Competitive tuition fees and overall study costs

New Zealand is a very competitive option for students when considering tuition fees and other study costs such as visas, health cover and additional fees.

The Deloitte 2007 Comparison of Costs report, commissioned by Education New Zealand, compares tuition, study and living costs between New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the USA.

Overall, there is less variation in fees among New Zealand providers. New Zealand has generally the least expensive Bachelor degrees and secondary schooling is very competitive. In particularly, the cost of a New Zealand PhD is much less than other countries.

The following table shows examples of the cost of studying for New Zealand qualifications, compared to similar courses internationally.

Competitive cost of living

The Deloitte 2007 Comparison of Costs report, commissioned by Education New Zealand, also shows that the cost of living - particularly accommodation - in New Zealand is much cheaper than Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the USA.

Costs obviously vary, but students should allow for (in NZ$):

•    $100-200 a week for accommodation
•    Tertiary students:  $500-1000 a year for textbooks and stationery
•    Secondary students:  $150 a year for stationery.

When students budget for expenses, the following estimates will help (all in NZ$):

Clothing
T-Shirt $25
Sports shoes $50+ ($250+ for Nike)
Warm jacket $100 – 300
Dress $40 – 200

Food
Milk $2.30 per litre
Chicken $10.00 per kg
Noodles $0.75 per packet
Bread $3.00 per loaf
600ml bottle coca cola $2.70

Other
Hair cut $20 – 55
Local bus fare $2.50
Taxi 5km ride $10
Bicycle (new) $300+
Movies $13 -16
Big Mac (McDonalds) $5.10 or $7.90 for Big Mac Combo meal
Takeaway Pie $2.50 – 3.50
Post letter (in NZ) 50c
Main meal at restaurant (off campus) $15 - 40
Cup of coffee in a café $3.50-$4.50
Jug of beer from student bar from $5