yes. NZ's living cost is higher than Australia.

1.NZ's petrol now is NZ$2.229 vs A$1.439 in Australia
2.For food and fruit in supermarket, NZ is about 30% higher than Ausralia. for example, Orange is NZ$2.99/kg vs A$0.99
3.Telecommunication , NZ is 100% higher than Australia.
4.For house, only small percentage of people in NZ can afford to live in brick house as brick is expensive in NZ.  Most of houses are built by weatherboard and plaster. Weatherboard houses need be painted for a few years. Plaster houses will leak after a few years. Many houses/apartments have leaking problems due to plaster as people look for cheap option a decade ago.
5.During winter, only small percentage of people can afford to turn on central internal heating if they have. The electricity and gas is just too high. Energy company must charge customers each month while in Australia engery company charge customer each quarter.