Milk and cheese prices soar as power prices continue climb

Monday, 17 November 2025

Food prices rose 4.7% in the 12 months to October 2025, according to new figures from Stats NZ. The increase follows a 4.1% rise in the year to September.

The grocery food group contributed the most to the annual increase, up 4.9%, followed by meat, poultry, and fish, which jumped 7.6%.

The cost of some everyday staples surged:

• milk averaged $4.78 per 2 litres, up 13.5%

• instant coffee hit $7.88 per 100 grams, up 25.5%

• cheese climbed to $12.71 per 1kg block, up 30.1%

• fresh eggs reached $9.88 per dozen, up 18.5%

These average prices for milk and cheese reflect the cheapest available options for each item, Stats NZ said.

“Those who enjoy eggs and coffee in the morning may have noticed them becoming more expensive,” prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.

“The price of milk increased by 91 cents per 2 litres over the last two years. Eggs were up 8.8%, and coffee was up 12.4% over the same period.”

On a monthly basis, food prices fell 0.3% from September to October. This was driven by a drop in the fruit and vegetables subgroup, which recorded the only fall.

“Vegetable prices fell 10.7% this month, with salad items such as lettuce, tomato, and cucumber becoming cheaper. This is the largest monthly price decrease for vegetables since November 2021,” Growden said.

However, not all fresh produce became more affordable. “Although fruit and vegetable prices have fallen overall, the price for fruits such as kiwifruit and apples have increased by 48.4% and 7.1% respectively,” she said.

Average October prices included:

• lettuce at $4.60 per kg, down 31.9% monthly

• capsicums at $13.79 per kg, down 26.2% monthly

• cucumbers at $8.57 per kg, down 21.9% monthly

“This is the first time this year that food prices have fallen in consecutive months,” Growden added.

Electricity and gas prices also rose sharply over the year to October 2025, with electricity up 11.8% and gas up 14.4%.

Monthly increases were more modest, with electricity up 0.5% and gas up 1.9% in October.

“There have been 11 consecutive months of price increases for both electricity and gas,” Growden said.

Labour laid the blame for the price increases squarely on the Government.

“Christopher Luxon promised to ease the cost of living, instead he’s making it worse,” the party’s finance and economy spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said.

“Record numbers of New Zealanders are packing up and leaving, and the spiralling cost of living is a big reason why.”