Is a cheap website a false economy?

Not always. A fast, clear site on a proven framework often beats an expensive custom one. What matters is whether it turns visitors into enquiries.

Should I use Wix or Squarespace?

For a hobby or a very early business, possibly. If your website needs to win work, it's worth having it built properly.

How long does a website take?

A landing page can be live within a week. Most small business sites take two to six weeks, and most of that is waiting on content.

What a website costs in NZ.

Most small businesses pay $1,500 to $8,000 for a professionally built site, plus $50 to $300 a month to host and look after it. Here's what the money actually buys.

By Craig Stewart, founder of Airea Digital · Updated 22 October 2026

See 2026 prices

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Typical NZ prices in 2026

DIY builder

$25 to $60 a month Wix, Squarespace and similar, plus your own time to build and maintain it.

Single landing page

$500 to $2,000 One focused page, often used for an ad campaign or a new offer.

Small business site

$1,500 to $6,000 Five to eight pages: home, services, about, contact and the essentials.

Custom-designed site

$5,000 to $10,000+ Designed from a blank page around your brand, with more pages and features.

Online store

From about $5,000 Products, payments, shipping and stock. Often much more for large catalogues.

Web app or portal

Priced to scope Bookings, member areas and dashboards. Usually $20,000 or more.

Ranges are drawn from published price lists and pricing guides from New Zealand web agencies in 2026. Check whether a quote includes GST.

Ongoing website costs in NZ

Domain name: roughly $25 to $50 a year for a .co.nz
Hosting: $25 to $300 a month, depending on whether it's just hosting or includes updates, backups and edits
Changes: some agencies charge by the hour for every edit; a care plan is usually cheaper if you update often

What makes one website cost more than another

Design approach

Designing from a blank page takes longer than adapting a proven framework to your brand.

Pages and words

Copywriting is often the slowest part of a project. More pages, more writing.

Features

Bookings, payments, member areas and connections to your other systems all add build time.

Online stores

Products, shipping rules, payment setup and stock management.

Moving an old site

Protecting existing Google rankings needs careful redirects and checks.

Questions to ask before you pay

Who owns the domain, the site and the content?
What does hosting cost after launch, and what does it include?
How many rounds of changes are included?
Is it built to be found on Google: fast, with proper page titles and a sitemap?
What does a change cost after launch?

What Airea Digital charges for a website

Launch Page

$499 + GST One conversion-focused page, live in five working days.

Business Site

$1,999 + GST Six to eight pages, live in two to three weeks.

Custom Site

From $5,500 + GST Designed from scratch around your brand and customers.

Stores and web apps

Priced to scope Anything's possible: tell us what you need.

Hosting from $49 + GST a month. Full details on our web design page.

Website cost questions

Is a cheap website a false economy?: Not always. A fast, clear site on a proven framework often beats an expensive custom one. What matters is whether it turns visitors into enquiries.
Should I use Wix or Squarespace?: For a hobby or a very early business, possibly. If your website needs to win work, it's worth having it built properly.
How long does a website take?: A landing page can be live within a week. Most small business sites take two to six weeks, and most of that is waiting on content.

Get a website quote from Airea Digital.

hello@airea.co.nz