Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,821 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Dunedin versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Dunedin $1,821
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,717 in Dunedin versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Dunedin $2,717
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,613 in Dunedin versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Dunedin $3,613
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 36% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 36% above, Melbourne 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 NZ$24.47

$17.75 A$25.40

-22.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 NZ$110

$84.8 A$121

-27.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.35

$12.16 A$17.40

-6.09%

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.75

$3.93 A$5.62

-17.81%

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

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$3.14 A$4.49

-33.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$2.43 A$3.47

-13.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 NZ$12.21

$9.90 A$14.17

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 NZ$10.72

$8.29 A$11.86

-27.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$1.55 A$2.21

40.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$3.01 A$4.31

-35.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$2.88 A$4.12

-39.24%

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.39

$5.44 A$7.79

7.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.52

$10.59 A$15.16

-23.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.80

$9.61 A$13.76

-1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 NZ$29.49

$14.99 A$21.46

10.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.12

$4.15 A$5.94

-30.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.17

$3.05 A$4.37

-23.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NZ$5.52

$3.30 A$4.72

-6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 NZ$8.99

$4.76 A$6.81

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$3.04 A$4.34

-39.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$2.55 A$3.65

-27.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.24

$2.48 A$3.55

-4.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$1.63 A$2.33

-66.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.93 NZ$37.29

$44.07 A$63.1

-52.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 NZ$15.81

$12.43 A$17.79

-28.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$5.33 A$7.63

-40.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

$5.16 A$7.38

-75.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$3.84 A$5.50

-71.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

$142 A$203

-51.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

$4.40 A$6.29

28.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.83

$29.83 A$42.69

-6.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$1.46 A$2.09

17.12%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

$28.1K A$40.3K

-10.71%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.6K

$25.9K A$37.1K

-3.50%

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

$111 NZ$197

$233 A$333

-52.43%

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

$27.28 A$39.04

3.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.0

$57.0 A$81.6

-10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.6

$52.7 A$75.4

-8.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.58

$17.10 A$24.48

-39.01%

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

$591 NZ$1,053

$2,373 A$3,397

-75.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$102

$78.2 A$112

-26.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.5

$50.5 A$72.2

-31.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$165

$121 A$172

-22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

$133 A$191

-0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,561

$1,713 A$2,451

-48.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,338

$1,402 A$2,006

-46.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,627

$3,339 A$4,778

-55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,049

$2,529 A$3,619

-54.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,019

$6,767 A$9,685

-66.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,375

$4,228 A$6,051

-41.93%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 86.7% $651

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 20.3% $65

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Melbourne

$314 11% 27.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 66.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 20.6% $29

Getting Around

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 116% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 26.1% $18

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 $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 72% 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 $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $385 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

2 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Melbourne 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Melbourne differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $2,852 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Melbourne. 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: $876 in Dunedin versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 108% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $591 in Dunedin versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,821 in Dunedin versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin 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 Melbourne 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 Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.