Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,794 a month against $2,388 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,388

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Auckland 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 Auckland and in Dunedin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Auckland versus $1,794 in Dunedin.

Auckland $2,388
Dunedin $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,355 in Auckland versus $2,661 in Dunedin.

Auckland $3,355
Dunedin $2,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,321 in Auckland versus $3,527 in Dunedin.

Auckland $4,321
Dunedin $3,527

Living in Auckland is roughly 33% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 77% above, Dunedin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.10 NZ$24.93

$13.81 NZ$24.43

2.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 NZ$116

$61.7 NZ$109

6.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 NZ$15.68

$11.05 NZ$19.54

-19.82%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.91

$3.28 NZ$5.80

1.83%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$2.03 NZ$3.58

-1.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.05

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-15.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.74

$6.74 NZ$11.92

-1.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 NZ$11.59

$6.27 NZ$11.09

4.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 NZ$3.46

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-7.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.96 NZ$3.47

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.21

$1.68 NZ$2.98

8.33%

Eggs

$6.14 NZ$10.86

$5.75 NZ$10.16

6.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 NZ$15.12

$8.54 NZ$15.10

0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.73 NZ$17.21

$9.45 NZ$16.72

2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 NZ$30.54

$16.50 NZ$29.19

4.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 NZ$4.90

$3.00 NZ$5.30

-7.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.39 NZ$4.22

-13.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NZ$5.31

$3.14 NZ$5.56

-4.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 NZ$10.24

$4.93 NZ$8.72

17.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.85 NZ$3.28

15.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 NZ$2.75

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.48

$2.34 NZ$4.13

-15.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.92

$0.59 NZ$1.04

84.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.91 NZ$47.59

$20.71 NZ$36.63

29.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.31 NZ$18.24

$8.90 NZ$15.75

15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 NZ$4.82

$3.09 NZ$5.47

-11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 NZ$5.74

$1.20 NZ$2.12

170.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 NZ$4.37

$1.11 NZ$1.96

122.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$218

$66.0 NZ$117

86.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 NZ$4.01

$5.46 NZ$9.66

-58.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.31 NZ$57.1

$27.62 NZ$48.84

16.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.76 NZ$3.12

5.68%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

-1.36%

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

$22.0K NZ$38.8K

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

-11.79%

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

$179 NZ$316

$111 NZ$196

61.20%

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

$26.64 NZ$47.12

$28.15 NZ$49.78

-5.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.8

$52.5 NZ$92.9

-2.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 NZ$79.9

$47.73 NZ$84.4

-5.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 NZ$31.95

Cinema Ticket

$12.77 NZ$22.59

$10.36 NZ$18.33

23.26%

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

$1,134 NZ$2,005

$570 NZ$1,009

98.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 NZ$142

$58.9 NZ$104

36.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 NZ$70.8

$34.56 NZ$61.1

15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 NZ$166

$92.5 NZ$164

1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 NZ$193

$132 NZ$234

-17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 NZ$2,281

$873 NZ$1,545

47.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 NZ$2,107

$749 NZ$1,324

59.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 NZ$3,906

$1,480 NZ$2,617

49.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 NZ$2,934

$1,148 NZ$2,031

44.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 NZ$13.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,346 NZ$9,455

$2,200 NZ$3,890

143.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,881 NZ$5,095

$2,425 NZ$4,288

18.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

7.07

-24.05%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 49.9%

Dunedin

$749 41.7% 37.1% $442

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$338 14.2%

Dunedin

$321 17.9% 5.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$257 10.8%

Dunedin

$192 10.7% 25.4% $65

Eating Out

Auckland

$241 10.1%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 2% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$146 6.1%

Dunedin

$143 8% 1.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Auckland

$145 6.1%

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2% 47.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$71 3%

Dunedin

$68 3.8% 3.2% $2.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,290 in Auckland and $873 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 19% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Auckland vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $321 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

Same time as Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auckland Dunedin 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Auckland
Dunedin

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

Auckland vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dunedin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Auckland, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,290 in Auckland versus $873 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,134 in Auckland versus $570 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Auckland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,794 in Dunedin versus $2,388 in Auckland, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Auckland. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dunedin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,794 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dunedin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Auckland and Dunedin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.