Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Lae

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $825 a month against $1,821 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Lae

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Dunedin versus $825 in Lae.

Dunedin $1,821
Lae $825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,717 in Dunedin versus $1,464 in Lae.

Dunedin $2,717
Lae $1,464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,613 in Dunedin versus $2,103 in Lae.

Dunedin $3,613
Lae $2,103

Living in Dunedin is roughly 121% more expensive than in Lae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dunedin is 36% above, Lae is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 NZ$24.50

$24.56 PGK 108

-44.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 NZ$110

$50.0 PGK 219

23.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.37

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.75

$2.66 PGK 11.66

21.43%

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

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$0.79 PGK 3.47

163.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$0.54 PGK 2.35

287.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 NZ$12.22

$3.27 PGK 14.33

109.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 NZ$10.73

$5.20 PGK 22.77

15.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$2.02 PGK 8.85

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$1.47 PGK 6.42

31.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$1.28 PGK 5.61

36.72%

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.40

$3.95 PGK 17.30

47.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.54

$9.51 PGK 41.69

-14.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.81

$8.83 PGK 38.70

6.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 NZ$29.52

$10.71 PGK 46.92

54.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.13

$4.55 PGK 19.94

-36.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.17

$2.78 PGK 12.18

-15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NZ$5.52

$6.04 PGK 26.46

-48.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 NZ$9.00

$1.51 PGK 6.64

233.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$3.49 PGK 15.31

-47.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.29

$2.39 PGK 10.46

-23.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.25

$0.68 PGK 3.00

250.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$0.91 PGK 4.00

-39.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.93 NZ$37.33

$6.58 PGK 28.83

218.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 NZ$15.82

$12.02 PGK 52.7

-26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$2.47 PGK 10.81

28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

$4.28 PGK 18.75

-71.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$0.32 PGK 1.39

240.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.88

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$0.96 PGK 4.23

78.13%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

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

$25.0K NZ$44.7K

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

$111 NZ$197

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.1

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.7

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.60

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

$591 NZ$1,054

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$103

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.6

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$166

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,562

$445 PGK 1,951

96.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,339

$260 PGK 1,141

188.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,630

$1,193 PGK 5,227

23.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,051

$611 PGK 2,676

88.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,023

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,379

$157 PGK 689

1460.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lae: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Lae

–

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Lae

–

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Lae

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Lae

–

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Lae

–

Getting Around

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Lae

–

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

Lae

–

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 $876 in Dunedin and $445 in Lae. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 1461% 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: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $50.0 in Lae for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $306 per month, with Lae cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇵🇬 Lae

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

3 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

250,948

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Lae 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Lae

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 Lae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Lae differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $825 including rent). Lae is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1461% 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: $876 in Dunedin versus $445 in Lae. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lae – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $62.0 in Dunedin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,821 per month in Dunedin versus $825 in Lae – a 121% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $825 in Lae versus $1,821 in Dunedin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lae but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Lae 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 Lae 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 Lae gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.