Household living-costs price indexes
Inflation by household type: June 2026 quarter
Annual change in living costs for each of the 13 household groups Stats NZ measures, plus the all-households average. Published 28 July 2026.
- Superannuitants4.5%
- Lowest spending4.3%
- Lowest income4.0%
- Lower-mid income3.8%
- Lower-mid spending3.8%
- Beneficiaries3.7%
- Average household3.2%
- Māori3.2%
- Middle income3.2%
- Middle spending3.0%
- Upper-mid spending2.9%
- Upper-mid income2.7%
- Highest income2.4%
- Highest spending1.9%
What the gap is made of
Living costs for the average New Zealand household rose 3.2% in the year to the June 2026 quarter, up from 2.1% three months earlier. Superannuitant households faced the steepest increase at 4.5% and the lowest-spending fifth of households 4.3% — both now above headline CPI inflation of 4.1%. At the other end, the highest-spending fifth faced 1.9%. Beneficiary households were at 3.7% and Māori households at 3.2%.
Two things drove the jump, and they pull in the same direction. Interest payments fell 15.4% over the year, having fallen 19.4% in the year to March: mortgage relief is still arriving, but less of it. At the same time transport costs rose 12.5%, as the petrol and diesel increases behind this quarter's CPI reached household budgets. A shrinking discount and a growing bill met in the same three months.
Every household group faces higher inflation than it did a quarter ago, but not by the same amount. The groups that had been cushioned lost the most cushion: the highest-spending fifth rose 1.2 percentage points and upper-middle income households 1.4, while superannuitants rose only 0.6. Falling interest payments only ever reached households paying interest, so as that relief fades it is withdrawn from exactly the households it had been helping.
The gap between the highest and lowest groups narrowed to 2.6 percentage points, from 3.2 in the March quarter. That narrowing is not relief. The range closed from below, because the least-affected households caught up, rather than because anyone's costs eased.
This is why a single national inflation figure can describe almost nobody. The groups above are Stats NZ's official household categories, which is as close as the published statistics get to any particular household. The calculator on this site takes the next step, reweighting the CPI basket to a specific mix of housing, transport, food and energy.
Who these households are
A living-costs figure only means something once you know whose costs it describes. Household counts, home ownership and income come from the 2024 Household Economic Survey. A percentage point is the difference between two percentages: a household group at 3.9% and one at 0.7% are 3.2 percentage points apart.
Population groups
| Household group | Annual change | Households | Own home | Avg. income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 3.2% | 1,940,088 | 65.8% | $83,076 |
| Beneficiary households | 3.7% | 238,869 | 26.4% | $41,844 |
| Superannuitant households | 4.5% | 476,116 | 85.7% | $41,033 |
| Māori households | 3.2% | 414,587 | 47.0% | $87,527 |
By household income
| Household group | Annual change | Households | Own home | Avg. income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest income (bottom fifth) | 4.0% | 388,962 | 66.7% | $25,916 |
| Lower-middle income | 3.8% | 387,814 | 53.2% | $55,557 |
| Middle income | 3.2% | 387,328 | 59.9% | $86,078 |
| Upper-middle income | 2.7% | 388,316 | 69.9% | $110,716 |
| Highest income (top fifth) | 2.4% | 387,667 | 79.1% | $166,788 |
By household spending
| Household group | Annual change | Households | Own home | Avg. income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest spending (bottom fifth) | 4.3% | 388,173 | 60.5% | $43,882 |
| Lower-middle spending | 3.8% | 388,216 | 58.8% | $60,393 |
| Middle spending | 3.0% | 387,843 | 61.4% | $86,206 |
| Upper-middle spending | 2.9% | 388,260 | 65.7% | $101,919 |
| Highest spending (top fifth) | 1.9% | 387,595 | 82.3% | $132,560 |
Superannuitant households experienced roughly 2.4 times the annual increase of the highest spending (top fifth) group in this quarter.
Why this differs from the headline CPI figure
The consumers price index measures the price change of a single national basket, and it excludes mortgage interest. The household living-costs price indexes measure what it costs each household group to maintain its own spending, and they include interest payments. When interest rates move sharply, the two measures can tell noticeably different stories about the same three months.
Generated from the Stats NZ HLPI time series indexes CSV. Only the All-groups headline series and the NZHEC division movements are retained; subgroup and class detail is left in the source file. Unlike the CPI, the HLPIs include interest payments, which is the main reason a household group's living-costs movement can differ sharply from headline inflation.
Earlier quarters
Common questions
Does everyone in New Zealand experience the same inflation rate?
No. In the June 2026 quarter, Stats NZ's household living-costs price indexes ranged from 1.9% for the highest spending (top fifth) group to 4.5% for superannuitant households, a gap of 2.6 percentage points.
What is the difference between the CPI and the HLPIs?
The consumers price index measures the price change of one national basket and excludes mortgage interest. The household living-costs price indexes measure the cost of maintaining the spending of 13 specific household groups, plus an all-households average, and do include interest payments. That single difference is often why the two measures diverge.
Which households face the highest inflation in New Zealand?
In the June 2026 quarter, superannuitant households faced the largest annual increase in living costs at 4.5%, compared with 3.2% for the average household.
Why did the average household's living costs rise less than CPI inflation?
Living costs for the average household rose 3.2% in the June 2026 quarter while CPI inflation was 4.1%. Interest payments are included in the living-costs measure and excluded from the CPI, so a period of falling interest rates lowers the living-costs figure relative to headline inflation.