Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Blenheim

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.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Blenheim
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Blenheim Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Blenheim

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Blenheim

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

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

Dunedin $1,987
Blenheim $1,414

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

Dunedin $2,907
Blenheim $2,289

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

Dunedin $3,828
Blenheim $3,163

Dunedin costs about 40% more than Blenheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$14.11 NZ$25.08

-0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$67.5 NZ$120

-8.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.08 NZ$14.37

41.09%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.33 NZ$5.92

-1.80%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.21 NZ$3.92

-6.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.85 NZ$3.29

11.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$5.85 NZ$10.39

15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$6.71 NZ$11.93

-8.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.64 NZ$2.92

31.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.38 NZ$2.45

44.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.06 NZ$1.88

66.04%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.47 NZ$9.72

7.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$6.98 NZ$12.40

22.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$5.01 NZ$8.91

83.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$10.35 NZ$18.40

61.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.58 NZ$4.58

17.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$1.72 NZ$3.06

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$2.80 NZ$4.97

16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$3.96 NZ$7.05

29.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.57 NZ$2.80

17.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.40 NZ$2.49

33.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$1.72 NZ$3.07

40.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.31 NZ$2.33

-54.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$23.72 NZ$42.16

-11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$8.18 NZ$14.53

10.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.39 NZ$6.02

-6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$4.33 NZ$7.69

-70.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$2.05 NZ$3.64

-30.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$103 NZ$183

-1.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$2.59 NZ$4.61

122.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 NZ$2.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$27.98 NZ$49.74

2.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.57 NZ$2.79

12.74%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$10.7K NZ$18.9K

164.81%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$17.9K NZ$31.8K

31.40%

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

$110 NZ$196

$45.60 NZ$81.1

142.15%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$22.52 NZ$40.03

30.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$45.55 NZ$81.0

14.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$22.87 NZ$40.66

100.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.48 NZ$7.96

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$5.00 NZ$8.88

124.00%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$447 NZ$794

31.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$20.09 NZ$35.71

192.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$11.33 NZ$20.15

211.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$99.6 NZ$177

-8.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$123 NZ$219

9.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$679 NZ$1,206

49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$538 NZ$957

66.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,223 NZ$2,174

33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,053 NZ$1,872

28.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,659 NZ$8,281

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$3,339 NZ$5,935

-31.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

$2,431 NZ$4,322

1.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.91

19.63%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Blenheim: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Blenheim

$538 38.1% 40% $359

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Blenheim

$260 18.4% 19.8% $64

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Blenheim

$236 16.7% 4.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Blenheim

$114 8% 40.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Blenheim

$114 8.1% 20.6% $30

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Blenheim

$119 8.4% 5.6% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Blenheim

$33 2.3% 51.9% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Dunedin versus $679 in Blenheim. 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 $62 in Dunedin versus $68 in Blenheim. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Dunedin vs $260 in Blenheim – so Blenheim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Blenheim

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

28,800

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Blenheim 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Blenheim

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 Blenheim: 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 $2,980 per month in Dunedin and $2,122 in Blenheim. 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 $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,414 in Blenheim. That makes Blenheim about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $588 per month in Dunedin and $447 in Blenheim. 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.