Food Cost Survey

Each year the Department of Human Nutrition calculates the weekly cost of purchasing a healthy diet for men, women, adolescents, and children.

Food cost data is collected by Student Dietitians in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin on the first Monday in March each year, and analysed in the Department of Human Nutrition. A standard protocol is followed. For about thirty years the University of Otago has collected data from supermarkets and specialty shops (green-grocers, butchers, dairies and fish shops). The costs presented have assumed that food would be bought from a combination of these sources, and be prepared at home.

Since 2003 we have calculated the costs from supermarkets only, from four supermarkets in each centre. Wherever possible, supermarkets have been selected on the basis of the greatest consumer throughput in each centre.

Weekly costs ($) of a balanced diet in 2013.

 

Centre		Diet type
Auckland	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	64	84	100
Woman	61	79	95
Adolescent Boy	82	107	128
Adolescent Girl	68	89	106
10 yr old	53	69	83
5 yr old	36	47	56
4 yr old	34	44	53
1 yr old	29	38	45
Hamilton	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	71	92	111
Woman	68	88	106
Adolescent Boy	89	115	138
Adolescent Girl	74	97	116
10 yr old	57	74	89
5 yr old	40	52	62
4 yr old	37	48	57
1 yr old	29	38	46
Wellington	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	70	91	109
Woman	66	86	103
Adolescent Boy	89	115	138
Adolescent Girl	74	96	115
10 yr old	58	75	90
5 yr old	39	50	60
4 yr old	36	47	57
1 yr old	31	41	49
Christchurch	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	68	88	106
Woman	64	83	100
Adolescent Boy	86	112	135
Adolescent Girl	71	93	111
10 yr old	56	73	88
5 yr old	38	49	59
4 yr old	36	46	56
1 yr old	31	40	48
Dunedin	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	68	89	106
Woman	64	84	100
Adolescent Boy	86	111	134
Adolescent Girl	71	93	111
10 yr old	56	73	88
5 yr old	37	48	58
4 yr old	35	46	55
1 yr old	30	39	46

Download the 2013 Food Cost Survey Information Pack