Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Dargaville

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Dargaville: $2,010 and $2,020 a month, rent and utilities included.

97

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,010

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Dargaville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,010 in Dunedin versus $2,020 in Dargaville.

Dunedin $2,010
Dargaville $2,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,900 in Dunedin versus $2,978 in Dargaville.

Dunedin $2,900
Dargaville $2,978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,791 in Dunedin versus $3,937 in Dargaville.

Dunedin $3,791
Dargaville $3,937

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 49% above, Dargaville 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.90 NZ$24.85

$14.33 NZ$25.63

-3.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$110

$68.6 NZ$123

-10.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 NZ$19.86

$9.32 NZ$16.66

19.21%

Cappuccino

$3.24 NZ$5.79

$3.26 NZ$5.82

-0.61%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.80

$2.07 NZ$3.70

2.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.68

$1.78 NZ$3.18

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.94

$6.41 NZ$11.46

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 NZ$10.88

$6.42 NZ$11.48

-5.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 NZ$3.74

$1.76 NZ$3.16

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.41

$2.00 NZ$3.57

-4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$3.00

$1.77 NZ$3.16

-5.08%

Eggs

$5.86 NZ$10.48

$5.75 NZ$10.27

1.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 NZ$14.78

$8.29 NZ$14.82

-0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.86

$9.69 NZ$17.32

-2.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 NZ$28.89

$14.13 NZ$25.26

14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 NZ$5.34

$2.65 NZ$4.74

12.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 NZ$4.08

$2.27 NZ$4.06

0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.68

$3.06 NZ$5.48

3.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 NZ$9.34

$5.40 NZ$9.65

-3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$2.00 NZ$3.57

-5.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.19

$1.52 NZ$2.72

17.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.08

$2.21 NZ$3.95

3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$1.11 NZ$1.99

-50.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.63 NZ$36.89

$24.63 NZ$44.04

-16.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 NZ$15.95

$9.31 NZ$16.65

-4.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 NZ$5.73

$3.01 NZ$5.38

6.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 NZ$2.24

$3.39 NZ$6.06

-63.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 NZ$2.47

$1.96 NZ$3.50

-29.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$182

$102 NZ$183

-0.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 NZ$10.34

$2.30 NZ$4.12

151.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.27

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.24 NZ$50.5

$30.03 NZ$53.7

-5.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

$1.66 NZ$2.97

7.23%

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

$28.1K NZ$50.3K

$27.9K NZ$49.9K

0.81%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.7K

$22.5K NZ$40.2K

3.88%

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

$109 NZ$195

$112 NZ$200

-2.63%

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

$29.07 NZ$52.0

$28.35 NZ$50.7

2.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 NZ$94.7

$50.7 NZ$90.6

4.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.60 NZ$70.8

$38.51 NZ$68.9

2.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.22 NZ$20.07

$11.32 NZ$20.25

-0.88%

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

$576 NZ$1,029

$667 NZ$1,193

-13.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K NZ$27.0K

$16.8K NZ$30.1K

-10.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 NZ$105

$62.4 NZ$111

-5.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.67 NZ$63.8

$36.00 NZ$64.4

-0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 NZ$162

$95.3 NZ$170

-4.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 NZ$243

$113 NZ$202

20.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 NZ$1,810

$1,040 NZ$1,860

-2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 NZ$1,670

$945 NZ$1,690

-1.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 NZ$2,674

$1,656 NZ$2,961

-9.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 NZ$2,415

$1,469 NZ$2,626

-8.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,827 NZ$8,630

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,246 NZ$4,015

$3,337 NZ$5,965

-32.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 NZ$4,385

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.83

21.27%

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

Last update for Dunedin: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$934 46.5%

Dargaville

$945 46.8% 1.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$319 15.9%

Dargaville

$321 15.9% 0.5% $1.8

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 12.2%

Dargaville

$242 12% 1.5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$191 9.5%

Dargaville

$191 9.5% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$145 7.2%

Dargaville

$138 6.8% 4.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.6%

Dargaville

$122 6% 7.4% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$62 3.1%

Dargaville

$61 3% 1.4% $0.9

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 $1,012 in Dunedin and $1,040 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $69 in Dargaville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $321 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

4,600

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.559 USD

1 NZD = 0.497 EUR

1 NZD = 0.559 USD

1 NZD = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Dargaville 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Dargaville

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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $3,015 in Dunedin and $3,030 in Dargaville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,012 in Dunedin versus $1,040 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Dunedin versus $667 in Dargaville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dunedin – a meal for two runs $62 versus $69 in Dargaville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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