Is New Zealand on your bucket list this year? Think Milford Sound’s fjords, the rolling hills of Hobbiton, or the geothermal wonders of Rotorua, not to mention all the delicious local food, like fresh fish and chips by the beach, or the famous hangi feast – all without blowing your budget?
If you’re reading this, you’re in the right place. I’ve been exactly where you are – excited, a little overwhelmed, and anxious if it’s even possible to do travel here on the cheap.
Spoiler: it absolutely is, and I’m here to share my personal highs, lows, and money-saving secrets.
When I first visited New Zealand, I quickly realised not everything is cheap – Queenstown’s adrenaline-pumping activities, I’m looking at you! But I also discovered amazing free spots like Cathedral Cove and budget-friendly finds like Auckland’s vibrant night markets.
“Is New Zealand expensive to visit?”
“How much does a trip to New Zealand cost?”
“How expensive is New Zealand, really?”
New Zealand is high on everyone’s bucket list because of the gorgeous scenery, the astounding hikes, the adrenaline activities. But let’s be honest – the perceived costs of visiting can be a big turn-off for many. I get it, I was once there too.
Together with 3 other friends, I visited the North Island and South Island in May 2016 for 20 days as part of our graduation road trip. I was surprised at how little we spent in the 20 days we spent there!
I later went back in November 2017 for the Queenstown Marathon as part of a press trip, and subsequently stayed for 6 months on a working holiday program. That’s how much this country truly felt like a second home to me!
Living in New Zealand for 7 months in total taught me that it’s actually possible to travel here on a budget!
From cutting costs on food (hello, food trucks and local markets) to finding free or low-cost activities like hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, I’ve been there and learned a lot along the way – both the highs and the challenges.
So grab your notebook, bookmark this page, because I’m about to provide you a whole lot of details about the costs, share affordable options, and help you plan a trip to New Zealand that’s unforgettable and easy on the wallet.
At A Glance
New Zealand Trip Cost – Budget Breakdown
The secret to knowing much this trip will cost you really depends on the time you visit.
Nobody could believe me when I said I spent less than NZD 15/day for food, lived on NZD 20/day in hostels or that I rented a campervan for NZD 50/day for 4 of us!
Flying was also less than SGD 400 one way from Singapore to New Zealand. Unbelievable? It’s true, I booked with budget airline Jetstar!
This brought my entire 20-day budget trip to SGD 2565/ NZD 2700.
We still had a whale of a time visiting the classic spots like Hobbiton, and surely we couldn’t miss some of New Zealand’s adventure attractions, like blackwater rafting or Fox Glacier hike? 😉
(SGD 1: NZD 0.95)
Here’s a cost breakdown according to how much we spent in each island:
Total Cost In The North Island
Total expenditure for 7 days: NZD 623 (NZD 89/day)
Total Cost In The South Island
Total expenditure for 10 days (with campervan): NZD 535 (NZD 54/day)
Total expenditure for 6 days (without campervan): NZD 472 (NZD 79/day)
Below I share a breakdown of our trip according to transport, food, accommodation, attractions and living expenses so you can get an idea of what the typical cost of living here is.
Best Time To Visit New Zealand
The cheapest time to visit is during their winter off-peak season, which occurs in the middle of the year. This also means that you can find cheap accommodation and cheap car rentals all around the island!
How I Scored Affordable Flights To New Zealand
We started planning our trip very early on and constantly monitoring flight prices. Though, I’d like to think that we manage to find one of the cheapest ways to get there. It might be something you could consider doing if you’re trying to backpack and don’t mind flying budget and not flying direct.
Our flights stopped by Australia, which gave us a perfect excuse to stop in Australia and fit in a couple more days of holiday!
Here’s how much I spent taking budget airlines from Singapore to New Zealand:
| Category | Details | Amt (SGD) | Amt (NZD) |
| Transport-Flight | SG – Auckland Jetstar +15kg | $399.06 | |
| Transport-Flight | Wellington-Christchurch Jetstar +10kg | $58.79 | |
| Transport-Flight | Christchurch – Melbourne Jetstar +15kg | $176.66 | $182.00 |
| Transport-Flight | Melbourne – SG Jetstar +15kg | $303.62 | 292 AUD |
Total for return flights: SGD 938.13
Get my 7 AI prompts that saved me $1000s!
How To Get Around New Zealand
The best way to travel around this island is undoubtedly with a car. There are plenty of car rentals here, and you can undoubtedly get cheap car rentals in New Zealand when you travel during the off-peak period.
Don’t get me wrong – car rentals are not always the cheapest. We got a really good deal because we went during the off-peak period in May just when it was starting to get colder.
Besides, a road trip is the ultimate way of enjoying the spectacular nature views!
That said, we did get around by public transport at some point during our trip here. You can get an overall sense of how much it costs to rent a car, a campervan, and if you went by the public bus below.
Transport in the North Island
Getting around by bus: NZD 150
Transport in the South Island
Campervan New Zealand: NZD 500 (NZD 50 per day)
Petrol: NZD 550 for 272L, 1623km
Car rental in Christchurch: NZD 395 (NZD 79 per day)
Petrol: NZD 62.39, 31.37L
Parking in Christchurch: NZD 2.50 all day
Read: Driving In New Zealand The First Time?
Accommodation In New Zealand
As I’ve mentioned earlier, travelling during off season offers a lot of chance for doing it on a budget. This includes more affordable accommodations all around the island! I quickly realised that visiting during the quieter months can make a huge difference in your travel budget.
When I first visited in May 2016, my friends and I were lucky to find affordable places to stay, especially when we booked ahead. From budget motels to cosy hostels, we managed to secure some great deals that allowed us to keep our spending down while still staying in decent, comfortable places.
However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. On one occasion, I didn’t book early enough, and we had to settle for a slightly pricier motel in Rotorua because everything else was fully booked.
Lesson learned: when you travel during the off-season, it’s still wise to plan ahead, especially in popular spots like Queenstown or Rotorua, where accommodation can be limited even during quieter times.
But overall, staying in less tourist-heavy areas or opting for budget-friendly options like Airbnbs or even local homestays really helped cut down the cost of living in Aotearoa. It’s definitely one of the main reasons I was able to travel for 20 days without going over budget.
So, if you’re flexible with your travel dates and willing to avoid the peak season rush, the savings on accommodation can really add up!
Just look at how much we spent living off hostels around the country:
Accommodation In The North Island
| Location | Category | Details | Amt (SGD) | Amt (NZD) |
| Rotorua | Accom | Rock Solid Backpackers Rotorua | $17.10 | $18.00 |
| Lake Taupo | Accom | Haka Lodge @ Lake Taupo | $24.70 | $26.00 |
| Hamilton | Accom | Backpackers Central @ Hamilton | $20.90 | $22.00 |
Average per night: NZD 22
Check prices on HotelsCombined, Agoda and Booking.com.
Accommodation In The South Island
| Location | Category | Details | Amt (SGD) | Amt (NZD) |
| Fox Glacier | Accom | Ivory Towers hostel | $24.70 | $26.00 |
| Haast | Accom | Non powered site | $11.40 | $12.00 |
| Te Anau | Accom | Te Anau Kiwi Holiday Park | $19.95 | $21.00 |
| Queenstown | Accom | Motorhome powered campervan site | $19.00 | $20.00 |
| Lake Tekapo | Accom | Holiday Park Non powered site | $17.10 | $18.00 |
| Christchurch | Accom | Airbnb 3 + 2 nights | $82.25 | $86.60 |
Average per night (with campervan): NZD 19
While we slept in the campervan, we still had to pay a small fee for parking at camp sites.
Average per night (without campervan): NZD 17
As a rule of thumb (if you’re not staying in a campervan), the cheapest accommodation options are hostels and Holiday Parks. In general, even the cheapest hostels here are decent – clean, spacious, with enough privacy and with a kitchen.
You can also check out Agoda and Booking.com as there are sometimes the best deals on the website.
If you’re travelling in a group (more than 2), you might want to consider Airbnb as it might be more cost-effective to rent a whole place than to book 2 rooms.
Here are other ways to save on accommodation.
Cost of Living In New Zealand
Laundry
NZD 4 per load
Insurance
MSIG TravellerShield: SGD 78.50
The above is a Singapore insurance. If you’re not from Singapore, I’d recommend Safetywing, an established travel insurance for anyone from any part of the world. They have really comprehensive coverage as well as good service, so you’ll see many others recommending them as well.
Get your quote here:
Food
Chomping down Fergburger was first on our list when we visited Queenstown!
The food prices here are generally quite expensive if you eat out. If you don’t and cook your own meals instead, you can set yourself up for about NZD 3 to NZD 5.
Restaurants in NZ: ~ NZD 11
The cheapest food you can find would probably in fast food restaurants.
- McDonald’s Sausage Egg McMuffin: NZD 4.90
- Subway’s Meatball Sub: NZD 4.50
You can keep your food costs down by shopping in supermarkets such as Pak’n’Save, which would bring cost to ~ NZD 5 per meal.
Below is a breakdown of how much I paid travelling the North island and South island respectively.
North Island
NZD 13 per day
South Island
NZD 14.50 per day
This includes the occasional splurge on Fergburger, but most of our food were home-cooked since we were living in the campervan.
What To Do In New Zealand
The thing you can’t miss when travelling here is to discover the classic attractions like Hobbiton, experience hot springs of the North or go on a little glacier tour. Better yet, see the glacier from up above with a helicopter! Would you even say you’ve been here if you don’t bring home some Manuka honey?
For ideas on where to go, you can check out the activities that we booked ourselves on. Further, here are my other articles for what to do in the North and South Islands:
Here’s a breakdown of the cost of some of the attractions that we did:
North Island
| Location | Category | Details | Amt (SGD) | Amt (NZD) |
| Matamata | Tour | Hobbiton | $76.75 | |
| Matamata | Tour | Baggage deposit @ iSite | $4.75 | $5.00 |
| Waitomo | Tour | Blackwater Rafting | $- * | $- |
| Rotorua | Tour | Maori Whakarewarewa tour | $- * | $- |
| Rotorua | Tour | Zorb 350m @ Ogo | $47.50 | $50.00 |
| Rotorua | Tour | Polynesian Spa | $25.65 | $27.00 |
| Rotorua | Tour | Locker @ Polynesian Spa | $1.19 | $1.25 |
| Taupo | Tour | Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland | $30.88 | $32.50 |
South Island
| Fox Glacier | Tour | Helihike @ Fox Glacier Guiding Co | $- * | $- |
| Queenstown | Tour | Milford Sound | $8.55 | $9.00 |
*Disclaimer: Tours were provided complimentary in exchange for a review. Read more about my experiences:
- Black Water Rafting in Waitomo, New Zealand
- Traditional Maori Village in Rotorua, New Zealand
- Fox Glacier, New Zealand – What’s It Like Hiking On Ice?
- What Exactly Happens When You’re Skydiving at 15,000 Ft in Taupo, New Zealand?
Evidently, a free and easy trip here need not cost you much at all. Hitchhiking and Couchsurfing are big in this country as well. This explains why so many people (especially the Germans) like to backpack to the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Fresh out of university, this was our graduation trip. Hence, we set out travelling here on a budget. We compromised on Wi-Fi on-the-go, expensive food and comfortable lodging. That being said, we wanted to maximise our experiences, which called for splurging on some attractions. Learning about the Maori culture and hiking on ice at Fox Glacier are some of the most eye-opening experiences that were worth every dime.
There really are plenty of free things to do here as well – the vast nature offers some of the best hiking trails, you can go fishing (or skinny dipping), camping and more.
Part of the reason why flights and car rentals here were cheaper was also because we travelled during the off-peak periods in May.
If you’re still hesitant about visiting New Zealand, DON’T.
The scenery is to kill for. Driving in New Zealand has never been easier. The adventure activities? You’ve got to try them once in your life!
Pin this for future use:
-
- Pin for later!
Hi! May I know what type/brand of camera did you used? Your photos are awesome!!
Thanks a lot, that means a lot! I’m using a regular dslr. Not the most fancy one. I needed a light one for travelling around. It’s a Canon 100D 🙂
Hi there! Awesome posts, really helps a great deal in my planning for my upcoming 19-day trip in May! Do you think it’s possible to stay in a campervan throughout to save on accommodation fees? Is it worth it for two people to rent a campervan?
Hi Lian Xin, how did you come across this article? I’m happy you found it useful!
Yes you can stay in a campervan throughout, and it will be more spacious for 2 as compared to squeezing with 4 (although it’s suitable for 4 people for this size). The only time you need to check in at accommodations is probably when you need to borrow their facilities to cook and shower, which doesn’t cost you more than a few dollars.
Hi Isabel, many thanks for the swift response. I came across your blog via Google and I’m hooked! I’m a fellow Singaporean and it’s always nice to read reviews coming from another fellow Singaporean’s POV! One more thing, does the campervan consume more fuel as compared to a normal car? If we are doing a round trip around South Island, how much would you estimate our fuel costs to be?
Hi Lian Xin,
That’s just me being excited for your own road trip! Thank you for your kind words – it really makes my day even sweeter. (Happy V’day to you!)
The campervan runs on Diesel, so fuel is not as efficient as a regular car. Also, don’t forget the campervan’s weight relative to a regular one. I did a road trip on the South Island as well, and mentioned in my post that it costed us NZD 550 for 272L, 1623km. You can roughly work out the cost per km and calculate your total distance and multiply accordingly. I also have a post on driving in NZ. Hope that helps!
Sounds like a really fun trip and it’s great you managed to do it so cheaply! We flew Jetstar internationally a few times and they are ok. It’s not our favourite airline but it’s great when the cost is cheap! Thanks for sharing all those cost details, very helpful!
Impressive. I live in New Zealand, and I can tell you, you did great. My vegetarian teen daughter just moved to Auckland for University and she spends about $50 each week on food. It looks like you enjoyed yourselves. And, I think that was a great price for zorb.
This is just amazing! Bookmarking this, and tweeted as well. Great job budgeting, and the map is super useful.
Wow, you guys budgeted really well for New Zealand. $2600 SGD is incredibly cheap for nearly 3 weeks. I wish I could have organized to be part of your trip! A lot of people are put off New Zealand by the high prices but you just proved them all wrong!
It looks like you were able to see and do a lot on that budget! I’d heard NZ is expensive and it looks like what I heard was correct. I would still love to go.
Thank you for this comprehensive break-down. It certainly makes budgeting easier…
I have to say that is still not cheap as a whole. Though, it seems like you can save a ton renting a camper van as a small group and moving/eating/sleeping in there during your stay.
Thank you & happy continued travels!
C
$2600 for 20 days is really impressive – Australia and NZ are two of the more expensive regions in the world, so I’ve always found it difficult staying to a budget here! I haven’t managed to get to NZ (apart from 2 days in Auckland which isn’t really traveling the country), but am more convinced to bring it forward now that I know it’s possible to not spend a fortune 🙂
This is totally amazing! NZ has always been in my bucketlist but I’m always to reluctant to go as it will burn a hole in my wallet. Now you’ve inspired me!
Ahh, the good thing about being from Norway. Almost every country I go to seems cheap, so far I have only found Iceland to be more expensive. Your budget and expenditure of the trip is impressive. I wish I was better at saving money on my travels sometimes. I always blow my budget and have to live on almost nothing when I return home 🙂
Great insight on what to expect when budgeting in NZ. It has put me off about the prices, but now you write it like this, I might be able to do this on this sort of budget. 🙂
Such a detailed post on New Zealand. It is really helpful for all of us. Further your photographs are awesome and seems you had lot of fun 🙂
$2700NZD including flights is insanely good! And reading your post it doesn’t even seem as if you held back much, which is always a plus. I’d love to go to NZ some day but would likely have to budget a little more only because flights from UK would be more costly!
Awesome job!! I’m totally impressed with how little you spent. New Zealand’s been on my list for quite some time. I’ll have to seriously consider renting a camper like you did. The cost savings is a huge draw. Good for you to pay for the things you really wanted to do. Otherwise you’ll regret it.
Great job controlling your cost for 20 days in New Zealand! Thanks for detailing how much you spent on the tours and activities – that is very helpful. If I live in Asia, I would totally love to visit!
What a great trip. Sometimes the expense of a camper van is so worth it. You get your transport and accommodation in one although I do get that you have to pay for your pitch. I have sometimes avoided the more expensive countries as I thought I could not travel on a reasonable budget. I am yet to go to NZ for this reason. Thank for your breakdown as now I believe I can travel their on my type of budget.
Sounds like you had an amazing time 🙂
What an amazing deal! I live in Canada so flights are at least $1500. Many items are reasonable though even with the CDN/NZD exchange change rate.
Wow great job with the budgeting! Living in Australia we can get the same cheap flights but I’d be spending way more on the amazing NZ wine. Probably as much or more then what you’d budgeted for your daily food.
Loved New Zealand thank you for sharing and reminding me of wonderful memories
Seems like visiting New Zealand is actually affordable after all. You got to do so many things for the 2700. I like that fact that it was quality activities as well. Campervan wasn’t that expensive either. Love how you gave details of every cent you spent.
What an amazing trip! I love the camper van idea for the long trips so you can eat and sleep which are the biggest expense – I guess the price of renting the van pays off in the long run for sure! Great list to help anyone traveling budget and see where to cut costs!
Like Australia New Zealand is high on my to go to list. I really wonder if 2600 would really work for me coming from Canafa lol. Great post though, very detailed and the pictures are fantastic too.
Your trip is amazing! I love how detailed your post is! New Zealand is one of my dream land and I hope to visit it soon.
I loved this post! You’re exactly right, the cost is what has put me off from going to New Zealand as I had always heard how expensive it is. Thanks for sharing how you traveled there on a budget and breaking down your expenses. Super helpful!
Wow this breakdown truly surprised me! I went to Queenstown for a WEEK and spent more than you did :/ but we were in Queenstwon where if you want to do anything adventurous the cost is through the roof. I love the Fergburger! We were lucky and only waited 15 mins for our meal 🙂
The breakdown of your budget trip has amazed me. You have really done a lot of thoughtful research and hence you saved so much without compromising on the travel experience. I am going to bookmark this and follow your footsteps through New Zealand.
Thank you for posting this breakdown of your expenses. It seems to me you did pretty good if you’ve only spent $2,600 in 20 days and you still enjoyed yourself. I have to confess that I don’t like to nickel-and-dime myself when I go on vacation, but sometimes you have to do it if you want to travel more.
Aa…reading your post makes me want to go back there to NZ! Haha..
There’s always something about NZ that draws us back… 🙂
Thanks for this illuminating article; I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but I would love to try travelling around NZ with a camper van like you guys!
It’s actually not as expensive as one would imagine, and thanks for your tips!
Keep up the great work 🙂
It’s not expensive indeed! I was really amazed at how affordable NZ can be when we went during off-peak periods.
Hello there! Thanks for the really informative post! As I’m planning a trip to NZ in early-mid May, just wanted to find out if it is worth going? I’ve read some reviews on TripAdvisor saying May is not the best time to visit 🙁
Hi.. can i know more about, what do you mean by the tours were complimentary for an exchange of a review?
can you explain?
Hi Ying Ying, be prepared for lots of rain and little sunshine. It does get to almost 0 degrees come night, and days are short. On the bright side, tours and accom are much cheaper, and you still get to experience the beauty of NZ’s landscapes. 🙂 Let me know if you do decide to go this year! I’m still here at the moment!
Hi Uma, they gave me a complimentary trip in exchange for a writing a review on my blog.
Hi.. so they know you are a blogger?
Cos i have started writting blogs as well..
so is it possible to get free trips too? If i do agree to write in my blog?
Hi Uma, it’s not as easy as it sounds. There’s a lot of work that goes into making a blog proper and credible before any brands agrees to work with you.
Hello! Thanks for sharing such a comprehensive breakdown of your NZ trip. Really helps me a lot in planning for my graduation trip as well. I see that you rented a campervan from Jucy and by any chance, is it Jucy Condo? Coz I’m thinking of renting that from them as well but I’m not sure whether my driving license permits me to drive a campervan since I can’t find any information of its unladen weight on their website. Can I know what type of driving license were you using when you rent the campervan? Based on your video, you also went to Milford Sound right? Is there any problem driving there coz I came across comments from some forums about frequent road closure due to ice, snow and risk of avalanches during the winter season?
Oh you’re going to have such an amazing time in NZ! Yes I rented a Jucy Condo. It’s the Singapore car driving license we used, which is international. 🙂 Milford Sound is worth a drive! It’s only classed as more dangerous because of slopes and sharp bends. As long as you’re careful, it’s fine. 🙂
It will rain pretty often in May. Won’t be the best weather-wise, but everything is much cheaper during this season. Also, you’ll be seeing much more snow-covered mountain peaks!
Hi..
its a great blog to read and get inspired
Could you please share day-to-day itinerary of your trip ?
Thanks,
Sindhu
Hi, thanks for sharing such a comprehensive breakdown of your NZ trip. May I know where do you exchange the NZD? How about the currency rate with SGD? Thanks.
May I know which tour did you go to when you’re in Milford Sound? Did you take the cruise? I’m intrigued that you listed you only spent less than $10 for touring in MS. My trip is coming up, and I’m in the midst of planning out my day trip outside Queenstown 🙂
Hi. Thanks for sharing. This is informative blog. Are you planning to trip with family? Choose top airlines flight ticket by The Last Minute Flights. They provide cheap flights tickets on flights to Dalaman. Feel free and visit our website or give us a call our toll free number.
Awesome post, it helped me a lot when I was my own trip to New Zealand! Safe travels, Isabel!
Great article. New Zealand is a must see destination. Lots of good times.
An Advertising Invitation
Hello, Sir(Madam):
We accidentally found your website, it is wonderful. So hope you can take the time to read the following content.
Kameymall is a large-scale global online shopping platform serving buyers and suppliers all over the world. There is a professional team that enables Kameymall to provide high-quality, efficient, and fast services to our customers.
Of course, if you want to see my blog and website. My content is rich and there must be something you like. I If you like leisure sports such as air track or zorb ball.
We want to donate money to your website so that you can operate your website better. At the same time, our website wants to be exposed on your website.
If you are interested in this invitation, please contact us!
Have a nice day!
Yours Sincerely
Quoted from:
https://www.kameymall.com/
very perfect article thanks for sharing it with us.
Queenstown is such a money pit though. Those activities are ridiculous.