New Zealand at half-price

New Zealand dollars are now worth just $.49 in USD

As I write this, the New Zealand Dollar is at .49 in US Dollars.  That is the lowest since 2003 and down from .80 just a year ago (a decline of nearly 40%).  As the dollar has continued to improve from its weak point a few months ago, our traveling dollar is now back to the strength of 2002.

The benefit here is tremendous.  Since the daily cost of living in NZD is roughly equal to that of USD, it essentially means that Americans can visit and tour in New Zealand at half price!

For example, a rental car from Budget is listed at 34 NZD per day.  About the same as what it would cost in USD here.  But thanks to the exchange rate, that makes that rental car just $17 USD on my US-based credit card.  An apartment that rents for 800 NZD per month in Christchurch would be just $400USD from my bank account!

For Katie and I, this means that not only are plane tickets to New Zealand the cheapest they have been in years (less than $1000 round-trip even from Charlotte), going there for a while could be incredibly cheap.  Australia (while it has a higher cost of living than NZ) is also off about 30% from just a few months ago.  Very tempting as we continue to plan.