Independent economic analysis · New Zealand
Analysis of what the official figures mean for real budgets, plus a calculator that reweights the national CPI to how your household actually spends.
Latest analysisAll analysis
The Official Cash Rate is up 25 basis points, to 2.75% — the second rise running. The move was expected. The way the Bank wrote about it points further in the same direction than its own language did at the start of the last hiking cycle.
ReadLower-income and lower-spending groups recorded larger annual increases than their higher-income and higher-spending counterparts.
ReadThe current picture
Data & tools
Stats NZ measures inflation for 13 household groups. In the June 2026 quarter the gap between the highest and lowest was 2.6 percentage points.
Wage rates across New Zealand have not kept pace with prices since 2021. See how far the going rate for a job has fallen behind.
How the calculator reweights the CPI basket, the full multiplier register, and where the estimate stops.
Common questions
What is household inflation?
Household inflation is an estimate of how the prices of the goods and services your household tends to buy have changed. It can differ from headline CPI because every household spends differently.
Is household inflation the same as a personal inflation rate?
Yes, broadly. A personal inflation rate and a household inflation rate both describe how price changes combine for your specific spending pattern rather than the national average basket. This calculator estimates it at the household level using official Stats NZ category price movements.
Is this an official CPI measure?
No. This is a general educational estimate based on a household profile and official category price movements. Stats NZ publishes the official measures: the CPI and the Household living-costs price indexes (HLPIs).
Is this my exact inflation rate?
No. It is a general estimate based on the profile you choose. It does not know the exact products, shops, quantities or substitutions your household made.
If we don't have a car, does petrol still affect our result?
Not directly — the estimate removes petrol and other private-car costs when you say you have no car. Petrol can still reach you indirectly through the price of food, delivery and some services, and those effects stay within their own categories.
Can this tell me what pay rise to ask for?
It gives you a cost-of-living starting point — roughly the rise that would keep your pay level with your household's costs. A pay request should also reflect your market rate, performance, skills and responsibilities.
Questions, feedback, or spotted something that looks off? Email hello@myinflation.nz.