Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Auckland

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.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Auckland

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

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

Dunedin $1,794
Auckland $2,388

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

Dunedin $2,661
Auckland $3,355

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

Dunedin $3,527
Auckland $4,321

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 25% less than in Auckland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 NZ$24.43

$14.10 NZ$24.93

-2.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$109

$65.9 NZ$116

-6.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NZ$19.54

$8.86 NZ$15.68

24.72%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.80

$3.34 NZ$5.91

-1.80%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$2.00 NZ$3.54

1.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$1.73 NZ$3.05

17.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.92

$6.64 NZ$11.74

1.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$6.56 NZ$11.59

-4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.96 NZ$3.46

8.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.82 NZ$3.21

-7.69%

Eggs

$5.75 NZ$10.16

$6.14 NZ$10.86

-6.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 NZ$15.10

$8.55 NZ$15.12

-0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.72

$9.73 NZ$17.21

-2.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.19

$17.27 NZ$30.54

-4.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$2.77 NZ$4.90

8.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$2.06 NZ$3.65

16.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$3.01 NZ$5.31

4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NZ$8.72

$5.79 NZ$10.24

-14.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-13.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.55 NZ$2.75

17.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 NZ$4.13

$1.97 NZ$3.48

18.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.04

$1.09 NZ$1.92

-45.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.71 NZ$36.63

$26.91 NZ$47.59

-23.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 NZ$15.75

$10.31 NZ$18.24

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$2.72 NZ$4.82

13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$3.24 NZ$5.74

-62.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$2.47 NZ$4.37

-55.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 NZ$117

$123 NZ$218

-46.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 NZ$9.66

$2.27 NZ$4.01

140.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.62 NZ$48.84

$32.31 NZ$57.1

-14.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.86 NZ$3.29

-5.38%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

1.38%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

$22.0K NZ$38.8K

13.37%

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

$111 NZ$196

$179 NZ$316

-37.97%

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

$28.15 NZ$49.78

$26.64 NZ$47.12

5.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$92.9

$51.4 NZ$90.8

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.73 NZ$84.4

$45.16 NZ$79.9

5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 NZ$31.95

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 NZ$18.33

$12.77 NZ$22.59

-18.87%

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

$570 NZ$1,009

$1,134 NZ$2,005

-49.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 NZ$104

$80.2 NZ$142

-26.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 NZ$61.1

$40.05 NZ$70.8

-13.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$93.7 NZ$166

-1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$109 NZ$193

20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 NZ$1,545

$1,290 NZ$2,281

-32.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NZ$1,324

$1,191 NZ$2,107

-37.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 NZ$2,617

$2,209 NZ$3,906

-33.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 NZ$2,031

$1,659 NZ$2,934

-30.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 NZ$13.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,200 NZ$3,890

$5,346 NZ$9,455

-58.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,425 NZ$4,288

$2,881 NZ$5,095

-15.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.37

31.66%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Auckland: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$749 41.7%

Auckland

$1.2K 49.9% 59.1% $442

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$321 17.9%

Auckland

$338 14.2% 5.4% $17

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Auckland

$241 10.1% 2% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 10.7%

Auckland

$257 10.8% 34% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 8%

Auckland

$146 6.1% 1.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2%

Auckland

$145 6.1% 91.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.8%

Auckland

$71 3% 3.3% $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 $873 in Dunedin and $1,290 in Auckland. 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: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $66.0 in Auckland for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $338 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Auckland

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

1,463,000

💱 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

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

From you

Dunedin
Auckland

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

Dunedin vs Auckland: 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.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Auckland. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

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

Childcare runs $570 in Dunedin versus $1,134 in Auckland. 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, Dunedin and Auckland 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.