Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, New Zealand and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Cambridge and in Dunedin: $2,066 and $1,987 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Cambridge

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,066

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,066 in Cambridge versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Cambridge $2,066
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,874 in Cambridge versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Cambridge $2,874
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Cambridge versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Cambridge $3,682
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Cambridge is roughly 4% more expensive than in Dunedin.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 52% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 NZ$24.70

$14.03 NZ$24.69

0.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 NZ$119

$62.0 NZ$109

9.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 NZ$16.41

$11.40 NZ$20.06

-18.25%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NZ$6.08

$3.27 NZ$5.75

5.50%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.52

$2.07 NZ$3.65

-3.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.46

$2.06 NZ$3.62

-4.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 NZ$10.73

$6.73 NZ$11.85

-9.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 NZ$12.08

$6.16 NZ$10.85

11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.78

$2.15 NZ$3.78

-26.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NZ$3.83

$1.99 NZ$3.51

9.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.33

$1.76 NZ$3.10

7.39%

Eggs

$5.99 NZ$10.55

$5.90 NZ$10.39

1.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 NZ$15.09

$8.52 NZ$14.99

0.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 NZ$17.27

$9.21 NZ$16.21

6.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.13 NZ$23.10

$16.72 NZ$29.42

-21.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 NZ$4.55

$3.02 NZ$5.31

-14.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 NZ$3.87

$2.29 NZ$4.03

-3.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.21

$3.27 NZ$5.75

-9.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 NZ$10.30

$5.13 NZ$9.03

14.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.68

$1.84 NZ$3.24

13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NZ$2.72

$1.87 NZ$3.30

-17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$4.05

$2.41 NZ$4.24

-4.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.92

$0.60 NZ$1.06

81.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.73 NZ$45.28

$20.90 NZ$36.79

23.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.16 NZ$17.89

$9.01 NZ$15.86

12.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 NZ$5.92

$3.17 NZ$5.59

5.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 NZ$7.05

$1.26 NZ$2.21

217.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 NZ$5.07

$1.43 NZ$2.52

101.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$179

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 NZ$3.94

$5.76 NZ$10.13

-61.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 NZ$3.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.01 NZ$56.3

$28.63 NZ$50.4

11.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.04

$1.77 NZ$3.11

-2.26%

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

$27.0K NZ$47.5K

$28.2K NZ$49.7K

-4.32%

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

$22.6K NZ$39.8K

$23.5K NZ$41.3K

-3.76%

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

$102 NZ$179

$110 NZ$194

-7.73%

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

$26.30 NZ$46.29

$29.44 NZ$51.8

-10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.5

$52.3 NZ$92.0

-1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$80.8

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 NZ$24.53

$11.20 NZ$19.72

24.46%

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

$666 NZ$1,172

$588 NZ$1,035

13.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K NZ$34.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 NZ$109

$58.8 NZ$103

5.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.70 NZ$66.4

$35.28 NZ$62.1

6.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 NZ$166

$91.3 NZ$161

3.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$188

$135 NZ$238

-20.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 NZ$1,024

$1,013 NZ$1,782

-42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 NZ$1,989

$897 NZ$1,579

25.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 NZ$2,138

$1,632 NZ$2,872

-25.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 NZ$2,621

$1,358 NZ$2,389

9.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,539 NZ$7,988

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,027 NZ$7,087

$2,273 NZ$4,000

77.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,569 NZ$4,522

$2,464 NZ$4,336

4.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

-15.13%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.1K 54.7%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 20.6% $233

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$327 15.8%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 1% $3.4

Eating Out

Cambridge

$242 11.7%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 2.6% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$180 8.7%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$136 6.6%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 6.3% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$28 * 1.4%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 145% $40

Getting Around

Cambridge

$24 * 1.2%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 376% $89

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 $582 in Cambridge and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 4% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Cambridge vs $62 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $324 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Cambridge

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

Same time as Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,400

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Dunedin 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

Cambridge vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cambridge and Dunedin differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,066 vs $1,987 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Cambridge, 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: $582 in Cambridge versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dunedin – a meal for two runs $62 versus $68 in Cambridge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $666 in Cambridge versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Dunedin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cambridge 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.

It comes down to priorities – Dunedin wins on affordability, Cambridge on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.