Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blenheim and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Blenheim: $1,414 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Blenheim
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Blenheim Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Blenheim

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,414

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,414 per month in Blenheim vs $1,987 in Dunedin, rent included.

Blenheim $1,414
Dunedin $1,987

A couple spends around $2,289 per month in Blenheim vs $2,907 in Dunedin, rent included.

Blenheim $2,289
Dunedin $2,907

A family of three spends $3,163 per month in Blenheim vs $3,828 in Dunedin, rent included.

Blenheim $3,163
Dunedin $3,828

Blenheim is about 29% cheaper than Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Blenheim and Dunedin sit above the global median – Blenheim by 4%, Dunedin by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.11 NZ$25.05

$14.03 NZ$24.90

0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 NZ$120

$62.0 NZ$110

8.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 NZ$14.35

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-29.12%

Cappuccino

$3.33 NZ$5.91

$3.27 NZ$5.80

1.83%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.92

$2.07 NZ$3.68

6.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-10.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 NZ$10.38

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 NZ$11.91

$6.16 NZ$10.94

8.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.91

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 NZ$2.45

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-30.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 NZ$1.88

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-39.77%

Eggs

$5.47 NZ$9.71

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-7.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.98 NZ$12.38

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-18.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 NZ$8.90

$9.21 NZ$16.36

-45.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 NZ$18.38

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 NZ$4.58

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-14.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-24.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.96

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 NZ$7.04

$5.13 NZ$9.11

-22.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 NZ$2.79

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-14.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-28.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 NZ$2.33

$0.60 NZ$1.07

118.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.72 NZ$42.11

$20.90 NZ$37.11

13.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 NZ$14.51

$9.01 NZ$16.00

-9.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$6.02

$3.17 NZ$5.63

6.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NZ$7.68

$1.26 NZ$2.23

243.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 NZ$3.64

$1.43 NZ$2.54

43.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 NZ$182

$102 NZ$180

1.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 NZ$4.61

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-55.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 NZ$2.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.98 NZ$49.68

$28.63 NZ$50.8

-2.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 NZ$2.78

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-11.30%

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

$10.7K NZ$18.9K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-62.24%

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

$17.9K NZ$31.7K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-23.90%

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

$45.60 NZ$81.0

$110 NZ$196

-58.70%

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

$22.52 NZ$39.98

$29.44 NZ$52.3

-23.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.55 NZ$80.9

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-12.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.87 NZ$40.61

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-50.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.48 NZ$7.95

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 NZ$8.87

$11.20 NZ$19.89

-55.36%

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

$447 NZ$793

$588 NZ$1,045

-24.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K NZ$38.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.09 NZ$35.66

$58.8 NZ$104

-65.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.33 NZ$20.12

$35.28 NZ$62.6

-67.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$177

$91.3 NZ$162

9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 NZ$219

$135 NZ$240

-8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 NZ$1,205

$1,013 NZ$1,798

-32.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 NZ$956

$897 NZ$1,593

-39.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 NZ$2,171

$1,632 NZ$2,897

-25.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NZ$1,869

$1,358 NZ$2,410

-22.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,659 NZ$8,271

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,339 NZ$5,927

$2,273 NZ$4,035

46.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,431 NZ$4,316

$2,464 NZ$4,374

-1.31%

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 Blenheim: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Blenheim

$538 38.1%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 66.6% $359

Groceries & Markets

Blenheim

$260 18.4%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 24.7% $64

Eating Out

Blenheim

$236 16.7%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 5.2% $12

Getting Around

Blenheim

$119 8.4%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 5.3% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Blenheim

$114 8.1%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 25.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blenheim

$114 8%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 69.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Blenheim

$33 2.3%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 108% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $679 in Blenheim 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 $68 in Blenheim versus $62 in Dunedin. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Blenheim vs $324 in Dunedin – so Blenheim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Blenheim

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

Same time as Blenheim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,800

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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Highest

Between locations

Blenheim Dunedin 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Blenheim
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

Blenheim vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dunedin is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,122 per month in Blenheim and $2,980 in Dunedin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Blenheim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $679 there versus $1,013 in Dunedin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,414 in Blenheim and $1,987 in Dunedin. That makes Blenheim about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $447 per month in Blenheim and $588 in Dunedin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Blenheim – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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