, but that's because we drink the Aussie stuff :)


Electric and gas are definitely expensive.
Servicing and parts for European cars - ouch!
Out of season fruit and veggies are extortionate - avocados for example range from $0.49 to $3.49 each depending on time of year.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

i spoke to sky the other day and they offered me an installation of $99 or $500 and something if i want to be able to pause my viewing, stop and replay.

how do you get $49 install?

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Every now and again they do a $49 special. It's usually $99
Though we're going to cancel ours and get Freeview I think because we only use it to get a decent picture on the free channels anyway.

Re: So what would you say is expensive in NZ?
 

Books are stupidly expensive, although every bookshop seems to have a rack of paperbacks selling them at four for NZ$20. There are also the secondhand book dealers selling cheap books and funny things like libraries where the books are free to read.

Reasonable quality shoes are expensive, for sure.

Clothes that don't fall apart after the second wash are pricey.

Some sports gear will cost more than you expect.

Paint.

I don't find food that expensive relative to wages.

Electricity and LPG charges during winter can hurt the ol' pocketbook.

Haircuts? No out-of-pocket expense there for me as my wife does a great job cutting my hair.

Liquor is more expensive at the duty-free than over the counter in California. Beer is reasonably priced if you buy on sale, NZ$13 for a 12 pack of Tui, Speight's and the like.