Episode 2: Where is It More Expensive?
I’ve heard lots of feedback that the price comparisons are useful when thinking about moving, budgeting, and what to bring to New Zealand, so I’m pulling together another list of items to explore. In this post, I’m comparing:
Makeup products including my favorite foundation, concealer and mascara
My husband’s beloved Happy Socks
Swimming lessons for kids
What are your guesses before I get started?
There is a booming beauty business in New Zealand, with skincare in particular standing out. I have a personal theory that this stems from the high skin cancer rate here (thanks, thin ozone layer.) Makeup is certainly embraced by many Kiwis, though it is not as crazy as some pockets in the US. I tend to stick with a very basic foundation, concealer, and mascara, so I’ve spent some time comparing prices.
On the left, we have my Dior foundation that I like on the US Sephora site. It’s $52 + tax, or US$56.29 in Texas. On the right, we have the New Zealand Sephora site (side note: Sephora is building a huge flashship store in the CBD in Auckland - yeah!) where it will cost you NZ$102 for the same foundation, or about US$69.36. There is a huge difference in price, which is why so many people, myself included, stock up when travelling through duty free makeup counters. On our recent trip to Fiji, I purchased this Dior foundation for FJD$113.50, or US$52.65.
Advantage: Duty Free Shopping
For my truly impressive under eye circles, I like Benefit Cosmetics boi-ing hydrating concealer. Fortunately, there are Benefit Cosmetics stores scattered about Auckland, so I have no problem finding this product locally. Again, on the left I have the US Sephora site which will sell me this product for US$22 + tax, or US$23.82 in Texas. On the right, I have the local price from the New Zealand Benefit Cosmetic store. At NZ$41, or about US$27.88, the better price is clear.
Advantage: United States
Last is Urban Decay’s Perversion Mascara. Mecca, a cosmetics company found in most of the shopping areas around town, is the Australian equivalent to Sephora and carries this brand. In the US, I can get it for US$24, or US$25.98 including tax. In New Zealand, it costs NZ$42, or about US$28.56. The difference isn’t as dramatic, but the best price is clear.
Advantage: United States
My husband has a thing for bright, colorful socks. It’s become a go-to stocking stuffer, and he especially loves Happy Socks. Since we’e been here for almost a year (!), it was time for a little refresh of the sock collection, and I was thrilled to find Happy Socks on NZSale. Does he need 12 pairs of socks? Probably not. There were other options to get either singles, three pair, or six pair together. As you can see, this pack was a steal at NZ$56.80, or US38.62, plus free shipping. That’s $3.22 a pair, which is about the right price for a pair of socks, if you ask me. In the US, I couldn’t find Happy Socks at our usual discount retailers, like Nordstrom Rack or Off Saks Fifth Avenue (my previous places to get socks) so I checked out the sale section of Happysocks.com, and their discounted rate is US$9.80+ tax, or about $10.60, which is about what I remember paying back in Texas.
Advantage: New Zealand
We want our kids to be water safe and have always had them enrolled in swim classes. Back in Austin, a popular swim school was the Emler Swim School, which has indoor facilities all around town. In Auckland, we go to Swimtastic. It is another indoor facility swim school that recently opened up a brand new building not too far from us. In the US, lessons are US$22.93 per class, but in New Zealand, we pay only NZ$20, about US$13.6 per class with a smaller student to teacher ration.
Advantage: New Zealand
These items follow a trend that is prevalent in New Zealand: goods tend to be slightly more expensive unless you hit upon a good sale, but services are cheaper than the United States. I’ve noticed that our overall expenditures are way down since moving, but where we spend money is allocated differently.
