Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $1,667 a month against $1,825 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,825

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Hamilton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Dunedin versus $1,667 in Hamilton.

Dunedin $1,825
Hamilton $1,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,710 in Dunedin versus $2,611 in Hamilton.

Dunedin $2,710
Hamilton $2,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,595 in Dunedin versus $3,554 in Hamilton.

Dunedin $3,595
Hamilton $3,554

Living in Dunedin is roughly 9% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 35% above, Hamilton 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.81

$11.95 NZ$21.13

17.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 NZ$111

$74.5 NZ$132

-15.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.17

$8.71 NZ$15.40

30.88%

Cappuccino

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$3.43 NZ$6.07

-1.46%

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

$2.09 NZ$3.69

$2.20 NZ$3.90

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.43 NZ$4.30

-11.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 NZ$12.16

$6.29 NZ$11.12

9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 NZ$10.70

$5.55 NZ$9.82

9.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$1.47 NZ$2.60

48.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.25 NZ$2.21

61.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-6.81%

Eggs

$5.96 NZ$10.55

$5.42 NZ$9.58

9.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 NZ$14.57

$5.70 NZ$10.09

44.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.71

$7.19 NZ$12.72

31.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 NZ$28.70

$11.76 NZ$20.79

38.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.36

$2.58 NZ$4.57

17.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 NZ$4.19

$2.30 NZ$4.07

3.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 NZ$5.63

$3.12 NZ$5.53

2.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 NZ$9.04

$6.34 NZ$11.22

-19.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$2.01 NZ$3.55

-5.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$1.36 NZ$2.41

31.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.03

$2.51 NZ$4.43

-9.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.06

$0.93 NZ$1.64

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.22 NZ$37.53

$25.32 NZ$44.79

-16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.20 NZ$16.28

$10.61 NZ$18.77

-13.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 NZ$5.55

$3.93 NZ$6.96

-20.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.15

$4.14 NZ$7.31

-70.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$1.40 NZ$2.48

-20.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 NZ$123

$41.13 NZ$72.7

68.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 NZ$10.31

$3.69 NZ$6.52

57.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.53 NZ$50.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.65 NZ$2.92

6.06%

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

$28.3K NZ$50.1K

$28.1K NZ$49.8K

0.69%

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

$23.0K NZ$40.8K

$22.8K NZ$40.3K

1.23%

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

$110 NZ$194

$58.3 NZ$103

88.22%

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

$28.37 NZ$50.2

$37.16 NZ$65.7

-23.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 NZ$93.0

$53.8 NZ$95.2

-2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.26 NZ$87.1

$25.07 NZ$44.34

96.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.47 NZ$50.4

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 NZ$18.54

$13.61 NZ$24.06

-23.00%

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

$581 NZ$1,028

$682 NZ$1,206

-14.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K NZ$40.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$105

$62.6 NZ$111

-5.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 NZ$61.7

$38.31 NZ$67.8

-8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 NZ$162

$93.8 NZ$166

-2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 NZ$241

$106 NZ$187

29.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 NZ$1,581

$1,099 NZ$1,944

-18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 NZ$1,355

$761 NZ$1,347

0.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 NZ$2,608

$1,539 NZ$2,722

-4.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 NZ$2,087

$1,342 NZ$2,374

-12.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,000 NZ$7,075

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,263 NZ$4,003

$4,604 NZ$8,143

-50.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,342

$2,683 NZ$4,745

-8.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.83

3.51%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$766 42%

Hamilton

$761 45.7% 0.6% $4.5

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$323 17.7%

Hamilton

$295 17.7% 8.8% $29

Eating Out

Dunedin

$250 13.7%

Hamilton

$224 13.4% 10.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$191 10.5%

Hamilton

$149 9% 21.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$145 8%

Hamilton

$135 8.1% 6.9% $9.9

Getting Around

Dunedin

$80 * 4.4%

Hamilton

$50 * 3% 36.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$70 3.9%

Hamilton

$52 3.1% 25.6% $18

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 $894 in Dunedin and $1,099 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Dunedin vs $74.0 in Hamilton. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $295, with Hamilton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

169,500

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Hamilton 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Hamilton

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 Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Hamilton differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,825 vs $1,667 including rent). Hamilton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Hamilton. 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: $894 in Dunedin versus $1,099 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hamilton runs roughly 68% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $581 in Dunedin versus $682 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,667 in Hamilton versus $1,825 in Dunedin, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Hamilton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Hamilton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.