Food prices rise 4 per cent in 2025, driven by grocery and meat costs

Friday, 16 January 2026

Food prices rose 4.0 per cent in the 12 months to December 2025, according to new data from Stats NZ.

The annual increase was slightly lower than the 4.4 per cent recorded in November 2025, but still reflects steady pressure on household budgets.

The biggest driver was the grocery food group, which rose 4.6 per cent year-on-year. Prices for meat, poultry and fish climbed 7.4 per cent.

Some staples saw sharp increases. The average price for two litres of milk rose to $4.92, up 15.8 per cent from $4.25.

A kilogram of porterhouse beef steak jumped 21.7 per cent to $44.30, up from $36.39.

White bread increased 58.3 per cent to $2.20 for a 600-gram loaf, from $1.39.

The milk and bread prices quoted reflected the cheapest available options, Stats NZ said.

Olive oil was the biggest offsetting contribution to the overall increase. The average price for olive oil was $17.45 per litre in December 2025.

“Olive oil prices were the lowest since March 2024. After increasing steadily in price through 2024, they are now 23.4 per cent lower than March 2025 when one litre of olive oil cost $22.79,” prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.

“Salad season was cheaper in December 2025 as prices for vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber, and avocado were all down as well.”