Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,987 a month against $2,123 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in North Shore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in North Shore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $2,123 in North Shore.

Dunedin $1,987
North Shore $2,123

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,945 in North Shore.

Dunedin $2,907
North Shore $2,945

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,766 in North Shore.

Dunedin $3,828
North Shore $3,766

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 6% less than in North Shore.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, North Shore 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$13.99 NZ$24.87

0.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$75.3 NZ$134

-17.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.51 NZ$15.12

33.96%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.44 NZ$6.11

-4.94%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.99 NZ$3.54

4.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.83 NZ$3.25

12.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$6.68 NZ$11.87

0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$5.77 NZ$10.26

6.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.62 NZ$2.88

32.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.34 NZ$2.38

48.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-3.30%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.76 NZ$10.24

2.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$8.01 NZ$14.24

6.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$10.01 NZ$17.79

-7.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$11.77 NZ$20.93

42.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.68 NZ$4.77

12.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.11 NZ$3.75

8.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.16 NZ$5.62

3.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$6.03 NZ$10.72

-14.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.52 NZ$2.70

23.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.50 NZ$4.44

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.93 NZ$1.65

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$25.31 NZ$44.98

-17.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$10.50 NZ$18.66

-14.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$2.74 NZ$4.88

15.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-61.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-38.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$61.4 NZ$109

65.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$2.31 NZ$4.11

149.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NZ$3.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$32.86 NZ$58.4

-12.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.74 NZ$3.09

1.72%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$26.9K NZ$47.8K

5.02%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

6.16%

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

$110 NZ$196

$182 NZ$323

-39.27%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$26.22 NZ$46.61

12.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$51.4 NZ$91.3

1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$27.58 NZ$49.02

66.42%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$12.07 NZ$21.45

-7.21%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$686 NZ$1,220

-14.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NZ$25.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$69.1 NZ$123

-14.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$37.67 NZ$67.0

-6.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$95.3 NZ$169

-4.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$107 NZ$191

25.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$1,328 NZ$2,361

-23.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$1,042 NZ$1,851

-13.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$2,240 NZ$3,983

-27.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,326 NZ$2,356

2.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

-62.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

$2,856 NZ$5,077

-13.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.63

6.64%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

North Shore

$1K 49% 16.1% $145

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

North Shore

$310 14.6% 4.3% $14

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

North Shore

$239 11.3% 3.7% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

North Shore

$259 12.2% 35% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

North Shore

$139 6.6% 3.4% $4.9

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

North Shore

$83 3.9% 26.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

North Shore

$52 2.4% 24.3% $17

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 $1,328 in North Shore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $75 in North Shore. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $310, with North Shore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

258,697

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Dunedin North Shore 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 14% 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 $1,328 in North Shore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in North Shore runs roughly 40% less than in Dunedin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $686 in North Shore. 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 Dunedin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Dunedin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in North Shore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dunedin and North Shore are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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