Food prices increased 4.1 percent in the 12 months to September 2025, the smallest annual increase since April 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
| Month | Annual percentage change |
| Sep-19 | 2.2 |
| Oct-19 | 2.5 |
| Nov-19 | 2.4 |
| Dec-19 | 2.4 |
| Jan-20 | 3.5 |
| Feb-20 | 3.1 |
| Mar-20 | 3.3 |
| Apr-20 | 4.4 |
| May-20 | 2.9 |
| Jun-20 | 4.1 |
| Jul-20 | 4.2 |
| Aug-20 | 4.2 |
| Sep-20 | 3.1 |
| Oct-20 | 2.7 |
| Nov-20 | 2.6 |
| Dec-20 | 2.9 |
| Jan-21 | 2.1 |
| Feb-21 | 1.2 |
| Mar-21 | 0.5 |
| Apr-21 | 0.7 |
| May-21 | 1.8 |
| Jun-21 | 2.8 |
| Jul-21 | 2.8 |
| Aug-21 | 2.4 |
| Sep-21 | 4 |
| Oct-21 | 3.7 |
| Nov-21 | 4 |
| Dec-21 | 4.5 |
| Jan-22 | 5.9 |
| Feb-22 | 6.8 |
| Mar-22 | 7.6 |
| Apr-22 | 6.4 |
| May-22 | 6.8 |
| Jun-22 | 6.6 |
| Jul-22 | 7.4 |
| Aug-22 | 8.3 |
| Sep-22 | 8.3 |
| Oct-22 | 10.1 |
| Nov-22 | 10.7 |
| Dec-22 | 11.3 |
| Jan-23 | 10.3 |
| Feb-23 | 12 |
| Mar-23 | 12.1 |
| Apr-23 | 12.5 |
| May-23 | 12.1 |
| Jun-23 | 12.5 |
| Jul-23 | 9.6 |
| Aug-23 | 8.9 |
| Sep-23 | 8 |
| Oct-23 | 6.3 |
| Nov-23 | 6 |
| Dec-23 | 4.8 |
| Jan-24 | 4.2 |
| Feb-24 | 2.1 |
| Mar-24 | 0.7 |
| Apr-24 | 0.8 |
| May-24 | 0.2 |
| Jun-24 | -0.3 |
| Jul-24 | 0.6 |
| Aug-24 | 0.4 |
| Sep-24 | 1.2 |
| Oct-24 | 1.2 |
| Nov-24 | 1.3 |
| Dec-24 | 1.5 |
| Jan-25 | 2.3 |
| Feb-25 | 2.4 |
| Mar-25 | 3.5 |
| Apr-25 | 3.7 |
| May-25 | 4.4 |
| Jun-25 | 4.6 |
| Jul-25 | 5 |
| Aug-25 | 5 |
| Sep-25 | 4.1 |
Higher prices for the grocery food group, up 3.9 percent, contributed the most to the annual increase in food prices. This was followed by meat, poultry, and fish, up 6.4 percent annually, and restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food, up 2.5 percent annually.
The average price for:
- milk was $4.72 per 2 litres, up 15.1 percent annually
- cheese was $12.81 per 1 kilogram block, up 31.4 percent annually
- beef mince was $23.11 per 1 kilogram, up 17.7 percent annually
- butter was $8.53 per 500 grams, up 28.9 percent annually
- eggs were $10.14 per dozen, up 14.4 percent annually
- bread (white) was $2.08 per loaf, up 49.6 percent annually.
"All five food groups continue to grow annually but the rate of increase for overall food prices has slowed this month," prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.
"The price of white bread increased by 69 cents per loaf since December 2024."
Vegetables up 5.2 percent annually
From September 2024 to September 2025, the weighted average price of cabbage has increased from $2.97 to $5.85 per kilogram (97 percent annually).
"This is the highest price for cabbage in nearly three years," Growden said.
| Month | "Cabbage |
| Sep-19 | per 1kg" |
| Oct-19 | 1.76 |
| Nov-19 | 1.8 |
| Dec-19 | 2.5 |
| Jan-20 | 2.23 |
| Feb-20 | 1.81 |
| Mar-20 | 1.93 |
| Apr-20 | 2.22 |
| May-20 | 2.17 |
| Jun-20 | 2.12 |
| Jul-20 | 1.91 |
| Aug-20 | 2.1 |
| Sep-20 | 2.43 |
| Oct-20 | 2.18 |
| Nov-20 | 2.15 |
| Dec-20 | 2.15 |
| Jan-21 | 1.92 |
| Feb-21 | 1.92 |
| Mar-21 | 2 |
| Apr-21 | 1.96 |
| May-21 | 2.04 |
| Jun-21 | 2.05 |
| Jul-21 | 2.2 |
| Aug-21 | 2.89 |
| Sep-21 | 3.5 |
| Oct-21 | 3.6 |
| Nov-21 | 3.41 |
| Dec-21 | 3.14 |
| Jan-22 | 3.13 |
| Feb-22 | 3.22 |
| Mar-22 | 3.92 |
| Apr-22 | 5.03 |
| May-22 | 4.74 |
| Jun-22 | 3.98 |
| Jul-22 | 3.67 |
| Aug-22 | 4.35 |
| Sep-22 | 4.81 |
| Oct-22 | 5.13 |
| Nov-22 | 5.89 |
| Dec-22 | 5.56 |
| Jan-23 | 4.25 |
| Feb-23 | 3.71 |
| Mar-23 | 4.08 |
| Apr-23 | 4.4 |
| May-23 | 5.21 |
| Jun-23 | 4.26 |
| Jul-23 | 4 |
| Aug-23 | 4.78 |
| Sep-23 | 5.09 |
| Oct-23 | 4.86 |
| Nov-23 | 4.43 |
| Dec-23 | 3.79 |
| Jan-24 | 2.95 |
| Feb-24 | 2.96 |
| Mar-24 | 2.99 |
| Apr-24 | 3.27 |
| May-24 | 3.25 |
| Jun-24 | 3.07 |
| Jul-24 | 2.68 |
| Aug-24 | 2.53 |
| Sep-24 | 2.82 |
| Oct-24 | 2.97 |
| Nov-24 | 2.86 |
| Dec-24 | 2.99 |
| Jan-25 | 2.83 |
| Feb-25 | 2.81 |
| Mar-25 | 2.89 |
| Apr-25 | 3.24 |
| May-25 | 3.3 |
| Jun-25 | 3.11 |
| Jul-25 | 3.05 |
| Aug-25 | 4.09 |
| Sep-25 | 5.23 |
September 2025 saw an increase in the price of lettuce compared with September 2024, $6.75 compared with $4.35 per kilogram respectively.
"Lettuce now costs 55 percent more than this time last year," Growden said.
| Month | "Lettuce |
| Sep-19 | per 1kg" |
| Oct-19 | 5.39 |
| Nov-19 | 3.93 |
| Dec-19 | 3.59 |
| Jan-20 | 2.57 |
| Feb-20 | 2.46 |
| Mar-20 | 3.14 |
| Apr-20 | 3.45 |
| May-20 | 3.75 |
| Jun-20 | 3.09 |
| Jul-20 | 4.73 |
| Aug-20 | 7.6 |
| Sep-20 | 7.62 |
| Oct-20 | 4.64 |
| Nov-20 | 3.64 |
| Dec-20 | 3.06 |
| Jan-21 | 3.66 |
| Feb-21 | 4.69 |
| Mar-21 | 4.36 |
| Apr-21 | 4.6 |
| May-21 | 4.84 |
| Jun-21 | 5.52 |
| Jul-21 | 7.11 |
| Aug-21 | 7.9 |
| Sep-21 | 8.84 |
| Oct-21 | 7.02 |
| Nov-21 | 5.39 |
| Dec-21 | 4.84 |
| Jan-22 | 4.74 |
| Feb-22 | 7.07 |
| Mar-22 | 6.99 |
| Apr-22 | 7.43 |
| May-22 | 5.23 |
| Jun-22 | 5.7 |
| Jul-22 | 6.52 |
| Aug-22 | 9.49 |
| Sep-22 | 9.38 |
| Oct-22 | 8.32 |
| Nov-22 | 6.43 |
| Dec-22 | 5.25 |
| Jan-23 | 4.6 |
| Feb-23 | 6.09 |
| Mar-23 | 7.55 |
| Apr-23 | 9.37 |
| May-23 | 6.57 |
| Jun-23 | 6.41 |
| Jul-23 | 8.59 |
| Aug-23 | 8.28 |
| Sep-23 | 8.4 |
| Oct-23 | 7.05 |
| Nov-23 | 4.25 |
| Dec-23 | 3.46 |
| Jan-24 | 4.23 |
| Feb-24 | 4.77 |
| Mar-24 | 4.73 |
| Apr-24 | 5.14 |
| May-24 | 4.96 |
| Jun-24 | 4.95 |
| Jul-24 | 4.93 |
| Aug-24 | 4.86 |
| Sep-24 | 5.12 |
| Oct-24 | 4.35 |
| Nov-24 | 4 |
| Dec-24 | 4.17 |
| Jan-25 | 4.48 |
| Feb-25 | 4.64 |
| Mar-25 | 4.53 |
| Apr-25 | 4.48 |
| May-25 | 4.38 |
| Jun-25 | 5.4 |
| Jul-25 | 6.36 |
| Aug-25 | 6.71 |
| Sep-25 | 7.79 |
Monthly food prices decrease 0.4 percent in September
Food prices fell in September 2025 by 0.4 percent compared with August 2025. Vegetables and chocolate contributed the most to the decrease.
The average prices for:
- cucumber was $10.98 per 1 kilogram, a 34.1 percent decrease
- chocolate (bars, blocks, excluding drinking) was $5.15, a 9.0 percent decrease
- capsicums were $18.68 per 1 kilogram, a 23.4 percent decrease
- chocolate (boxed, loose) was $10.13 each, a 16.2 percent decrease.
"This is the first time food prices have dropped monthly since February 2025," Growden said.
| Month | Monthly percentage change |
| Sep-19 | 0 |
| Oct-19 | -0.3 |
| Nov-19 | -0.7 |
| Dec-19 | -0.2 |
| Jan-20 | 2.1 |
| Feb-20 | 0 |
| Mar-20 | 0.7 |
| Apr-20 | 1 |
| May-20 | -0.8 |
| Jun-20 | 0.5 |
| Jul-20 | 1.2 |
| Aug-20 | 0.7 |
| Sep-20 | -1 |
| Oct-20 | -0.7 |
| Nov-20 | -0.9 |
| Dec-20 | 0.1 |
| Jan-21 | 1.3 |
| Feb-21 | -0.9 |
| Mar-21 | 0 |
| Apr-21 | 1.1 |
| May-21 | 0.4 |
| Jun-21 | 1.4 |
| Jul-21 | 1.3 |
| Aug-21 | 0.3 |
| Sep-21 | 0.5 |
| Oct-21 | -0.9 |
| Nov-21 | -0.6 |
| Dec-21 | 0.6 |
| Jan-22 | 2.7 |
| Feb-22 | -0.1 |
| Mar-22 | 0.7 |
| Apr-22 | 0.1 |
| May-22 | 0.7 |
| Jun-22 | 1.2 |
| Jul-22 | 2.1 |
| Aug-22 | 1.1 |
| Sep-22 | 0.4 |
| Oct-22 | 0.8 |
| Nov-22 | 0 |
| Dec-22 | 1.1 |
| Jan-23 | 1.7 |
| Feb-23 | 1.5 |
| Mar-23 | 0.8 |
| Apr-23 | 0.5 |
| May-23 | 0.3 |
| Jun-23 | 1.6 |
| Jul-23 | -0.5 |
| Aug-23 | 0.5 |
| Sep-23 | -0.4 |
| Oct-23 | -0.9 |
| Nov-23 | -0.2 |
| Dec-23 | -0.1 |
| Jan-24 | 1.2 |
| Feb-24 | -0.6 |
| Mar-24 | -0.5 |
| Apr-24 | 0.6 |
| May-24 | -0.2 |
| Jun-24 | 1 |
| Jul-24 | 0.4 |
| Aug-24 | 0.2 |
| Sep-24 | 0.5 |
| Oct-24 | -0.9 |
| Nov-24 | -0.1 |
| Dec-24 | 0.1 |
| Jan-25 | 1.9 |
| Feb-25 | -0.5 |
| Mar-25 | 0.5 |
| Apr-25 | 0.8 |
| May-25 | 0.5 |
| Jun-25 | 1.2 |
| Jul-25 | 0.7 |
| Aug-25 | 0.3 |
| Sep-25 | -0.4 |
Airfares increase annually
International airfares increased 6.9 percent in the 12 months to September 2025, following a 3.0 percent decrease in the 12 months to August 2025. Similarly, domestic airfares also increased by 2.1 percent for the same period.
"This is the largest annual increase in airfares, in a September month, since 2021," Growden said.
"The increases for both domestic and international airfares means travellers experienced higher prices during the school holidays."
| Month | Annual percentage change |
| Sep-21 | 85.9 |
| Oct-21 | 61.6 |
| Nov-21 | 60.5 |
| Dec-21 | 65.4 |
| Jan-22 | 39.3 |
| Feb-22 | 43.4 |
| Mar-22 | 23.8 |
| Apr-22 | 28.8 |
| May-22 | 22.1 |
| Jun-22 | 23.9 |
| Jul-22 | -10.1 |
| Aug-22 | -7.7 |
| Sep-22 | -10.7 |
| Oct-22 | -1 |
| Nov-22 | -3.6 |
| Dec-22 | 31.7 |
| Jan-23 | 36.8 |
| Feb-23 | -6.4 |
| Mar-23 | 8.7 |
| Apr-23 | 26.6 |
| May-23 | 10 |
| Jun-23 | 16.9 |
| Jul-23 | -2.9 |
| Aug-23 | -7.4 |
| Sep-23 | 0.5 |
| Oct-23 | -15.8 |
| Nov-23 | -15.8 |
| Dec-23 | -15.2 |
| Jan-24 | -31.5 |
| Feb-24 | -10.2 |
| Mar-24 | -15.1 |
| Apr-24 | -20.5 |
| May-24 | -8.5 |
| Jun-24 | -11.3 |
| Jul-24 | -10.6 |
| Aug-24 | -7.2 |
| Sep-24 | -9.7 |
| Oct-24 | -2.8 |
| Nov-24 | -1.8 |
| Dec-24 | -10.3 |
| Jan-25 | 0.9 |
| Feb-25 | -5 |
| Mar-25 | -4.8 |
| Apr-25 | 10.7 |
| May-25 | -1.5 |
| Jun-25 | 1.9 |
| Jul-25 | 7.1 |
| Aug-25 | -3 |
| Sep-25 | 6.9 |
