- Lowest published from-price
- $47,500 6 m studio, Smart Housing Solutions
- Trade Me's stated range
- Under $5,000 to over $260,000 kitsets to custom builds
- Costs outside the home
- 4 categories site, power, plumbing, consent
- Prices last checked
- 15 September 2026 at the builder's own page
There is no such thing as an average tiny home price in New Zealand, and any site that gives you one has made it up. What does exist is a small number of builders who publish their prices in full, and what they publish is checkable. That is what this page is: their numbers, quoted, with the date we read them and a link so you can check we read them right.
What do NZ builders publish as their from-prices?
| Home | Published price |
|---|---|
| 6 m studio | from $47,500 |
| 8 m one-bedroom | from $57,500 |
| 10 m one-bedroom | from $72,450 |
| 12 m one or two bedroom | from $92,000 |
| 14 m two or three bedroom | from $139,725 |
| 16 m three or four bedroom | from $171,350 |
Their page also lists a Passive range "starting from $90,563 for a 10m one-bedroom". Their page lists these as starting prices and does not state whether GST is included. Source: Smart Housing Solutions, read 15 September 2026. Is this your business? Update or remove it.
| Home | Published price |
|---|---|
| Studio (article, June 2024) | starting at $49,500 incl. GST |
| One bedroom (article, June 2024) | priced from $65,000 including GST |
| Two bedroom (article, June 2024) | starting at $85,000 incl. GST |
Their buy page marks prices "Inc. GST Exc. delivery" but did not render the figures when we read it, so the prices above are the ones in their own June 2024 article and may have changed. Their buy page lists models from a 15.1 m² studio to a 52.8 m² three bedroom and states that a Code Compliance Certificate is included. Sources: HouseMe buy page and their pricing article, both read 15 September 2026. Is this your business? Update or remove it.
For the wider market, Trade Me's own buyer article says tiny home prices in New Zealand "range from under $5,000 to over $260,000". That spread is real: the bottom is bare kitsets and the top is finished custom builds, and they are not the same product.
What is not included in the price of the home?
This is where budgets break. The quoted price is for the home. Getting it onto a site and connected is a separate project, and it is the one nobody quotes you at the start. Smart Housing Solutions is unusual in publishing its own not-included list with ranges, which is why we can quote it.
| Cost | Their published range |
|---|---|
| Site preparation — levelling, gravel pad or concrete piles | $1,500–8,000 typically |
| Power connection from your house or street | $1,500–4,000 |
| Plumbing / drainage connection | $1,500–6,000 depending on access |
| Council consent fees if required | typically $1,500–5,000 |
| Upgrades, including a heat pump | around $2,500 installed |
| Delivery surcharge for a build larger than 8×3 | quoted upfront |
One builder's ranges on one date, not a national figure. Source: Smart Housing Solutions, read 15 September 2026.
What do council fees actually cost?
We do not publish a figure for this, because there isn't a national one and we have not been able to verify the numbers that circulate. Council fees are set by each council and depend on which consents you need and the value of the work. The only reliable answer is your council's current fees schedule for the consents your project actually needs.
What we can tell you is what MBIE says about the principle: councils "charge a fee for these services. The fee depends on the council and the amount of work involved, but is generally set for the recovery of reasonable costs. It will be a small proportion of the cost of the whole building project and will provide assurance that the job has been done properly."
How does the consent path change the cost?
Substantially, and in both directions. A building that fits a Schedule 1 exemption avoids the building consent process, but it also cannot have a bathroom or store potable water, which changes what you are buying. A granny flat under Schedule 1A avoids the consent but requires a Licensed Building Practitioner for the restricted building work. A home on wheels avoids the whole building consent question only while it stays genuinely movable and is not occupied long-term — and connecting it to services needs a consent regardless.
Work out which path you are on before you compare prices, because the cheapest home on the list may not be legal on your site. Check your consent path takes about a minute.
How to build your own budget
Building a realistic all-in number
- Start with a builder's published price for the size you actually need
Use their number, not an average. Note whether it includes GST and whether it includes delivery.
- Add delivery to your address
Ask for it in writing for your address, including any over-dimension requirements.
- Add site preparation
Levelling, a pad or piles. This is quoted per site and depends on slope and access.
- Add services
Power, water and wastewater. If the connection is to on-site utility services, MBIE says that work needs a building consent.
- Add council fees for the consents you actually need
From your council's current fees schedule, for the consents your consent path requires.
- Add a contingency you would be comfortable spending
Site work is where surprises live, because nobody knows what is under the ground until they dig.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a tiny home in NZ?
The lowest published from-price we have verified is $47,500 for a 6 m studio from Smart Housing Solutions, read 15 September 2026. Trade Me's buyer article puts the market range at under $5,000 to over $260,000. Both are the price of the home only.
Do those prices include GST?
It varies and you have to check. HouseMe marks its prices "Inc. GST Exc. delivery". Smart Housing Solutions' price page lists starting prices without stating whether GST is included.
What is not included in the price?
Typically site preparation, delivery, power, plumbing and drainage connections, and council fees. Smart Housing Solutions publishes ranges of $1,500–8,000, $1,500–4,000, $1,500–6,000 and $1,500–5,000 for those four.
How much are council consent fees?
There is no national figure. Councils set their own fees, and MBIE says they are generally set to recover reasonable costs and depend on the amount of work involved. Ask your council for their current schedule.
Why don't you publish an average price?
Because we would have to make it up. We have verified two builders' published price lists. Two price lists is not an average, and calling it one would be dishonest.
Is a tiny home cheaper than a granny flat?
They are often the same building under a different rule. What changes the cost is the consent path, the services and the site work, more than the label on the product.
Sources
- Tiny home prices NZ — Smart Housing Solutions — last checked 15 September 2026
- Buy a home — HouseMe — last checked 15 September 2026
- Tiny homes from $20,000 — HouseMe (article dated June 2024) — last checked 15 September 2026
- Find tiny homes for sale in NZ — Trade Me Property — last checked 15 September 2026
- Tiny Houses guidance, fifth edition, January 2026 — Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (PDF) — last checked 15 September 2026