Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Masterton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $841 in Masterton.

Dunedin $1,987
Masterton $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $1,446 in Masterton.

Dunedin $2,907
Masterton $1,446

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $2,051 in Masterton.

Dunedin $3,828
Masterton $2,051

Living in Dunedin is roughly 136% more expensive than in Masterton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dunedin is 46% above, Masterton is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$9.26 NZ$16.46

51.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$65.0 NZ$115

-4.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.77 NZ$15.60

29.99%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.35 NZ$5.96

-2.39%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.95 NZ$3.46

6.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.11 NZ$1.98

85.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$3.96 NZ$7.04

69.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$3.40 NZ$6.04

81.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.46 NZ$2.59

47.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$2.13 NZ$3.78

-6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.10 NZ$1.95

60.00%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$6.49 NZ$11.53

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$8.59 NZ$15.27

-0.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$9.94 NZ$17.67

-7.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$15.03 NZ$26.72

11.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.22 NZ$3.94

36.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$1.81 NZ$3.21

26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.04 NZ$5.41

7.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$4.48 NZ$7.96

14.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.51 NZ$2.69

21.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.09 NZ$1.94

71.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$1.71 NZ$3.04

40.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.52 NZ$0.93

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$19.90 NZ$35.37

5.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$11.48 NZ$20.41

-21.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$0.88 NZ$1.56

260.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$1.22 NZ$2.18

3.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-35.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$1.89 NZ$3.36

204.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NZ$3.21

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$33.98 NZ$60.4

-15.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.73 NZ$3.08

2.31%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

23.44%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

-1.66%

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

$110 NZ$196

$56.0 NZ$99.6

97.07%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$29.91 NZ$53.2

-1.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$53.4 NZ$94.9

-2.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$42.36 NZ$75.3

8.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.22 NZ$14.61

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$9.47 NZ$16.83

18.27%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$1,038 NZ$1,846

-43.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$56.7 NZ$101

3.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$28.47 NZ$50.6

23.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$105 NZ$186

-12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$141 NZ$250

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,019 NZ$1,811

60.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

$2,339 NZ$4,157

5.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.39

31.17%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Masterton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Masterton

$293 34.8% 9.6% $31

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Masterton

$179 21.3% 27.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Masterton

$139 16.6% 27.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Masterton

$149 17.7% 3.2% $4.6

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Masterton

$20 * 2.4% 82.5% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Masterton

$61 7.3% 10.2% $7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dunedin pays 5% 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 in Dunedin vs $65 in Masterton. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $293, with Masterton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Masterton

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

26,800

💱 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 Masterton 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Masterton

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 Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $841 in Masterton, so Masterton is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Dunedin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Dunedin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,987 per month in Dunedin versus $841 in Masterton – Masterton is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $841 in Masterton versus $1,987 in Dunedin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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 Masterton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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