Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,809 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Oamaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,809 in Oamaru.

Dunedin $1,987
Oamaru $1,809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,753 in Oamaru.

Dunedin $2,907
Oamaru $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,698 in Oamaru.

Dunedin $3,828
Oamaru $3,698

Living in Dunedin is roughly 10% more expensive than in Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Oamaru 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$14.46 NZ$25.67

-2.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$68.4 NZ$121

-9.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$9.20 NZ$16.33

23.91%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-2.39%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.30 NZ$4.09

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.78 NZ$3.15

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$6.64 NZ$11.79

1.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$6.97 NZ$12.37

-11.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.73 NZ$3.08

24.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.32 NZ$2.34

50.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.47 NZ$2.60

19.73%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$5.53 NZ$9.82

6.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$7.53 NZ$13.36

13.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$8.85 NZ$15.72

4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$13.64 NZ$24.21

22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$2.39 NZ$4.25

26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.10 NZ$3.73

9.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$2.65 NZ$4.70

23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$2.91 NZ$5.17

76.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.50 NZ$2.67

22.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.39 NZ$2.47

34.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.07 NZ$3.68

16.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.65 NZ$1.16

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$24.01 NZ$42.63

-12.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$5.66 NZ$10.05

59.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.42 NZ$6.08

-7.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$4.44 NZ$7.89

-71.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$2.05 NZ$3.63

-30.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$108 NZ$191

-5.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$2.58 NZ$4.58

123.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

$28.67 NZ$50.9

-0.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.62 NZ$2.88

9.26%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

-2.11%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

-1.09%

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

$110 NZ$196

$157 NZ$279

-29.70%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$20.20 NZ$35.86

45.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$44.97 NZ$79.8

16.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

$39.17 NZ$69.6

17.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$10.03 NZ$17.81

11.67%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$677 NZ$1,202

-13.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$57.6 NZ$102

1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$17.36 NZ$30.83

103.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$45.93 NZ$81.6

98.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$51.0 NZ$90.6

164.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$1,042 NZ$1,850

-2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

$799 NZ$1,419

12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

$1,588 NZ$2,820

2.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

$1,426 NZ$2,531

-4.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,866 NZ$8,638

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

$3,783 NZ$6,716

-39.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

$1,950 NZ$3,462

26.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.91

19.63%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Oamaru

$799 44.2% 10.9% $98

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Oamaru

$277 15.3% 14.6% $47

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Oamaru

$247 13.7% 0.5% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Oamaru

$222 12.3% 15.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Oamaru

$77 4.3% 46.3% $67

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Oamaru

$127 7% 12.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Oamaru

$59 3.3% 13.3% $9.1

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 $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $68 in Oamaru. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $277, with Oamaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

13,850

💱 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 Oamaru 93 km

From you

Dunedin
Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,809 in Oamaru, so Oamaru is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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 $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 5% less than in Oamaru. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $677 in Oamaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Oamaru 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 Oamaru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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