How to budget and costs whilst in New Zealand

Budgeting for your trip and the likely costs during your stay

A World Travel Article

As has been already said, the biggest expense for your trip will be the flight out to New Zealand and though this will be a very big chunk of your budget it is easy to find a good deal. It will take a little time and research but in the end you will find the time spent researching will be well worth the while.

By looking into how much it will cost you to live and travel in New Zealand, you should be able to work out a daily budget by which you should try to stick to. There will be certain times where you will go over budget and there will also be times when you stay well under budget, so it is not something to stick rigidly to. The budget that you allocate yourself should be flexible as to make sure you do not miss out on the reason you came out to New Zealand in the first place.

Like most things, a little research can save you a lot of money in the long run. By looking into travel passes or sightseeing passes, you could end up saving much on admission to sights and travelling expenses. That said you should not automatically go out and buy these packages, as they might not always suit you.

There would be no point in buying for instance, a sightseeing pass for NZ$30 where you get free admission to sights around Auckland, when you only visit two or three places. So, make sure that you really think about whether it is worth while buying.

If you are going to be travelling all over the two islands, then you should look at the different travel passes available, as these can end up being cheaper than the price of one or two single tickets. Again, just beware of how much a pass will be used as it might not be worth your while.

For more information on travel passes see the Getting around New Zealand chapter.

An easy way to save money whilst travelling is to refrain from eating out all of the time and going to the local shops and eating back at the hostel or on the beach. This will save you quite a bit, even if eating out is not terribly expensive and what could be a better setting then to eat your dinner overlooking Auckland harbour.

You could save money if you team up with fellow travellers to get Quad rooms at hostels, as these make costs lower to the individual as the price you pay will be less than if you stayed in a single room. This system also works when it comes to hiring taxis, guides and private vehicles, the more in your group the more you spread the cost.

Many places have a free admission on certain days, Sundays for example, and these would obviously be the best times to visit.

New Zealand is obviously not as cheap as other backpacking hotspots like Latin America and South East Asia, but it is very much value for money. Daily budgets are going to be different for each individual person, but the average for a budget conscious backpacker is around NZ$50 to NZ$60 a day. This takes in to consideration accommodation in backpacker style establishments, food, localized travel and sightseeing and activity costs.

As has been said, some days you will spend above that limit and others you will be below, therefore it will even out and leave you with some excess for the odd splurge.

Although you are going to be money conscious as you do not want to blow all of your money early on, do make time and money available for the odd comfort or luxury. This will make you enjoy your trip a lot more and is a great way to boost morale when you get a bit low or get fed up with eating the same things over and over again.

Accommodation in New Zealand