Hourly rates will be between $2 and $3.
Automobile Association (AA) spokesman Barney Irvine condemned the decision as "a kick in the teeth" for motorists.
"Most Auckland AA Members who drive to work in the CBD do so out of necessity," he said.
"Nearly half use their cars for work during the day, and many others live a long way from the public transport network or have household responsibilities that just don't fit with taking the bus or train."
Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said she was surprised the increase was so large.
"It does sound like a big increase to go from $13 to $17 and Aucklanders have to get to work [in the city] from some quite big distances too, so [they] may be getting Early Bird parking if they don't have the option of public transport."
Transport expert Matt Lowrie from Transportblog.co.nz said the move would declog the city's roads as commuters rushed to secure a park.
"Early Bird parking encourages people to drive on roads when they are busy at the peak times so it actually creates a lot more congestion.
"Auckland isn't short of car parking for anybody prepared to pay for it, and people should pay for it."
However, he questioned the capability of already stretched public transport to take on the extra load.
"With capacity constraints existing on our buses and trains I hope this means Auckland Transport will follow up with increased capacity."
An Auckland Council spokesman said the new price was still cheaper than commercial operators Wilson Parking and Tournament Parking.
Wilson Parking has 81 car parking facilities in the CBD.
Prices range from up to $10 an hour for casual parkers, between $14 and $23 for Early Bird parkers and monthly rentals start at $250.
Tournament Parking has six carparks in the area and charges up to $8 an hour for casual parking, and between $13 and $17 a day for Early Bird rates. Its monthly rental prices were not available last night.
$260 a month to park in the city
Nicola Sharkey (left) and Sian Mollison share the cost of a carpark in the inner city and are concerned about an increase in monthly fees. Photo / Dean Purcell
When you live in the most southern part of Auckland - in Franklin district - catching the bus or train into town every day is not a practical option for many locals.
Work colleagues Nicola Sharkey and Sian Mollison both live south of Pukekohe and have been carpooling into the city business district, where they work, since early this year.
The two friends - Ms Sharkey a finance manager and Ms Mollison a resource administrator - share the cost for a spot at the Victoria St Car Park.
In April, the park cost them $220 a month.
At the end of October they were notified that the cost would go up to at least $260 a month.
"It's so expensive for us," Ms Mollison said. "It took us ages to get the permit for the carpark in the first place and now the price is going up. It makes you think twice about working in the city."
Ms Sharkey said she understood why the council wanted to get more people using public transport. But for people like them, it simply was not an option.
"If there was a really good public transport system around Pukekohe then of course we would use it. If they had express trains and better times then that would be an option," she said.
"But there are only about 10 services a day for us to use and the times don't fit around our schedules. We don't have a choice."
The pair said they had started thinking about other carparking options.
Parking in Auckland CBD
Auckland Council
• Now: $3/hr, $13 Early Bird and between $87 and $360 for a monthly lease
• From December 1: $3/hr, $17 a day and between $150 and $410 for a monthly lease
Wilson Parking
• $10/hr, between $14 and $23 Early Bird and monthly rentals start at $250.
Tournament Parking
• $8/hr, between $13 and $17 Early Bird, monthly rental prices not known
