On average, a mince pie now goes for $4.21.

How much are you willing to pay for your meat pie?

New Zealanders are now paying $4.21 on average for a pie, according to Stats NZ.

That is a $1.40 increase for the Kiwi staple over the past decade.

RUWADE BRYANT/STUFF Prizewinning pie maker Lee Ung says meat pies are becoming more gourmet, and are increasingly judged on looks.

The Food Price Index: Selected Monthly Weighted Average Prices for New Zealand is a monthly survey of food prices throughout the country.

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The data shows a steady increase in the price of a meat pie, from $2.80 in November 2007 to $4.21 in November 2017.

The 33 per cent price increase in pies tracks with the 30 per cent increase in the retail price of mince, but is below the 54 per cent increase in butter.

The price of flour has fluctuated, but is currently sitting at 10 cents more per 1.5kg than it cost in 2007.

Stats NZ senior media advisor James Weir said the data tracked the cost of food through a survey of supermarkets and shops.

"We go for the lowest priced product available. These are not your fancy deli pies but rather your run of the mill product."

Just 10 per cent of respondents to an online poll run through Neighbourly said they would be willing to pay more than $4 for a pie.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they would pay between $3 and $3.50.

Zane Carr-Neil, from Hamilton, said the price he was willing to pay depended on whether the pie came wrapped in paper or plastic, and the meat to gravy ratio.

"I would pay up to $6.50 for a pie – but that pie better rock my world."

Sarah Dawes, from Auckland, said what she paid depended on a number of factors, including size of pie, pastry, quality and quantity of filling, and "how broke v how hungry I am".

Crown Bakery & Coffee owner Lee Ung said his mince and cheese pie – which won silver in the 2017 Bakels New Zealand Pie Awards – sold for $4.

The Kiwi staple was becoming more gourmet, the Pukekohe business owner said.

"The pastry is very important, the taste and the look of the pie is key.

"The first impression is the look and when they are bad, they are not very inviting."