Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Manukau: $1,914 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Manukau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,914 in Manukau.

Dunedin $1,987
Manukau $1,914

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,853 in Manukau.

Dunedin $2,907
Manukau $2,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,792 in Manukau.

Dunedin $3,828
Manukau $3,792

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Manukau 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$12.06 NZ$21.42

16.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$68.0 NZ$121

-8.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$8.28 NZ$14.71

37.68%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.48 NZ$6.19

-6.03%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.04 NZ$3.63

1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.74 NZ$3.08

18.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$6.22 NZ$11.05

8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$5.62 NZ$9.98

9.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.44 NZ$2.56

49.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.30 NZ$2.31

53.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.90 NZ$3.37

-7.37%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$5.26 NZ$9.34

12.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$5.52 NZ$9.80

54.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$7.46 NZ$13.24

23.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$11.96 NZ$21.23

39.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$2.57 NZ$4.55

17.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.16 NZ$3.84

6.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$2.97 NZ$5.27

10.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$5.72 NZ$10.16

-10.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.09 NZ$3.70

-11.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.43 NZ$2.55

30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.01 NZ$3.57

19.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.91 NZ$1.62

-34.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$25.51 NZ$45.30

-18.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$10.51 NZ$18.65

-14.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$2.84 NZ$5.04

11.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$3.32 NZ$5.90

-62.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-22.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$111 NZ$197

-8.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$2.28 NZ$4.05

152.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

$32.50 NZ$57.7

-11.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.72 NZ$3.06

2.91%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

3.50%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

7.50%

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

$110 NZ$196

$58.0 NZ$103

90.41%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$26.67 NZ$47.35

10.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$50.8 NZ$90.3

2.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

$43.35 NZ$77.0

5.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$12.35 NZ$21.92

-9.31%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$687 NZ$1,220

-14.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$62.3 NZ$111

-5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$38.79 NZ$68.9

-9.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$92.4 NZ$164

-1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$112 NZ$198

20.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$1,036 NZ$1,840

-2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

$940 NZ$1,669

-4.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

$1,640 NZ$2,912

-0.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

$1,494 NZ$2,653

-9.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 NZ$8,834

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

$3,073 NZ$5,457

-26.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

$1,825 NZ$3,239

35.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.9

19.83%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manukau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Manukau

$940 49.1% 4.8% $43

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Manukau

$282 14.7% 12.9% $42

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Manukau

$221 11.5% 11.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Manukau

$136 7.1% 29.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Manukau

$137 7.2% 4.7% $6.8

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Manukau

$131 6.8% 15.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Manukau

$68 3.6% 0.4% $0.3

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 $1,036 in Manukau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $68 in Manukau. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $282, with Manukau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Manukau

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

362,000

💱 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 Manukau 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,914 in Manukau, so Manukau is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% 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: $1,013 in Dunedin versus $1,036 in Manukau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 9% less than in Manukau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $687 in Manukau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Manukau gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Manukau wins on affordability, Dunedin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.