Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Invercargill

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,425 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Invercargill

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,425 in Invercargill.

Dunedin $1,987
Invercargill $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,122 in Invercargill.

Dunedin $2,907
Invercargill $2,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $2,819 in Invercargill.

Dunedin $3,828
Invercargill $2,819

Living in Dunedin is roughly 39% more expensive than in Invercargill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Invercargill 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$14.31 NZ$25.41

-1.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$62.1 NZ$110

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$8.28 NZ$14.71

37.68%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.17 NZ$5.63

3.15%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.67 NZ$2.97

23.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.13 NZ$3.79

-3.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$2.79 NZ$4.96

141.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$2.86 NZ$5.08

115.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.73 NZ$3.06

24.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.91 NZ$3.39

4.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.77 NZ$3.15

-0.56%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$5.78 NZ$10.25

2.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$8.67 NZ$15.40

-1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$8.78 NZ$15.58

4.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$12.05 NZ$21.39

38.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$2.70 NZ$4.80

11.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.40 NZ$4.26

-4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$2.61 NZ$4.63

25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$3.44 NZ$6.10

49.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$3.29 NZ$5.84

-44.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.66 NZ$2.95

12.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.30 NZ$4.09

4.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.05 NZ$1.86

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$21.03 NZ$37.34

-0.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$8.42 NZ$14.95

7.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$2.90 NZ$5.14

9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-61.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.46 NZ$2.60

-2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$2.24 NZ$3.98

157.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

$28.04 NZ$49.78

2.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.58 NZ$2.81

12.03%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$24.1K NZ$42.8K

17.07%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$18.6K NZ$33.0K

26.19%

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

$110 NZ$196

$113 NZ$201

-2.49%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$32.59 NZ$57.9

-9.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$42.59 NZ$75.6

22.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

$28.26 NZ$50.2

62.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 NZ$25.07

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$8.86 NZ$15.73

26.41%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$597 NZ$1,059

-1.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$59.1 NZ$105

-0.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$35.27 NZ$62.6

0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$70.3 NZ$125

29.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$78.2 NZ$139

72.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$611 NZ$1,085

65.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

$550 NZ$977

62.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

$835 NZ$1,482

95.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

$769 NZ$1,365

76.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,776 NZ$10.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

$5,013 NZ$8,899

-54.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

$2,756 NZ$4,894

-10.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.72

5.21%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Invercargill

$550 38.6% 38.6% $347

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Invercargill

$301 21.1% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Invercargill

$212 14.9% 14.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Invercargill

$188 13.2% 1.9% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Invercargill

$109 7.7% 24.2% $35

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2% 84.5% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Invercargill

$46 3.2% 32.7% $22

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 $611 in Invercargill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Invercargill pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $62 in Invercargill. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $301, with Invercargill cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

56,200

💱 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

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Dunedin Invercargill 180 km

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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 Invercargill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,425 in Invercargill, so Invercargill is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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 $611 in Invercargill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $597 in Invercargill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,987 per month in Dunedin versus $1,425 in Invercargill – Invercargill is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Invercargill is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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