{"id":123384,"date":"2025-11-07T19:18:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T19:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/123384\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T19:18:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T19:18:14","slug":"what-do-four-kiwi-flatmates-living-in-london-spend-on-groceries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/123384\/","title":{"rendered":"What do four Kiwi flatmates living in London spend on groceries?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lucy Anderson, a New Zealander the UK, shares a London flat with three other Kiwis in their twenties; Callum Pascoe, Jess Christie, and Tim Price. She tells 1News about the foodie pros and cons of London vs New Zealand.<\/p>\n

We each cook one shared dinner a week and shop for that meal ourselves. The rest of the time, we buy our own breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. It\u2019s a system that keeps things simple, everyone gets to cook something they like, and no one ends up eating pasta five nights in a row.<\/p>\n

We usually fend for ourselves on Fridays and Saturdays, and Sunday roasts have become a flat tradition.<\/p>\n

‘Groceries are cheaper here’ – Watch this story on TVNZ+<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The flatmates all like to cook. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Being new to London, we\u2019ve been making the most of free trials and discount codes, lately, we\u2019ve been getting 70% off meal boxes (similar to My Food Bag), paying just a few pounds each for a week\u2019s worth of dinners.<\/p>\n

Even though groceries are generally cheaper in London than in New Zealand, those free trials with HelloFresh and Gusto have helped us stretch our savings before our first UK paychecks came through. Before moving over, we each had to pay several months of rent upfront (NZ$16,000) so keeping food costs low has been a priority for our flat these past few months.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A lot of foods are cheaper in London than in New Zealand. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

That said, we all enjoy cooking and like to eat well, so it\u2019s a relief to find that groceries here aren\u2019t too pricey (especially compared to rent). Callum says meat costs about the same, \u201cbut vegetables, eggs, fresh berries, and milk are all much more affordable in London”.<\/p>\n

Eating out is definitely a treat. You can easily end up paying the same in pounds as you would in dollars back home. Thinking about getting a good burger in Auckland for NZ$15 (\u00a36.50) now seems almost unbelievable. \u201cI\u2019m pretty excited to visit home and go to a nice restaurant that doesn\u2019t cost NZ$300 a head,\u201d Tim says. <\/p>\n

\"Tim,<\/p>\n

Tim, Lucy and Callum (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Callum and I shop together, our weekly grocery haul usually coming to around \u00a350-\u00a360 (NZ$115-138). We order through an app called Ocado, a grocery delivery service run in partnership with M&S. There are no physical Ocado stores; everything\u2019s ordered online and delivered straight to your door. It can be slightly pricier than shopping in person, but it\u2019s incredibly convenient, especially when you don\u2019t want to lug heavy bags across London. A typical order includes oats, eggs, yoghurt, fruit, salad, dinner ingredients if we\u2019re cooking, and a few treats.<\/p>\n

\"Each<\/p>\n

Each flatmate cooks for the household once a week. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Jess spends slightly less and swears by Aldi for bargains, Tim is a loyal Tesco Clubcard user, chasing the best deals on chicken and rice. We\u2019ve learned quickly that shopping around can make a big difference, and that supermarket loyalty cards are worth signing up for.<\/p>\n

On average, our weekly grocery spend ranges from \u00a330 to \u00a370 (NZ$70-160) per person, depending on whether we\u2019re stocking up on flat essentials (cleaning products, toilet paper etc) or cooking bigger dinners. Fresh fruit and vegetables usually cost around \u00a310 for the week, while eggs, milk, and pantry staples like oats and pasta add another \u00a38-\u00a310 (NZ$18-42). Treats like chocolate, cheese, or a bottle of wine can easily push the total up. Between Ocado deliveries, supermarket shops, and meal box discounts, we\u2019ve found ways to keep costs manageable while still eating well, and it leaves a little extra to save for weekend trips around the UK or to Europe.<\/p>\n

‘Groceries are cheaper here’ – Watch this story on TVNZ+<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Sunday roast has become a flat tradition. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

<\/a>We\u2019re loving life in London, and surprisingly, it doesn\u2019t feel too far from home. Our part of Islington has plenty of Kiwis, from flatmates to caf\u00e9 owners, so it\u2019s easy to feel connected. It\u2019s also helped having a steady stream of visitors, and a care package of Whittaker\u2019s chocolate and reasonably priced coffee beans never goes amiss, thanks mum! <\/p>\n

That said, ask us again after our first London winter, we might be longing for a Kiwi beach and $4.50 flat white by then.<\/p>\n

\"Jess,<\/p>\n

Jess, Tim, Lucy and Callum (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

If you would like to partake in our Receipt Reveal series, please email receiptreveal@tvnz.co.nz. Please provide your phone number and tell us where in New Zealand you live. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lucy Anderson, a New Zealander the UK, shares a London flat with three other Kiwis in their twenties;…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[138,20105,219,144,5944,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-123384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-consumer-affairs","10":"tag-economy","11":"tag-food-drink","12":"tag-life-issues","13":"tag-new-zealand","14":"tag-newzealand","15":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}