A life of sin costs arm and a leg in Godzone

Auckland City. Photo / Doug Sherring

New Zealand is one of the world's most expensive countries in which to maintain a sinful lifestyle, according to new international research.

The Bloomberg Vice Index ranks the prices of a collection of controversial products - a pack of premium cigarettes; a bottle of alcoholic beverages including beer, wine and spirits; a gram of amphetamine-type stimulants including amphetamine, methamphetamine and ecstasy; a gram of cannabis; a gram of cocaine; and a gram of heroin and/or opium.

Picking up a basket with these goodies included will set you back $980.50 in New Zealand, one of the highest costs in the world.

The same collection costs $399.20 or 36.2 per cent of weekly income in the United States.

Our neighbours across the Tasman also have to pay a hefty price for the same products, costing $984.20.

The cheapest place to pick up a bundle of tobacco, alcohol and drugs is Congo, where it will set you back a measly $19.60.

Many of the countries with the cheapest absolute cost for a basket are in close proximity to the source of the drugs, such as the Golden Triangle of opium-producing region of Asia.

Congo's relative low income however means it still costs over half of the country's weekly income to buy.

Top of the list when it comes to the affordability of nefarious goods is Luxembourg, where a basket costing $259.30 makes up only 12.7 per cent of weekly income.

They are closely followed by Switzerland on 15.6 per cent, the Bahamas on 15.9 per cent and Belgium on 19.3 per cent. Chile rounds out the top five with 22.8 per cent.

Japan has the highest total cost at $1,441.50, while high inflation means Venezualans have to spend 17 times their weekly wages for a bottle of beer, packet of smokes and a gram of cocaine.