New Zealand
Data verified August 2026 · Sources
With an average wage of $60,896 in 2025, New Zealand −1.8% below its 2021 peak; consumer prices index at 81.6 (US = 100).
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New Zealand at a Glance
1Y Change
+0.7%
5Y Change
+2.6%
10Y Change
+15.5%
Historical Peak
$62,034 2021
Change From Peak
−1.8%
Overall Price Level
81.6
New Zealand’s Wage Story
Follow how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in New Zealand using constant-price OECD data.
USD PPP, constant prices · missing years shown as gaps, never interpolated
Ten Years Ago
$52,727 (2015)
Historical Peak
$62,034 2021
Latest Wage
$60,896 2025
Data Coverage
Wage history: 1990–2025
Reported observations: 36
Missing wage years: None
Latest price data: 2024 · 8 of 8 categories available
A Solid Decade Just Off the High
New Zealand's wage climbed +15.5% across ten years, adding +2.6% over five and +0.7% in the most recent year. The 2025 figure of $60,896 is 1.8% below the 2021 high of $62,034, so the series sits near its ceiling after a strong decade. From $52,727 in 2015, the ten-year climb was among the more substantial in this set outside the convergence economies. All three horizons are positive, which puts New Zealand in the minority of this dataset that is growing at every measured distance.
Reading the Trans-Tasman Contrast
What these wage changes mean for New Zealand depends on how they are read together. The natural comparison is Australia, a neighbour with a higher wage scale and similar affordability pressures, and the two series deserve to be read side by side rather than merged. The latest +0.7% one-year move gains clarity from the +15.5% decade trend behind it: a long rise that has slowed near the top, not one that has rolled over.
A Relative Price Reading
New Zealand's 2024 overall price level stands at 81.6 on the US-referenced scale, a gap of 18.4 index points below the benchmark. It is a relative standing — not a spending figure, not an inflation metric — and it complements the trans-Tasman wage picture rather than merging with it. New Zealand's wage series begins in 1990 with 36 reported years.
New Zealand’s Everyday Price Profile
Compare eight consumer price categories in New Zealand with the United States reference value of 100.
Overall
Food
Clothing
Housing
Health
Transport
Recreation
Restaurants & Accommodation
What Stands Out
Highest: Housing
Housing has the highest relative price level of the 8 reported categories in 2024, at 105 against the United States reference of 100. That is +5.0 index points from the benchmark and 2.0 points ahead of the next category, Restaurants & Accommodation at 103.
Lowest: Health
Health is the lowest of the reported categories in 2024 at 45.6, −54.4 index points against the United States benchmark of 100. The spread between the highest and lowest reported categories is 59.4 index points, which shows how uneven the 2024 price profile is across categories.
Overall vs United States
The overall price level for 2024 is 81.6, below the United States benchmark (−18.4 index points). Looking across the profile, of the 8 reported categories, 3 read above 100 and 5 below it, so the overall figure summarizes a spread of category positions rather than a uniform level.
Compare New Zealand
Choose another OECD economy to compare wages, historical changes and all eight consumer price categories.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Zealand
What is the average annual wage in New Zealand?
New Zealand records an average wage of $60,896 for 2025. The level trails the 2021 peak by −1.8%.
How has the average wage changed in New Zealand?
Over a decade New Zealand's wage moved +15.5%, with +2.6% across five years and +0.7% in the last year. The latest wage is −1.8% from the 2021 peak. Horizons are computed against specific target years only.
What are consumer price levels like in New Zealand?
New Zealand's overall consumer price index is 81.6 for 2024, below the US at 100. That is a relative index standing, not a dollar amount or inflation rate.
How far is New Zealand's wage from its peak?
At $60,896 in 2025, New Zealand is −1.8% from the 2021 peak of $62,034; the one-year change of +0.7% marks the trend.