THE COST NO ONE QUOTES YOU

A home costs more
than its mortgage.

Rates, insurance, maintenance, body corp — the running costs that don't show up in a repayment quote. See what a home really costs, per fortnight and over the life of the loan.

The property

Rough numbers are fine — the defaults are typical NZ figures you can adjust.

Property value
Loan amount
Interest rate
Loan term
RUNNING COSTS / YEAR
Council rates
Insurance
Maintenance
A rule of thumb is ~1% of the property's value each year.
Body corporate
Apartments and some units only — leave at $0 for a standalone house.
WHAT IT REALLY COSTS
Per fortnight
$2,309
Per year
$60,023
The mortgage alone is $46,023/yr — running costs add $14,000/yr on top.

Yearly breakdown

Mortgage$46,023
Council rates$3,500
Insurance$2,500
Maintenance (1% of value)$8,000
Body corporate$0
Total per year$60,023

Over the life of the loan

Mortgage payments (30 yrs)$1,380,702
of which interest$740,702
Running costs (30 yrs)$420,000
Lifetime total$1,800,702
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Buying, and want the whole picture?

Running costs are half the story — the rate and structure of your loan are the other half. A licensed adviser can price your actual options across lenders. Free to you, opt-in only.