Cost Breakdown, New Zealand
As always, we are going to break down the costs of a trip to New Zealand to be as evergreen and applicable as possible. We will tell you down to the penny what we paid, what we paid for, and if you can expect to pay the same, so when you are done you will have a great idea of what a trip to New Zealand will cost YOU, and how to go about planning it. We traveled as 2 adults and 1 child from the US to New Zealand in March of 2025. All prices listed are in US dollars.
First up, Plane tickets! You have to get there, and it is unlikely you are taking a boat. You can, it would be fun, but the vast majority of us are flying.
Flights: $2,352 or $784 each for 3 people
Our tickets cost us $2,352 for 3 people, or $784 per person, after all fees and taxes. We used a Citi Aadvantage card to book our tickets so we got priority seating, a check bag each, which we did not use entirely, and we flew economy, main cabin on American Airlines. We flew from Indianapolis to Dallas, then 15 hours to Auckland. The hardest part of this trip is the duration of the flight. Main cabin seats are fine. I am sure first class is better but the cost is just too high for that long of a flight.
Accomodations: $1,574.80 for 13 nights
Coincidentally, we stayed at an Airbnb every single night, with the exception of the night we traveled on the ferry from Wellington to Picton and booked a cabin. Most of the nights we booked ahead of time, but toward the end we only reserved the day before, so we could keep our options open. There were plenty of motels, hotels in the larger towns and cities, and hostels available. Camping is another option and the van life is thriving in New Zealand, but some people give it a bad name, so be a responsible camper if you decide to go that route. You can certainly find cheaper places to stay if you want to trim some fat from our trip.
Rental Car: $386.71 for 14 days
Be aware that in New Zealand, you drive the same as in England or Ireland, on the right side of the car and the left side of the road. The rules are mostly the same, except there are far fewer stop signs, far more yield signs (they say “Give Way“), and there is no such thing as a turn on red. Red means stop until it’s not red anymore, all the time.
We found quite a good price for our diesel Kia Sportage at $386.71 for 14 days and unlimited mileage. If you are going to explore New Zealand, you will need to spend most of your time in a specific place, or rent a vehicle. There are tours, buses, taxis, and rideshares, but if you want freedom of movement and flexibility, a rental is the way to go.
We are confident it will be hard to beat this price for this duration, and bear in mind that a camper van of any size will cost more to begin with, but will reduce your cost for accommodations.
Gas/Fuel: $288.41
We spent $288.41 on diesel, to travel 2,735 miles (4,401 kilometers), at an average cost of around $1.90 New Zealand dollars per liter, though we saw a range from $1.79-$2.10 NZD per liter. That comes out to $4.13 per gallon in USD. Diesel was cheaper than gasoline, and we were quite happy with our diesel SUV and its 68 miles per gallon.
On a side note, we parked our own car at the Indianapolis airport, where long term parking costs $9 per day. We spent $135 to leave our car there, which stings, but could not be helped.
Food: $768.51
Now, onto fuel for humans. This was a bit of a surprise after the fact, but we regret nothing. We spent $768.51 on food, which could certainly be reduced to a much lower number. To be fair, there is a LOT of coffee in that total, which we are rather proud of. Never be ashamed of coffee.
Save money by going grocery shopping. New World, Woolworths, and Pak N Save are all great places, with that last being our favorite. There are cafes to tempt you everywhere, and dairies and little places to eat all over the place. On the main roads the Kiwis know there will be tourists and road trippers, and they are prepared to take your money for a mocha or a meat pie. We, for 3, are prepared to give it to them.
Experience: $179.07
A trip of this nature requires payment for a few things you may never get to do again, like swimming with dolphins or viewing Blue Penguins in their natural habitat, or going jet boating up a river or fjord, or bungee jumping in its native homeland. We could go on, there’s a lot to do. Thankfully, some of the best things are free, like birding or watching seals and dolphins off the east coast of the South Island!
We spent, approximately, $179.07 on experiences. We went to the Maritime Museum in Auckland, the Pukaha bird sanctuary and breeding center, and rented bikes for an afternoon in Ohakune. We have included parking costs for where we left the car to go exploring in cities as well. It would be easy to spend a lot of money on the many exciting things offered in New Zealand, but it is just as easy to get out into nature and hike your days away, so experiences do not necessarily need to be a large line item in your budget.
Total: $5,857.40
Bringing it all together, we spent $5,857.40 for this trip. If you add all of the above numbers together, you will come up a little short. We purchased some gifts, an umbrella with kiwis on it, some playing cards with kiwis drinking coffee on them, you get the idea. Since you will probably have sundry and varying items you will need to purchase on your trip, and we did spend the money after all, we leave the total as it is.
As always, we have receipts and welcome any questions about our totals, what we researched, how we planned, or what to expect.
Happy Travels!
