Food prices increased 4.4 percent in the 12 months to November 2025, following a 4.7 percent increase in the 12 months to October 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
| Period | Annual percentage change |
| 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 |
| Oct-25 | 4.7 |
| Nov-25 | 4.4 |
Higher prices for the grocery food group, up 4.6 percent, contributed the most to the annual increase in food prices. This was followed by meat, poultry, and fish, up 7.7 percent annually.
The average price for:
- milk was $4.91 per 2 litres, up 15.8 percent annually
- porterhouse/sirloin beef steak was $45.39 per 1kg, up 26.7 percent annually
- white loaf bread was $2.13 per 600g, up 53.2 percent annually.
The average prices for milk and bread represent the cheapest available options for each.
| Period | Weighted average price ($/600g) |
| Nov-19 | 1.30 |
| Dec-19 | 1.29 |
| Jan-20 | 1.30 |
| Feb-20 | 1.30 |
| Mar-20 | 1.30 |
| Apr-20 | 1.34 |
| May-20 | 1.36 |
| Jun-20 | 1.32 |
| Jul-20 | 1.31 |
| Aug-20 | 1.31 |
| Sep-20 | 1.30 |
| Oct-20 | 1.32 |
| Nov-20 | 1.29 |
| Dec-20 | 1.30 |
| Jan-21 | 1.31 |
| Feb-21 | 1.31 |
| Mar-21 | 1.32 |
| Apr-21 | 1.31 |
| May-21 | 1.32 |
| Jun-21 | 1.32 |
| Jul-21 | 1.36 |
| Aug-21 | 1.43 |
| Sep-21 | 1.42 |
| Oct-21 | 1.43 |
| Nov-21 | 1.51 |
| Dec-21 | 1.52 |
| Jan-22 | 1.52 |
| Feb-22 | 1.52 |
| Mar-22 | 1.51 |
| Apr-22 | 1.51 |
| May-22 | 1.48 |
| Jun-22 | 1.34 |
| Jul-22 | 1.34 |
| Aug-22 | 1.34 |
| Sep-22 | 1.36 |
| Oct-22 | 1.39 |
| Nov-22 | 1.41 |
| Dec-22 | 1.44 |
| Jan-23 | 1.44 |
| Feb-23 | 1.45 |
| Mar-23 | 1.46 |
| Apr-23 | 1.51 |
| May-23 | 1.51 |
| Jun-23 | 1.52 |
| Jul-23 | 1.64 |
| Aug-23 | 1.68 |
| Sep-23 | 1.64 |
| Oct-23 | 1.46 |
| Nov-23 | 1.38 |
| Dec-23 | 1.38 |
| Jan-24 | 1.39 |
| Feb-24 | 1.39 |
| Mar-24 | 1.39 |
| Apr-24 | 1.39 |
| May-24 | 1.39 |
| Jun-24 | 1.39 |
| Jul-24 | 1.40 |
| Aug-24 | 1.39 |
| Sep-24 | 1.39 |
| Oct-24 | 1.39 |
| Nov-24 | 1.39 |
| Dec-24 | 1.39 |
| Jan-25 | 1.40 |
| Feb-25 | 1.40 |
| Mar-25 | 1.47 |
| Apr-25 | 1.67 |
| May-25 | 1.68 |
| Jun-25 | 1.81 |
| Jul-25 | 1.88 |
| Aug-25 | 1.97 |
| Sep-25 | 2.08 |
| Oct-25 | 2.12 |
| Nov-25 | 2.13 |
"Bread is a staple food for many households," prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.
"It now costs 74 cents more for a loaf of white bread than this time last year."
Monthly food prices decrease 0.4 percent in November
Food prices fell 0.4 percent in November 2025 compared with October 2025. The fruit and vegetables subgroup was the main contributor to the overall decrease, down 4.5 percent over the month. A range of seasonal produce, including tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, and lettuce, contributed to this decrease.
"Food prices have fallen in each of the past three months. This is the first time there has been more than two consecutive months of decrease since December 2023," Growden said.
| Period | Monthly percentage change |
| 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 |
| Oct-25 | -0.3 |
| Nov-25 | -0.4 |
Rent prices up 1.4 percent annually
Total rent prices (stock measure) were up 1.4 percent in the 12 months to November 2025. The annual increase in rent prices has been slowing since May 2024 when prices were up 4.6 percent.
| Period | Annual percentage change |
| Nov-19 | 3.1 |
| Dec-19 | 3.4 |
| Jan-20 | 3.5 |
| Feb-20 | 3.6 |
| Mar-20 | 3.4 |
| Apr-20 | 3.5 |
| May-20 | 3.4 |
| Jun-20 | 3.3 |
| Jul-20 | 3.3 |
| Aug-20 | 3.2 |
| Sep-20 | 3.3 |
| Oct-20 | 3.2 |
| Nov-20 | 3.2 |
| Dec-20 | 3.1 |
| Jan-21 | 3.1 |
| Feb-21 | 3 |
| Mar-21 | 3.1 |
| Apr-21 | 2.9 |
| May-21 | 3.1 |
| Jun-21 | 3.1 |
| Jul-21 | 3.2 |
| Aug-21 | 3.2 |
| Sep-21 | 3.2 |
| Oct-21 | 3.3 |
| Nov-21 | 3.5 |
| Dec-21 | 3.7 |
| Jan-22 | 3.6 |
| Feb-22 | 3.6 |
| Mar-22 | 3.7 |
| Apr-22 | 3.9 |
| May-22 | 3.8 |
| Jun-22 | 4 |
| Jul-22 | 3.9 |
| Aug-22 | 4 |
| Sep-22 | 4.1 |
| Oct-22 | 4.1 |
| Nov-22 | 4 |
| Dec-22 | 3.9 |
| Jan-23 | 3.8 |
| Feb-23 | 3.9 |
| Mar-23 | 3.9 |
| Apr-23 | 3.8 |
| May-23 | 3.8 |
| Jun-23 | 3.9 |
| Jul-23 | 4.1 |
| Aug-23 | 4.1 |
| Sep-23 | 4.2 |
| Oct-23 | 4.2 |
| Nov-23 | 4.3 |
| Dec-23 | 4.4 |
| Jan-24 | 4.5 |
| Feb-24 | 4.5 |
| Mar-24 | 4.6 |
| Apr-24 | 4.6 |
| May-24 | 4.6 |
| Jun-24 | 4.5 |
| Jul-24 | 4.3 |
| Aug-24 | 4.3 |
| Sep-24 | 4.3 |
| Oct-24 | 4.2 |
| Nov-24 | 4.1 |
| Dec-24 | 3.8 |
| Jan-25 | 3.6 |
| Feb-25 | 3.4 |
| Mar-25 | 3.3 |
| Apr-25 | 3 |
| May-25 | 2.8 |
| Jun-25 | 2.6 |
| Jul-25 | 2.4 |
| Aug-25 | 2.1 |
| Sep-25 | 1.8 |
| Oct-25 | 1.6 |
| Nov-25 | 1.4 |
National new tenancy rent prices (flow measure) have increased by 0.5 percent annually, from November 2024 to November 2025.
| Region | Nov-24 | Nov-25 |
| Auckland | -0.6 | 0.5 |
| Wellington | -2.2 | -2.7 |
| Rest of North Island | 3.5 | 1.4 |
| Canterbury | 4.9 | 2.2 |
| Rest of South Island | 3.8 | 1.3 |
| New Zealand | 1.0 | 0.5 |
"New tenancy rent prices are more expensive in Auckland in November 2025 compared to the same period in 2024," Growden said.
"For the Wellington region, new tenancy rent prices have fallen 2.7 percent in the 12 months to November 2025."
