Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Canterbury, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Canterbury

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

A single person spends $1,987 per month in Dunedin vs $915 in Canterbury, rent included.

Dunedin $1,987
Canterbury $915

A couple spends around $2,907 per month in Dunedin vs $1,521 in Canterbury, rent included.

Dunedin $2,907
Canterbury $1,521

A family of three spends $3,828 per month in Dunedin vs $2,127 in Canterbury, rent included.

Dunedin $3,828
Canterbury $2,127

Dunedin costs about 117% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Dunedin sits 46% above the global median, while Canterbury is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$13.95 NZ$24.76

0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$63.7 NZ$113

-2.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$11.52 NZ$20.45

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.06 NZ$5.44

6.86%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.07 NZ$3.67

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$3.94 NZ$7.00

70.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$6.09 NZ$10.82

1.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-3.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.93 NZ$3.42

3.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.69 NZ$3.01

4.14%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$5.53 NZ$9.82

6.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$8.34 NZ$14.81

2.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$9.17 NZ$16.28

0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$16.50 NZ$29.30

1.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$2.91 NZ$5.16

3.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.21 NZ$3.93

3.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.30 NZ$5.85

-0.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$5.19 NZ$9.21

-1.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.87 NZ$3.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.33 NZ$4.14

3.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.59 NZ$1.06

1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$21.06 NZ$37.39

-0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$9.26 NZ$16.44

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.21 NZ$5.71

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$1.20 NZ$2.13

5.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$5.73 NZ$10.17

0.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

$28.19 NZ$50.1

1.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.60 NZ$2.84

10.62%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-0.95%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

0.91%

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

$110 NZ$196

$113 NZ$201

-2.34%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$29.09 NZ$51.6

1.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$51.7 NZ$91.8

1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$11.46 NZ$20.34

-2.27%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$590 NZ$1,048

-0.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$59.9 NZ$106

-1.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$22.35 NZ$39.69

57.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$91.2 NZ$162

0.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$139 NZ$247

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$898 NZ$1,595

12.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

$2,733 NZ$4,853

-9.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

76.75%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Canterbury

$320 35% 1.1% $3.5

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Canterbury

$232 25.3% 6.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Canterbury

$194 21.2% 0.9% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Canterbury

$141 15.4% 2.4% $3.5

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 94.9% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5% 66.4% $45

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 $898 in Canterbury. 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 11% higher in Canterbury, 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 $62 in Dunedin versus $64 in Canterbury. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Dunedin vs $320 in Canterbury – so Canterbury wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Canterbury 220 km

From you

Dunedin
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin, $915 in Canterbury – Canterbury comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,980 per month in Dunedin and $1,373 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,013 in Dunedin.

Kindergarten costs $588 per month in Dunedin and $590 in Canterbury. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $915 in Canterbury. That makes Canterbury about 54% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Dunedin at $1,987. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dunedin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dunedin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $915 in Canterbury to $1,987 in Dunedin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.