Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Hastings

For one person, living is cheaper in Hastings: $1,737 a month against $1,825 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Dunedin despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,825

/mo nomad

Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Hastings

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Dunedin versus $1,737 in Hastings.

Dunedin $1,825
Hastings $1,737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,710 in Dunedin versus $2,540 in Hastings.

Dunedin $2,710
Hastings $2,540

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,595 in Dunedin versus $3,342 in Hastings.

Dunedin $3,595
Hastings $3,342

Living in Dunedin is roughly 5% more expensive than in Hastings, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 35% above, Hastings 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.81

$11.23 NZ$19.87

24.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 NZ$111

$56.0 NZ$99.0

12.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.17

$8.76 NZ$15.49

30.14%

Cappuccino

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$3.23 NZ$5.71

4.64%

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

$2.09 NZ$3.69

$1.84 NZ$3.26

13.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.43 NZ$2.53

50.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 NZ$12.16

$4.36 NZ$7.70

57.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 NZ$10.70

$5.53 NZ$9.79

9.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$1.40 NZ$2.48

55.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.28 NZ$2.26

57.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.75 NZ$3.09

1.71%

Eggs

$5.96 NZ$10.55

$5.48 NZ$9.70

8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 NZ$14.57

$5.51 NZ$9.74

49.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.71

$7.08 NZ$12.51

33.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 NZ$28.70

$11.35 NZ$20.08

43.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 NZ$5.36

$2.67 NZ$4.73

13.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 NZ$4.19

$1.90 NZ$3.36

24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 NZ$5.63

$3.16 NZ$5.59

0.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 NZ$9.04

$3.41 NZ$6.03

49.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.74 NZ$3.08

8.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$1.00 NZ$1.76

79.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.03

$1.45 NZ$2.56

57.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.06

$0.90 NZ$1.59

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.22 NZ$37.53

$17.42 NZ$30.80

21.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.20 NZ$16.28

$9.38 NZ$16.60

-1.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 NZ$5.55

$3.98 NZ$7.04

-21.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.15

$2.97 NZ$5.25

-58.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$2.73 NZ$4.83

-59.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 NZ$123

$82.9 NZ$147

-16.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 NZ$10.31

$3.69 NZ$6.53

57.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 NZ$4.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.53 NZ$50.5

$30.91 NZ$54.7

-7.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.58 NZ$2.80

10.76%

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

$28.3K NZ$50.1K

$26.9K NZ$47.6K

5.35%

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

$23.0K NZ$40.8K

$22.3K NZ$39.5K

3.18%

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

$110 NZ$194

$191 NZ$337

-42.42%

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

$28.37 NZ$50.2

$35.90 NZ$63.5

-20.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 NZ$93.0

$59.8 NZ$106

-12.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.26 NZ$87.1

$27.13 NZ$47.98

81.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 NZ$18.54

$10.11 NZ$17.87

3.66%

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

$581 NZ$1,028

$665 NZ$1,176

-12.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K NZ$38.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$105

$45.83 NZ$81.1

29.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 NZ$61.7

$38.30 NZ$67.7

-8.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 NZ$162

$92.3 NZ$163

-0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 NZ$241

$90.0 NZ$159

51.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 NZ$1,581

$798 NZ$1,411

12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 NZ$1,355

$707 NZ$1,251

8.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 NZ$2,608

$1,560 NZ$2,758

-5.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 NZ$2,087

$1,145 NZ$2,024

3.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,764 NZ$8,425

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,263 NZ$4,003

$3,317 NZ$5,866

-31.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,342

$1,573 NZ$2,782

56.10%

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 Hastings: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$766 42%

Hastings

$707 40.7% 7.7% $59

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$323 17.7%

Hastings

$265 15.2% 18.2% $59

Eating Out

Dunedin

$250 13.7%

Hastings

$201 11.6% 19.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$191 10.5%

Hastings

$286 16.5% 50.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$145 8%

Hastings

$120 6.9% 17.4% $25

Getting Around

Dunedin

$80 * 4.4%

Hastings

$111 6.4% 40% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$70 3.9%

Hastings

$47 2.7% 32.6% $23

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 $798 in Hastings. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Dunedin vs $56.0 in Hastings for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $265 per month, with Hastings cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Hastings

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

50,100

💱 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 Hastings 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Hastings

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 Hastings: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Hastings differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,825 vs $1,737 including rent). Hastings is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Dunedin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $894 in Dunedin versus $798 in Hastings. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hastings runs roughly 20% 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 $665 in Hastings. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,737 in Hastings versus $1,825 in Dunedin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hastings but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Hastings 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 Hastings 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 Hastings gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.