Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,821 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Dunedin versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Dunedin $1,821
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,717 in Dunedin versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Dunedin $2,717
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,613 in Dunedin versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Dunedin $3,613
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 33% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 36% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 NZ$24.50

$20.22 $20.22

-32.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 NZ$110

$85.0 $85.0

-27.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.37

$12.35 $12.35

-7.53%

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.75

$5.47 $5.47

-40.95%

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

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$3.82 $3.82

-45.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$2.50 $2.50

-16.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 NZ$12.22

$8.06 $8.06

-15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 NZ$10.73

$8.99 $8.99

-33.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$1.13 $1.13

92.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$3.78 $3.78

-48.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$3.25 $3.25

-46.15%

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.40

$4.14 $4.14

40.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.54

$13.08 $13.08

-37.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.81

$14.31 $14.31

-34.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 NZ$29.52

$15.96 $15.96

3.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.13

$4.38 $4.38

-34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.17

$1.45 $1.45

61.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NZ$5.52

$4.54 $4.54

-31.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 NZ$9.00

$4.19 $4.19

20.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$2.63 $2.63

-30.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.29

$2.36 $2.36

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.25

$1.76 $1.76

35.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$2.16 $2.16

-74.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.93 NZ$37.33

$9.81 $9.81

113.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 NZ$15.82

$14.72 $14.72

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$2.78 $2.78

14.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

$3.48 $3.48

-64.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$1.49 $1.49

-26.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

$40.51 $40.51

68.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

$2.67 $2.67

111.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.88

$35.29 $35.29

-20.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$0.99 $0.99

72.73%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

$35.8K $35.8K

-29.80%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.7K

$27.2K $27.2K

-7.87%

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

$111 NZ$197

$219 $219

-49.53%

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

$58.0 $58.0

-51.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.1

$68.4 $68.4

-25.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.7

$57.9 $57.9

-17.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.60

$14.13 $14.13

-26.19%

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

$591 NZ$1,054

$1,509 $1,509

-60.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$103

$51.7 $51.7

11.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.6

$44.05 $44.05

-21.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$166

$85.1 $85.1

9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

$105 $105

25.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,562

$1,932 $1,932

-54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,339

$1,272 $1,272

-40.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,630

$3,670 $3,670

-59.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,051

$2,525 $2,525

-54.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,023

$3,199 $3,199

-29.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,379

$5,105 $5,105

-51.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.79

4.12%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 69.5% $522

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 25.8% $83

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 41.6% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 81.9% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 9.8% $14

Getting Around

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 27% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 25% $17

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 $876 in Dunedin and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 108% 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 $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $403 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

02:24 2:24 AM

18 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

974,447

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Austin, TX 12,490 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Austin, TX. 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 108% lower in Austin, TX. 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: $876 in Dunedin versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,821 per month in Dunedin versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 68% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,821 in Dunedin versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Dunedin and Austin, TX 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 48% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.