How Much Does Backpacking New Zealand Cost? Full Budget Breakdown
Updated: 6 days ago
New Zealand is not the cheapest country to backpack, yet it remains a very popular destination. So how much should you budget for a backpacking trip to New Zealand? This blog post will take you through how much hostels, transport, activities, and food costs in New Zealand, to help you determine a budget for your trip.
For my complete guide to backpacking New Zealand (and how to do it without a car), see my post here.
Contents
Daily Budget for Backpacking New Zealand
My daily average in New Zealand was NZ$165 (approx. £75) per day. This included accommodation, food, transport, and activities, with some expensive tours (NZ$330+/£150+) thrown into the mix (Milford Sound and others). This did not include internal or international flights. I cooked pretty much every meal in the kitchens of the hostels I was staying in to save money, with only a few exceptions. You could definitely cut this down by being extra stringent with hostel choices, activities, and transport, but to get a good experience, make sure you budget enough. New Zealand is not cheap, and here is a breakdown of how much everything costs in New Zealand.
Backpacking New Zealand: Total Trip Cost
Depending on how you approach your New Zealand trip, your spend will vary. Here is an estimation:
Budget backpacker: £60–£90 per day
Mid-range backpacker: £90–£120 per day
Big activity-heavy trip: £120+ per day
For a one month backpacking trip to New Zealand, you will want to budget between £2500 and £3000.
How much does Accommodation Cost in New Zealand?
If you are staying in hostels, accommodation in New Zealand will cost you between £15 and £30 per night. Some hostels are nicer and therefore more expensive, but the cheaper ones I found to be fine as well. I would recommend looking at Haka House and Adventure for the best experiences. You can see my full list of recommendations in my New Zealand South Island guide here.
How much does Transport in New Zealand Cost?
If you travel New Zealand without a car, you will likely be taking the country’s Intercity bus network. The cost of this depends on which bus pass you buy, how long you’ll be travelling, and what stops you want to make. For more flexibility, I recommend getting the Flexipass, which prices tickets by hours travelled. For reference, as of 2026, 20 hours costs NZ$225 (approx. £115), 30 hours costs NZ$280 (approx. £125), and 40 hours costs NZ$355 (approx. £160). You can see the multiple different options on their website here.
For more information on getting around New Zealand without a car, see my post here.
How much do Activities in New Zealand Cost?
Activities in New Zealand vary greatly by price. While most of the hiking is completely free and gives you the best views of the country, if you’re looking to book tours, adventure activities, and other experiences, these will set you back. Here are some guiding prices for the tours that I took in New Zealand:
Milford Sound day trip from Te Anau: £80
Doubtful Sound day trip from Te Anau: £210
Shotover Jet experience, Queenstown: £100
Mt Cook National Park day trip from Lake Tekapo: £81
If you’re looking to get involved in trips like these, bungee jumping, skydiving, or anything along those lines, make sure you have budgeted enough.
How much does Food Cost in New Zealand?
If you stay in hostels, you will have access to the kitchen where you can cook. I cooked pretty much every meal in my hostels, and so the cost of three meals per day was approximately £10. I limited my alcohol consumption, which helped keep this figure low, as it can get expensive. If you eat out, expect to be paying anywhere from £15 to £20 per meal.
To save money, I would recommend making a strong list of priorities before you go to New Zealand. Figure out where you want to spend the most time, where to do any big activities, and how you are going to plan your meals. If you spread out your activities, you will lower your daily spend. Take a look at my complete guide to backpacking New Zealand to help you decide! Where your money will slip away is on alcohol and nights out, so make sure you set yourself a budget for this and stick to it.
I hope this helps you plan your New Zealand backpacking trip. As always, look after the places you visit and remember to only leave your footprints behind :)
Looking for more on New Zealand? See more posts here:
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