Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Kerikeri

For one person, living is cheaper in Kerikeri: $1,901 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dunedin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Kerikeri
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Kerikeri Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Kerikeri

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Kerikeri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,901 in Kerikeri.

Dunedin $1,987
Kerikeri $1,901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,858 in Kerikeri.

Dunedin $2,907
Kerikeri $2,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,815 in Kerikeri.

Dunedin $3,828
Kerikeri $3,815

Living in Dunedin is roughly 4% more expensive than in Kerikeri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Kerikeri 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$13.99 NZ$24.84

0.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$68.8 NZ$122

-9.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$9.19 NZ$16.32

24.05%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.35 NZ$5.96

-2.39%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.05 NZ$3.64

0.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.78 NZ$3.16

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$6.62 NZ$11.76

1.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$6.72 NZ$11.93

-8.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.93 NZ$3.42

11.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$2.22 NZ$3.94

-10.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.89 NZ$3.35

-6.88%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$6.31 NZ$11.21

-6.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$7.92 NZ$14.05

7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$10.18 NZ$18.06

-9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$17.40 NZ$30.89

-3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$2.87 NZ$5.09

5.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.18 NZ$3.87

5.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.00 NZ$5.33

9.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$6.01 NZ$10.67

-14.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.52 NZ$2.71

23.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$1.97 NZ$3.50

22.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.54 NZ$0.97

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$27.72 NZ$49.22

-24.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$10.57 NZ$18.76

-14.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$2.89 NZ$5.13

9.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$3.43 NZ$6.08

-63.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-17.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$106 NZ$189

-4.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$1.75 NZ$3.11

229.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

$32.70 NZ$58.1

-12.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.62 NZ$2.87

9.26%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

5.59%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

6.15%

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

$110 NZ$196

$119 NZ$212

-7.37%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$27.03 NZ$48.00

8.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$50.7 NZ$90.1

3.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

$38.13 NZ$67.7

20.38%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$10.34 NZ$18.35

8.32%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$1,059 NZ$1,880

-44.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$79.4 NZ$141

-25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$33.58 NZ$59.6

5.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$95.7 NZ$170

-4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$111 NZ$198

21.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$968 NZ$1,719

4.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

$800 NZ$1,420

12.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

$1,620 NZ$2,876

0.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

$1,288 NZ$2,286

5.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,323 NZ$7,676

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

$2,871 NZ$5,098

-20.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

$5,793 NZ$10.3K

-57.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.37

31.66%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kerikeri: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Kerikeri

$800 42.1% 10.8% $97

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Kerikeri

$337 17.7% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Kerikeri

$242 12.7% 2.6% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Kerikeri

$197 10.4% 2.5% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Kerikeri

$144 7.6% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Kerikeri

$123 6.5% 9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Kerikeri

$59 3.1% 13.9% $9.5

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 $968 in Kerikeri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kerikeri pays about 2.4 times 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 $69 in Kerikeri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $337 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Kerikeri

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

8,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Kerikeri 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Kerikeri

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 Kerikeri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,901 in Kerikeri, so Kerikeri is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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 $968 in Kerikeri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 4% less than in Kerikeri. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $1,059 in Kerikeri. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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