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 2010.

 

Centre		Diet type
Auckland	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	64	83	99
Woman	61	79	94
Adolescent Boy	81	106	127
Adolescent Girl	68	88	106
10 yr old	54	70	84
5 yr old	36	47	56
4 yr old	34	44	52
1 yr old	29	38	46
Hamilton	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	62	80	96
Woman	59	76	92
Adolescent Boy	79	102	122
Adolescent Girl	65	85	102
10 yr old	52	67	81
5 yr old	34	45	54
4 yr old	32	42	50
1 yr old	28	37	44
Wellington	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	64	83	100
Woman	60	78	94
Adolescent Boy	81	105	126
Adolescent Girl	67	87	105
10 yr old	53	68	82
5 yr old	35	46	55
4 yr old	33	43	52
1 yr old	28	37	44
Christchurch	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	62	80	96
Woman	58	76	91
Adolescent Boy	78	102	122
Adolescent Girl	65	85	102
10 yr old	52	67	81
5 yr old	34	45	54
4 yr old	32	42	51
1 yr old	28	37	44
Dunedin	Basic	Moderate	Liberal
Man	63	82	98
Woman	59	77	92
Adolescent Boy	79	103	124
Adolescent Girl	66	85	102
10 yr old	51	67	80
5 yr old	34	44	53
4 yr old	32	42	50
1 yr old	27	36	43

Download the 2010 Food Cost Survey Information Pack