Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubrovnik and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,562 a month against $1,979 in Dubrovnik, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,979

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubrovnik and in Palmerston North

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

A single person spends $1,979 per month in Dubrovnik vs $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Dubrovnik $1,979
Palmerston North $1,562

A couple spends around $2,933 per month in Dubrovnik vs $2,537 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Dubrovnik $2,933
Palmerston North $2,537

A family of three spends $3,886 per month in Dubrovnik vs $3,511 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Dubrovnik $3,886
Palmerston North $3,511

Dubrovnik costs about 27% more than Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dubrovnik and Palmerston North sit above the global median – Dubrovnik by 47%, Palmerston North by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.49 €17.34

$13.50 NZ$23.87

44.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 €68.8

$63.7 NZ$113

21.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 €11.30

$8.80 NZ$15.56

44.43%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.74

$3.13 NZ$5.54

34.50%

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

$4.50 €4.01

$2.36 NZ$4.18

90.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$1.68 NZ$2.97

167.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.43 NZ$11.38

-15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 €7.10

$6.52 NZ$11.53

22.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.07

$2.14 NZ$3.78

-43.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.37 NZ$2.42

67.88%

Eggs

$4.18 €3.72

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-13.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 €8.81

$6.41 NZ$11.34

54.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$9.50 NZ$16.80

-5.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 €8.54

$10.78 NZ$19.06

-10.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.54 NZ$4.48

-30.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-39.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-26.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-50.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.41 NZ$2.49

-39.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.86 NZ$1.53

5.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-36.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.75 NZ$1.33

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 €4.76

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-75.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$7.91 NZ$13.99

-44.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-50.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.78 NZ$4.91

3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.51

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-27.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 €48.53

$82.3 NZ$146

-33.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 €3.92

$1.87 NZ$3.30

135.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-31.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 €6.58

$16.63 NZ$29.40

-55.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.64 NZ$2.90

9.76%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

20.11%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

6.55%

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

$178 €158

$68.2 NZ$121

160.20%

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

$22.58 €20.09

$32.09 NZ$56.8

-29.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.34 €37.66

$34.64 NZ$61.3

22.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 €62.4

$21.79 NZ$38.54

221.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.39 €20.81

$14.08 NZ$24.90

66.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 €7.12

$11.60 NZ$20.52

-31.03%

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

$90.6 €80.6

$1,034 NZ$1,829

-91.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,922 €6,157

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

-19.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 €65.2

$69.5 NZ$123

5.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.46 €24.43

$27.70 NZ$48.98

-0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 €58.9

$83.1 NZ$147

-20.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €69.7

$82.5 NZ$146

-5.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$906 NZ$1,602

59.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 €806

$639 NZ$1,129

41.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,747

$1,587 NZ$2,807

23.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$1,311 NZ$2,318

10.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,912 €7,038

$2,023 NZ$3,577

291.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$1,836 NZ$3,247

126.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,437 €1,279

$2,494 NZ$4,411

-42.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.39

-29.68%

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

Last update for Dubrovnik: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubrovnik

$906 45.8%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 29.5% $267

Eating Out

Dubrovnik

$324 16.4%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 27.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubrovnik

$242 12.3%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 44.3% $107

Groceries & Markets

Dubrovnik

$235 11.9%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 20.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Dubrovnik

$110 5.6%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 7.1% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dubrovnik

$86 4.4%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 47.7% $41

Getting Around

Dubrovnik

$76 3.9%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 42.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,442 in Dubrovnik versus $906 in Palmerston North. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 74% higher in Palmerston North, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Dubrovnik versus $64.0 in Palmerston North. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Dubrovnik vs $283 in Palmerston North – so Dubrovnik wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

13:32 1:32 PM

11 h ahead of Dubrovnik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,562

90,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubrovnik Palmerston North 18,130 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubrovnik
Palmerston North

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

Dubrovnik vs Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,979 in Dubrovnik, $1,562 in Palmerston North – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,969 per month in Dubrovnik and $2,343 in Palmerston North. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palmerston North, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Palmerston North. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $90.6 per month in Dubrovnik and $1,034 in Palmerston North. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmerston North, where all-in costs run around $1,562, than in Dubrovnik at $1,979. In Palmerston North it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubrovnik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Palmerston North. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubrovnik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.