How much does the average NZ household spend per month?

Stats NZ's Household Economic Survey found average weekly household expenditure of around $1,598 in the year to June 2023, which is roughly $6,900 a month. Adjusted for inflation and wage growth since then, typical 2026 household spending is estimated at around $1,450-$1,650 a week, though this varies enormously by household size, region and housing status.

What percentage of income should go on housing in NZ?

A common guideline is to keep housing costs (rent or mortgage payments) to no more than 30% of gross income, though many NZ households, particularly renters and those with mortgages taken out during the 2021 peak, spend well above this. Stats NZ data shows housing typically makes up 18-22% of spending for homeowners with a mortgage and 28-35% for renters.

Budgeting · Monthly spending

Monthly budget calculator

Add up what comes in and what goes out, and see exactly where your money is going compared to the average Kiwi household.

Net monthly income take-home, all sources

Monthly expenses

Housing rent / mortgage / rates

Groceries & food

Transport

Power, water, internet, phone

Insurance & health

Other debt repayments

Entertainment & personal

Other / miscellaneous

Estimate

Left over each month

from $0 income and $0 expenses

Benchmarks compare each category's share of spending to Stats NZ Household Economic Survey averages, inflation-adjusted to 2026. Every household is different — use this as a sense check, not a target.

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What this means for you

See which category is most out of line with typical NZ spending, and how much trimming it could free up.

Compare trimming scenarios

See how much extra you'd have left over by bringing over-budget categories back to the NZ average.

Scenario	Left over / month	Difference
Current	$0	—
Trim your biggest over-spend	$0	$0
Trim all over-budget categories	$0	$0

"Trimming" here means bringing a category's dollar amount down to match its typical NZ share of your total spending — a rough illustration, not a strict target.

Assumptions & sources

Data source

Stats NZ Household Economic Survey category benchmarks, inflation-adjusted to 2026.

Effective date

1 July 2026

Last reviewed

17 July 2026

Methodology

Each category's benchmark is its typical share of total household spending, not of income. A category is flagged when it's 6 percentage points or more above its benchmark share.

Included

Whatever categories and amounts you enter, compared against Stats NZ average spending shares.

Not included

Irregular or annual costs (e.g. car registration, holidays) unless you've averaged them into a monthly figure yourself.

How Kiwi households actually spend

Stats NZ's Household Economic Survey put average weekly household spending at around $1,598 in the year to June 2023 — call it roughly $1,550-$1,750 a week in 2026 after inflation and wage growth, or about $6,700-$7,600 a month. Housing is the single biggest slice for most households: 18-22% of spending for homeowners with a mortgage, and noticeably higher, often 28-35%, for renters. Food is usually the second-largest category, typically 15-18% of total spending.

These are national averages across singles, couples and families of every size, so treat them as a rough compass rather than a rulebook — a single person in a share house and a family of five will land in very different places.

Frequently asked questions

Around $6,900 a month as of the last full Stats NZ survey (year to June 2023), with 2026 estimates running roughly $6,700-$7,600 a month after inflation. It varies a lot by household size and region.

A common guideline is no more than 30% of gross income. In practice, homeowners with a mortgage average 18-22% of total spending on housing, while renters average 28-35%.

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