Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,865 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
Learn more

Dunedin Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
Learn more

Nelson Living Index

Jump to prices

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Nelson

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,865 in Nelson.

Dunedin $1,987
Nelson $1,865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,872 in Nelson.

Dunedin $2,907
Nelson $2,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,879 in Nelson.

Dunedin $3,828
Nelson $3,879

Living in Dunedin is roughly 7% more expensive than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Nelson 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$13.72 NZ$24.40

2.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$64.8 NZ$115

-4.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.27 NZ$14.71

37.85%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.19 NZ$5.66

2.51%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.82 NZ$3.23

13.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.65 NZ$2.94

24.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$7.61 NZ$13.52

-11.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$5.84 NZ$10.38

5.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.93 NZ$3.43

11.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$2.19 NZ$3.89

-9.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-10.20%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.85 NZ$10.40

0.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$9.13 NZ$16.22

-6.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$7.62 NZ$13.54

20.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$13.65 NZ$24.26

22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$3.15 NZ$5.61

-4.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.15 NZ$3.82

6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.00 NZ$5.33

9.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$5.63 NZ$10.01

-8.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.23 NZ$2.19

52.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.02 NZ$3.60

19.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.08 NZ$1.92

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$25.87 NZ$45.99

-19.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$9.94 NZ$17.66

-9.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.14 NZ$5.58

0.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$2.81 NZ$5.00

-55.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$2.20 NZ$3.92

-35.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$1.83 NZ$3.25

214.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$33.80 NZ$60.1

-15.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.56 NZ$2.77

13.46%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

65.47%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

5.04%

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

$110 NZ$196

$130 NZ$231

-15.19%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$32.93 NZ$58.5

-10.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$43.70 NZ$77.7

19.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$101 NZ$179

-54.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.48 NZ$61.3

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$11.14 NZ$19.81

0.54%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$458 NZ$814

28.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$52.9 NZ$94.1

11.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$28.57 NZ$50.8

23.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$104 NZ$185

-12.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$143 NZ$254

-5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$1,023 NZ$1,819

-1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$813 NZ$1,445

10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,755 NZ$3,120

-7.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,455 NZ$2,586

-6.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,396 NZ$2,482

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$852 NZ$1,514

166.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

$2,043 NZ$3,632

20.58%

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 Nelson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Nelson

$813 43.6% 9.4% $84

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Nelson

$319 17.1% 1.6% $5.3

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Nelson

$236 12.7% 4.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Nelson

$207 11.1% 7.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Nelson

$148 7.9% 2.4% $3.5

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 82.7% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Nelson

$123 6.6% 79.9% $55

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 $1,023 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 21% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $65 in Nelson. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $319, with Nelson cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

51,100

💱 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 Nelson 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Nelson

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 Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,865 in Nelson, so Nelson is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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 $1,023 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $458 in Nelson. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,987 per month in Dunedin versus $1,865 in Nelson – Nelson is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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