Episode 8: Where is it More Expensive?
This is going to be a very random mash up for things that I’ve purchased lately. It will give you a glimpse into the whacky world of pricing in New Zealand and perhaps give you an idea of things to stock up on before coming over. It will also give you an idea of what the “island life” premium is for stuff… but I’d encourage you to read my Cost of Living Comparison post to get an idea of the bigger picture of living in New Zealand. Things are expensive, but overall the cost of living isn’t as crazy as many would have you think.
Jonathan Adler Whale Bookends - This is a truly random purchase, but we’re redoing the playroom to make it more homeschool and homework friendly, and I needed bookends. I was walking by a new, cute shop in the Eastridge shopping center, and saw these bookends in the window. I was instantly obsessed, but when I went to look at the price tag, I knew I needed to do some research.
New Zealand - NZ$324/NZ$325 or about US$230. I found the bookends at the W Room in Eastridge and online at Cranfields.
Jonathan Adler website - US$150 or NZ$211.27 + shipping and GST. If I went with this options, I would need to use something like YouShop to get the bookends to New Zealand which would add a few weeks to the shipping process.
Amazon - Amazon had the bookends on sale for US$93 + shipping and GST, for a total of about US$143. I realize this is an insane amount of money to pay for bookends for a playroom, but did I do it? Yes I did. It was an absolute steal compared to the cost in New Zealand. Please don’t mention this to my husband.
Advantage: United States
2. Champagne Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut - This is my favorite bottle of pink bubbles and one of my first choices for celebration evenings. I was inspired to include this one because of my most recent grocery shop when I noticed there was yet another sale on this champagne and did I need to stock up? There are frequent sales in New Zealand for NZ$99 per bottle (about US$70) though if purchasing not on sale (which you should never do for anything in New Zealand because the sales are so ubiquitous) you may end up paying as much as NZ$189 (about US$134)
I checked Austin pricing at Austin Wine Merchant, and it looks like the going rate is US$75 per bottle when purchased by the case - which is 6 bottles for champagne.
Advantage: New Zealand
3. IKEA Skadis Peg Boards - As I mentioned above, we’re in the middle of a giant playroom remodel, and one of our additions was a peg board system to hold things like markers, pens, pencils, headphones, etc. We went through lots of different variations and combinations until we decided that yes, it really was easiest to stick with the IKEA system because it not only had the pegboard, it also had all of the accessories we want. Even though there isn’t an IKEA store in New Zealand (yet) we’re still able to get a lot of products through Urban Sales where we found the peg board for NZ$75 (about US$53). That’s just depressing when you look at the US cost of US$17, or with tax, US$18.40.
To be fair, not everything at Urban Sales is highway robbery like this. I think the pegboard system is particularly popular and there’s a markup because of demand.
Advantage: United States
4. Adidas Kids Tensaur Running Shoes - My daughter has recently sprouted and outgrown her sneakers. It’s crazy how big she’s getting! After much debate and deliberation, we settled on a pair of hot pink Adidas Tensaur running shoes. I’m pretty sure she would’ve agreed to anything in this fluorescent color, but these were what Rebel Sport had on hand at the time. They cost NZ$55.99, or about US$39.75. I was not lucky enough to have the option of waiting for a sale.
Kids clothing and shoes are things that I typically try to buy in the US because they’re usually a lot less expensive there, but since travel has been curtailed, that hasn’t been an option lately. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the same shoes were retailing for US$44.99 + tax, or US$48.70.
Advantage: New Zealand.
5. Skinceuticals Simply Clean Gel - This face wash is something I’m not prepared to give up even though we’ve moved to New Zealand. It has saved my skin - and sanity - more times than I can remember. Since I’m not a huge makeup girl, having fresh, clean skin is really important, and this is maybe the most important piece of my skincare routine.
In the US, I could get it from a local spa for US$35, or US$37.89 with tax. On Amazon, I can get it for US$56.10 + GST + Shipping, which gets us to US$79.39. (To be fair, if ordering with other things from Amazon, the shipping costs will dramatically decrease for each item.) Or I can get it in New Zealand from The Market for NZ$75, or about US$53.25.
Advantage: United States
