Cost of Living in New Zealand - what's the real deal?

[Dell]

I do wonder why 'ordinary' cheese is so expensive in NZ, though. You can buy a really large piece of cheese, Edam or mild cheddar - just ordinary cheese, at New World for about $6. This is inexpensive compared to what I would pay in the U.S. for comparable cheese.

[JandM]

Ah - difference in expectation here. In Europe, including the UK, there's a wider, better, range of 'ordinary' available.

[girlwithanewf]

Thanks, I'll investigate properly! I've only really looked in the supermarket to be honest. A colleague recommended a good fishmonger in Wellington CBD which I'm going to check out. I also may see what the fish is like at the Harbourside Market when I'm down there at the weekend too.

For fish in Wellington: try the Wellington trawling sea market shops on Lambton Quay and at the top end of Cuba Street.
Or you can buy it straight from the boat on Sunday at the Harbourside Market. He moors his boat near Te Papa.
http://www.harboursidemarket.co.nz/stalls/ninos-fish/

For good quality fish but probably more expensive there is Moore Wilson.

[Hagabel]

It is defintely more expensive than the US but not in everything, and there are ways to live cheaper!

[Alia]

I think for being essentially a small town at heart at the end of the world Auckland is violently expensive. How can you even compare Auckland to London? That is a mystery to me.
Anyhow, it is true that if you run after deals and travel across the whole town you sometimes can get good prices. But I am sick of running after deals. It implys that everything is way too expensive and you have to wait until the shop owner reduces the prices on the things you want (you have to be aware of the deals of course, so watch out) then you have to go there and buy them in bulk to have enough until the next 'deal'.

[ralf-nz]

I think for being essentially a small town at heart at the end of the world Auckland is violently expensive. How can you even compare Auckland to London? That is a mystery to me.
Anyhow, it is true that if you run after deals and travel across the whole town you sometimes can get good prices. But I am sick of running after deals. It implys that everything is way too expensive and you have to wait until the shop owner reduces the prices on the things you want (you have to be aware of the deals of course, so watch out) then you have to go there and buy them in bulk to have enough until the next 'deal'.

Isn't this a wrong perspective, since you are now living here?
Here I would like to support some of the other posts, suggesting to adapt more to what is on offer here. And here we get a lot of things cheaper than we got them in Berlin e.g.; they are 'just' different. (Not only cheaper, but also whithout going long distances.)
I would think that this is not only a new phenomenon coming here to NZ but I recall that 'even' due to relocations within Germany we had to adapt to new things, their availability and prices.