Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,987 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ashburton outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashburton and in Dunedin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ashburton and in Dunedin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,040 per month in Ashburton vs $1,987 in Dunedin, rent included.

Ashburton $2,040
Dunedin $1,987

A couple spends around $2,892 per month in Ashburton vs $2,907 in Dunedin, rent included.

Ashburton $2,892
Dunedin $2,907

A family of three spends $3,745 per month in Ashburton vs $3,828 in Dunedin, rent included.

Ashburton $3,745
Dunedin $3,828

Ashburton costs about 3% more than Dunedin.

Both Ashburton and Dunedin sit above the global median – Ashburton by 50%, Dunedin by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.48 NZ$25.71

$14.03 NZ$24.90

3.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 NZ$124

$62.0 NZ$110

12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 NZ$16.47

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-18.60%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.86

$3.27 NZ$5.80

0.92%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$2.07 NZ$3.68

9.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.73 NZ$11.95

0.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 NZ$12.40

$6.16 NZ$10.94

13.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-22.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 NZ$3.19

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-9.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-19.89%

Eggs

$6.04 NZ$10.72

$5.90 NZ$10.48

2.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 NZ$12.93

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-14.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 NZ$16.81

$9.21 NZ$16.36

2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 NZ$23.92

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-19.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 NZ$4.41

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-17.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-11.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.86

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-16.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.44

$5.13 NZ$9.11

-40.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-5.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$0.60 NZ$1.07

113.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.04 NZ$42.68

$20.90 NZ$37.11

15.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 NZ$14.83

$9.01 NZ$16.00

-7.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 NZ$6.21

$3.17 NZ$5.63

10.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.89

$1.26 NZ$2.23

252.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.43 NZ$2.54

23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 NZ$161

$102 NZ$180

-10.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 NZ$4.42

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-56.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.87 NZ$51.3

$28.63 NZ$50.8

0.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.77 NZ$3.14

9.04%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K NZ$49.7K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-0.74%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-0.73%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$157 NZ$279

$110 NZ$196

42.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.27 NZ$41.31

$29.44 NZ$52.3

-20.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.99 NZ$79.9

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.50 NZ$70.1

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-13.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.67 NZ$20.72

$11.20 NZ$19.89

4.20%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$676 NZ$1,200

$588 NZ$1,045

14.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NZ$106

$58.8 NZ$104

1.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 NZ$71.4

$35.28 NZ$62.6

13.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$91.3 NZ$162

11.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$220

$135 NZ$240

-8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 NZ$1,640

$1,013 NZ$1,798

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 NZ$1,685

$897 NZ$1,593

5.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 NZ$3,343

$1,632 NZ$2,897

15.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,287

$1,358 NZ$2,410

-5.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,025 NZ$8,922

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,445 NZ$6,116

$2,273 NZ$4,035

51.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

7.07

-16.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$949 46.5%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 5.5% $52

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 14.7%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 8% $24

Eating Out

Ashburton

$248 12.1%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 0.3% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$226 11.1%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 14.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$147 7.2%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 1.7% $2.5

Getting Around

Ashburton

$109 5.3%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 4.2% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$63 3.1%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 8.7% $5.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Ashburton versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton versus $62 in Dunedin. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Ashburton vs $324 in Dunedin – so Ashburton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

Same time as Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ashburton Dunedin 240 km

From you

Ashburton
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ashburton vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashburton costs about 3% more than Dunedin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,060 per month in Ashburton and $2,980 in Dunedin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $924 in Ashburton and $1,013 in Dunedin. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Ashburton – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton and $62 in Dunedin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,040 in Ashburton and $1,987 in Dunedin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Dunedin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,987 in Dunedin to $2,040 in Ashburton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.