Kiwis are being hit with a double whammy as the cost of living skyrockets amid the country’s Omicron outbreak.

Constant price hikes are more of a concern for some than coronavirus, and many are struggling to make ends meet.

On Saturday, after a week of soaring petrol and grocery prices, and daily Covid cases in the tens of thousands, people told Stuff they’re doing it tough. The big stretch is here, and it’s starting to bite.

Erika Phath is an essential worker so working from home isn’t an option, and the cost of petrol and parking means it's a pricey commute to her Wellington office.

Omicron has caused staff shortages in her workplace, and she worries about bringing the virus home to her high-risk dad, though said it was the cost of living that was really concerning.

“To buy an avocado these days it's like two for $5, which is insane, even just one cucumber is expensive.

“Everything is so high that it is hard to take care of yourself.”

New Plymouth teacher Felicity Paterson said Omicron was definitely a worry, as it was affecting staff numbers at the school where she works.

While she said the rise in prices didn’t affect her as much, it's impacting her children at university, and she said it was more concerning than Omicron.

“The cost of living will be around with us for a lot longer.

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“If we are highly stressed with not being able to live, then putting the virus on top of that, that's a recipe for disaster.”

Her husband Darrell Paterson, a real estate agent, used to be concerned about Omicron but said restrictions should be eased now that the country had reached a high vaccination rate.

Meanwhile, on Auckland’s Ponsonby Rd, Hope Pose said everything was getting more expensive

“I used to spend $150 [on groceries] for one person; now it's $200 or $300 to grab even the simple things like bread and milk,” she said. “It's really bad.”

Pose said that living in the super city had become a struggle.

“IFor low-wage workers, Auckland is not the place to survive. If you want to live here, you have to chip in with someone like flatmates, but if you live alone I don't think you can survive in Auckland.”

The Omicron outbreak was less of a worry for Pose, though she she said it was hard to keep up with all the changes in NZ’s settings.

“I used to check the news for Covid updates, but now I just live my life and carry on.”

Fellow Aucklander Mikaela Foy said the cost of everything, especially vegetables and grocery items, has increased, and she’d like to see fuel taxes lowered to ease the burden.

Morgan Thurston agreed, saying it was no longer possible to do a weekly grocery shop without spending at least $100. She said a much-needed increase in the student allowance of $30 a week had helped.

Christchurch man PJ van Heerden said he wasn’t concerned about Omicron’s arrival in the city, and wouldn’t wear a mask any more if he didn’t have to.

The self-employed electrician said while he’s lucky to have a steady income, he was being affected by the pandemic and rising fuel costs. He said he’d like the Government to reduce the fuel tax by at least 10 to 20 per cent to help to struggling families.

“Everything has gone up… food and fuel.”

Van Heerden said it would also be a struggle to be forced into multiple isolation periods should members of his household test positive at different times. He added that he felt sorry for those who couldn't afford to be away from work.

Also in Christchurch, dental hygienist Sara Gunnarsdottir agreed that the Government should reduce fuel taxes to bring petrol prices down as Kiwis faced increased living costs during the pandemic.

She said while she hadn’t particularly prepared for Omicron, she had plenty of supplies should she need to isolate.

Gunnarsdottir said she still wore masks and used the Covid Tracer app, but wasn’t concerned about Omicron being in the community.

“I was at the start but not now.”