Carry on: Auckland's fine for city breaks, costly for dining

An international comparison of city breaks – a one-night stay for two people in a top hotel plus meals and other expenses – shows Auckland sitting well under the world average.

But if it’s fine dining, Auckland’s top restaurants are among the most expensive in the world.

The annual UBS Prices and Wages report puts an Auckland city break at $US580, which is just over half the most expensive cities, New York at $US1030, the Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva at $US1050 and $US1020 respectively, and Tokyo ($US1000).

These compare with an average for 71 world cities of $US615, which is close to the going rate for Stockholm ($US610), Berlin and Los Angeles ($US620), Hong Kong ($US640) and Tel Aviv, Madrid and Lyon (all $US650).

As for the cheapest, for the price of a one-night stay in the most expensive places you could stay three nights in the eastern European capitals of Bucharest ($US260), Sofia ($US300) and Vilnius ($US310).

• The cost of a city break also includes wine with the dinner, a taxi ride, two tickets for public transportation, a rental car (100km), a paperback book, a phone call and postage for a letter. The prices do not include travel to and from the destination.

Dining out
A three-course dinner for two in a good restaurant with a tip but not drinks costs $US110 in Auckland, among the most expensive in the world.

Only five places among the 71 cities are dearer – Tokyo ($US220), Oslo and Zurich $US150), and Brussels, Luxembourg and Bratislava ($US120).

Eight other cities range alongside Auckland at $US110: Barcelona, Copenhagen, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Manama (Bahrain), Moscow, Miami and Montréal.

The worldwide average is $US80. The cost of a single meal in Tokyo will buy six in a clutch of the cheapest places: Bucharest, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Nairobi, New Delhi, Prague, and Vilnius at just $US40.

Checking in
A five-star hotel in New York City comes out at $US590 a night, making Auckland’s $US210 look relatively cheap.  It is, with the world average at $US300. Bucharest is the lowest at $US110.

A mid-range three-star hotel in Auckland is $US140, double that of the cheapest places, Bucharest, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur and Riga. New York is again the dearest at $US380, well ahead of Zurich ($US320), followed by Tokyo and Zurich ($US200).

• The hotel costs are for a double room with an ensuite bathroom and breakfast for two.

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