Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,820 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
Learn more

Dunedin Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
Learn more

New Plymouth Living Index

Jump to prices

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,820 in New Plymouth.

Dunedin $1,987
New Plymouth $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,828 in New Plymouth.

Dunedin $2,907
New Plymouth $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,836 in New Plymouth.

Dunedin $3,828
New Plymouth $3,836

Living in Dunedin is roughly 9% more expensive than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, New Plymouth 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$12.43 NZ$22.06

12.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$67.9 NZ$121

-8.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$8.44 NZ$14.98

35.07%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.34 NZ$5.93

-2.10%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.12 NZ$3.76

-2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.85 NZ$3.28

11.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$5.32 NZ$9.45

26.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$5.65 NZ$10.02

9.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.44 NZ$2.55

49.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.25 NZ$2.22

59.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.65 NZ$2.92

6.67%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$5.53 NZ$9.82

6.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$5.52 NZ$9.79

54.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$7.19 NZ$12.76

28.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$11.42 NZ$20.28

46.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$2.63 NZ$4.67

14.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$1.86 NZ$3.29

23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$2.93 NZ$5.20

11.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$6.12 NZ$10.86

-16.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.99 NZ$3.53

-7.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.41 NZ$2.51

32.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$1.88 NZ$3.33

28.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.32 NZ$2.35

-54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$23.12 NZ$41.04

-9.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$8.73 NZ$15.51

3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.03 NZ$5.37

4.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$3.78 NZ$6.72

-66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.68 NZ$2.99

-14.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$74.6 NZ$133

36.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$3.68 NZ$6.53

56.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.67 NZ$2.97

5.99%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$28.7K NZ$50.9K

-1.56%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

3.02%

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

$110 NZ$196

$130 NZ$231

-14.96%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$27.85 NZ$49.44

5.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$48.35 NZ$85.8

8.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

$43.29 NZ$76.9

6.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$8.20 NZ$14.55

36.59%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$680 NZ$1,206

-13.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$61.3 NZ$109

-4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$38.74 NZ$68.8

-8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$90.6 NZ$161

0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$106 NZ$188

27.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$907 NZ$1,611

11.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

$836 NZ$1,485

7.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

$1,740 NZ$3,089

-6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

$1,589 NZ$2,821

-14.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,209 NZ$5,697

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

$2,622 NZ$4,655

-13.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

$2,787 NZ$4,948

-11.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.93

19.22%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

New Plymouth

$836 45.9% 6.8% $61

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

New Plymouth

$281 15.5% 13.2% $43

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

New Plymouth

$219 12% 11.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

New Plymouth

$206 11.3% 7.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

New Plymouth

$133 7.3% 7.4% $11

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 24.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

New Plymouth

$60 3.3% 12.6% $8.6

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 $907 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Plymouth pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $68 in New Plymouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $281, with New Plymouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

58,400

💱 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 New Plymouth 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
New Plymouth

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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,820 in New Plymouth, so New Plymouth is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Dunedin. 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: $1,013 in Dunedin versus $907 in New Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in New Plymouth runs roughly 27% less than in Dunedin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $680 in New Plymouth. 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 New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.