Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Cromwell

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Cromwell: $1,987 and $2,011 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Cromwell
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Cromwell Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Cromwell

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Cromwell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $2,011 in Cromwell.

Dunedin $1,987
Cromwell $2,011

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,881 in Cromwell.

Dunedin $2,907
Cromwell $2,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,751 in Cromwell.

Dunedin $3,828
Cromwell $3,751

Monthly costs are close between Dunedin and Cromwell; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Cromwell 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$14.42 NZ$25.64

-2.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$62.5 NZ$111

-0.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$11.51 NZ$20.46

-0.96%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.26 NZ$5.79

0.31%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-3.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.05 NZ$3.65

0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$6.68 NZ$11.88

0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$6.29 NZ$11.18

-2.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$2.11 NZ$3.75

1.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.94 NZ$3.45

2.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.69 NZ$3.01

4.14%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.81 NZ$10.32

1.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$8.65 NZ$15.38

-1.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$9.37 NZ$16.66

-1.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$16.61 NZ$29.52

0.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$3.07 NZ$5.45

-1.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.18 NZ$5.65

2.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$5.02 NZ$8.92

2.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.81 NZ$3.22

3.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.28 NZ$4.05

5.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.60 NZ$1.06

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$21.12 NZ$37.55

-1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$8.94 NZ$15.89

0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.15 NZ$5.60

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$1.21 NZ$2.16

4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.88 NZ$3.33

-23.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$93.3 NZ$166

8.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$2.22 NZ$3.94

159.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$28.85 NZ$51.3

-0.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-3.28%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

0.19%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

2.98%

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

$110 NZ$196

0.31%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$28.58 NZ$50.8

3.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$52.9 NZ$94.0

-1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$39.41 NZ$70.1

16.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.00 NZ$12.45

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$8.35 NZ$14.84

34.13%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$796 NZ$1,415

-26.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K NZ$22.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$59.8 NZ$106

-1.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$35.97 NZ$63.9

-1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$90.7 NZ$161

0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$134 NZ$238

0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

-0.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$932 NZ$1,657

-3.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,638 NZ$2,912

-0.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,292 NZ$2,296

5.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,771 NZ$8,481

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$3,354 NZ$5,962

-32.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

$3,034 NZ$5,393

-18.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.6

7.12%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cromwell: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Cromwell

$932 46.4% 3.9% $35

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Cromwell

$322 16% 0.7% $2.1

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Cromwell

$252 12.5% 1.5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Cromwell

$192 9.5% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Cromwell

$144 7.2% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Cromwell

$113 5.6% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Cromwell

$56 2.8% 17.8% $12

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 $1,013 in Dunedin and $1,013 in Cromwell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cromwell pays 23% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $63 in Cromwell. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $322, with Cromwell cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Cromwell

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

5,000

💱 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 Cromwell 140 km

From you

Dunedin
Cromwell

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 Cromwell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Dunedin. 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: $1,013 in Dunedin versus $1,013 in Cromwell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $796 in Cromwell. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Cromwell runs roughly 8% less than in Dunedin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Dunedin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Cromwell are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Dunedin wins on affordability, Cromwell on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.