Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and is often considered our most expensive place to live. If you’re considering moving to Auckland, you may wonder how much money you’ll need to earn to live comfortably.

While ‘comfortable’ is a relative term, we’ve put together a budget that includes owning a car, going to restaurants and bars and living somewhat centrally.

To learn more about how much you’ll need to earn to live comfortably in Auckland, check out our guide below. 

How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Auckland?

Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and is often considered our most expensive place to live. If you’re considering moving to Auckland, you may wonder how much money you’ll need to earn to live comfortably.

While ‘comfortable’ is a relative term, we’ve put together a budget that includes owning a car, going to restaurants and bars and living somewhat centrally. To learn more about how much you’ll need to earn to live comfortably in Auckland, check out our guide below.

How much rent will I need to pay in Auckland?

Rents in Auckland have been on the rise over the past year. According to Trade Me data, the median weekly rent in Auckland reached a new record high of $660 per week in 2023, a 10% increase from the 12 months prior. Of course, how much you pay in rent will depend on where you live and what type of home you live in.

Here is how some suburbs compare:

Auckland Central:

Lower $390, Median, $480, Upper $595

Reumera:

Lower $650, Median, $845, Upper $1050

Grey Lynn:

Lower $440, Median, $650, Upper $895

Mt Eden:

Lower $485, Median $610, Upper $780

Glen Eden:

Lower $520, Median $600, Upper $660

Mangere:

Lower $510, Median $600, Upper $680

The central suburbs, as well as fringe suburbs like Mt Albert, Grey Lynn and Mt Eden, are slightly further out of the city and, therefore a bit cheaper. These suburbs give you the best bang for your buck while still allowing you to save on things like transport if you work in town.

Weekly cost: $330 with flatmates. $600 to live alone.

What if I have a mortgage?

As of November 2023, the median house price in Auckland is $1,052,000. This is down from their all-time high of $1.3 million in 2021. If you put down a 20% deposit, you would need a depsit of $210,000.

Eye-watering numbers aside, let’s say you lock in a mortgage rate of 7.05%. Your mortgage repayments will come to $2588 a fortnight or $1,293 per week. While that’s a lot of money, if you split the cost of your home between a couple of flatmates, you can certainly reduce the amount you’ll need to pay on your own.

Let’s assume you buy in a more affordable neighbourhood like Newmarket, where average house prices are $636,000. After your 20% deposit, you’re left with a loan of $506,000 and a weekly payment of $777.

Since Auckland’s most expensive suburbs can fetch prices as high as $2-$3 million, we’ve split the difference between a $1 million mortgage and a $636,000 mortgage for repayments on a home of around $818,000. This comes to a weekly payment of $1,003. Assuming you’re splitting the cost with a partner, that’s a payment of $501.50 per week.

While renting might be cheaper in New Zealand’s biggest city, mortgages may make a living in Auckland a bit more expensive.

Weekly cost: $501

How much will I spend on food in Auckland each week?

Two adults with children can expect to spend $430 per week, while single people can expect to pay around $147 per week. Couples with no children spend an average of $286 a week. These prices are similar to Wellington's prices but considerably more expensive than in other urban and rural areas around the country.

Weekly cost: $147-$215 per person

How much will my electricity and household bills be?

On average, Kiwis pay around $100 weekly for power, phone, internet and gas. Auckland has a warmer client than many other areas of the country, so you may pay even less if you don’t run your heating very often. Aucklanders pay around $187 a month for power, $79 for internet, and $40 for a phone plan. It’s a good idea to budget a little more for bills so that you can cover your power usage in winter and water payments throughout the year.

Weekly: $100

What does it cost to get around in Auckland?

Auckland is not walkable and doesn’t have a very extensive public transport system. You’ll likely need to pay for a car when you move to the city. Putting the cost of purchasing your car aside, the AA estimates that a new small car costs around $5800 to run a year, which works out to $111 per week.

Weekly: $111

How much does it cost to eat out in Auckland?

Auckland has lots of great options when it comes to eating out. We’ve looked at bars, restaurants and cafes in the central city. Independent cafes can be more expensive, but generally, brunch and coffee will set you back $29. If you’re going out for a drink, cocktails start around $18, while you can find beer and wine for $11-$14 a glass. Auckland has many higher-end options, but on average, eating out will set you back about $70 for a main and a few drinks.

Fortnightly: $160

What will I spend on entertainment in the city?

There are endless amounts of things to do in Auckland. While the city has a reputation as a bustling metropolis, there are a number of beautiful seaside and cliffside walks around the city that are 100% free. After work, you might like to spend your time checking out the bars and nightlife in the city.

Holey Moley Golf and Karaoke is a popular hangout spot and is only $15 for unlimited rounds. More of a comedy fan? The Classic Comedy and Bar is New Zealand’s only fulltime professional Comedy Club. Tickets range from $15-$45, depending on the show. Alternatively, hit up Metrolane Bowling for a night of affordable fun. Tickets are $18 per game.

Weekly: $50

How much can I expect to spend to live basically in Auckland?

Auckland is not a cheap city to live in. However, where you live can make all the difference. Sharing your rent or mortgage with flatmates or becoming a single car (or no car) household will help reduce your overall bills.

After calculating the cost of a mortgage or rent payment, monthly bills, groceries, eating out, entertainment and vehicle expenses we estimated a single person would spend around $46,500 a year.

If $46k covers the basics, how much do I need to earn to live comfortably?

If you’re spending around $46,000 living in Auckland you’ll need to earn more than this to afford this lifestyle after tax. That said it is possible to spend less living in Auckland. Moving to a cheaper suburb, not going out as much or choosing free activities over ones that cost will bring down your cost of living.

Single people should aim to earn at least $70,000 to live in Auckland. This leaves you with around $53,000 cash in hand and allows you to invest, go on a few trips away and save money for things like holidays or spend it on gym memberships, clothing and other necessities.

While you can live comfortably as a single person on $70,000 it may not be enough to live alone and have the quality of lifestyle you want. To live alone as single person in Auckland, you’ll want to earn around$90-$100k.

Having children in Auckland drastically changes how much money you need to earn. A family of four would need to earn about $162,000 (combined income) to live comfortably. This includes money for saving and going on holiday. A combined income of $120,000 would be enough to live in Auckland but not enough to save much money.

How likely is earning $80,000 per year in Auckland?

Auckland’s average income sits at around $72,000. That means if you work in a high paying profession there’s a good chance you can make more than $80,000 per year.

One thing you don’t have to worry about budgeting for is your move to Auckland. No matter where you’re coming from, Wise Move makes it easy to find an affordable mover for your big day.