Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Gisborne

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Gisborne: $1,987 and $2,029 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Gisborne
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Gisborne Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Gisborne

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Gisborne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $2,029 in Gisborne.

Dunedin $1,987
Gisborne $2,029

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $3,006 in Gisborne.

Dunedin $2,907
Gisborne $3,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,982 in Gisborne.

Dunedin $3,828
Gisborne $3,982

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Gisborne 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$28.96 NZ$51.5

-51.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$54.7 NZ$97.2

13.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$9.04 NZ$16.08

26.11%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.54 NZ$6.29

-7.63%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.09 NZ$3.72

-0.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.03 NZ$3.62

1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$6.35 NZ$11.29

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$5.81 NZ$10.33

6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.84 NZ$3.27

16.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$2.02 NZ$3.59

-1.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.76 NZ$3.13

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.83 NZ$10.36

1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$8.50 NZ$15.10

0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$9.22 NZ$16.40

-0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$14.35 NZ$25.50

16.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.62 NZ$4.66

15.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.27 NZ$4.04

0.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.07 NZ$5.46

6.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$5.67 NZ$10.08

-9.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.01 NZ$3.56

-8.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.44 NZ$2.57

29.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.23 NZ$3.96

8.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.10 NZ$1.96

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$21.32 NZ$37.90

-1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$9.32 NZ$16.56

-3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.44 NZ$6.11

-7.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$3.35 NZ$5.95

-62.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.73 NZ$3.07

-17.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$99.1 NZ$176

2.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$2.50 NZ$4.44

130.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$33.82 NZ$60.1

-15.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$2.22 NZ$3.95

-20.27%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$27.6K NZ$49.1K

2.22%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$24.8K NZ$44.1K

-5.41%

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

$110 NZ$196

$115 NZ$205

-4.12%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$32.28 NZ$57.4

-8.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$49.02 NZ$87.1

6.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$39.98 NZ$71.1

14.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$11.04 NZ$19.62

1.45%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$718 NZ$1,276

-18.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K NZ$31.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$53.8 NZ$95.6

9.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$36.84 NZ$65.5

-4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$88.2 NZ$157

3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$127 NZ$226

6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$1,013 NZ$1,801

-0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$830 NZ$1,475

8.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,463 NZ$2,600

11.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,309 NZ$2,326

3.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,946 NZ$8,792

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$3,203 NZ$5,694

-29.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gisborne: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Gisborne

$830 40.9% 7.5% $67

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Gisborne

$325 16% 0.2% $0.7

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Gisborne

$361 17.8% 45.6% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Gisborne

$196 9.7% 2.2% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Gisborne

$138 6.8% 4.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Gisborne

$117 5.8% 3.8% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Gisborne

$62 3.1% 9.1% $6.2

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 Gisborne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $55 in Gisborne. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $325, with Dunedin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Gisborne

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

37,300

💱 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 Gisborne 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Gisborne

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 Gisborne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $3,044 in Gisborne 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: $1,013 in Dunedin versus $1,013 in Gisborne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $718 in Gisborne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Gisborne runs roughly 3% 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 Gisborne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.