Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,598 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

Jump to prices

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,598 in Palmerston North.

Dunedin $1,987
Palmerston North $1,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,662 in Palmerston North.

Dunedin $2,907
Palmerston North $2,662

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,726 in Palmerston North.

Dunedin $3,828
Palmerston North $3,726

Living in Dunedin is roughly 24% more expensive than in Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Palmerston North 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$14.14 NZ$25.13

-0.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$64.5 NZ$115

-3.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.93 NZ$15.87

27.66%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.30 NZ$5.87

-0.91%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.29 NZ$4.08

-9.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.77 NZ$3.15

16.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$6.56 NZ$11.66

2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$7.01 NZ$12.46

-12.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.82 NZ$3.23

18.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$2.17 NZ$3.85

-8.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.37 NZ$2.44

28.47%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.06 NZ$9.00

16.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$6.67 NZ$11.85

27.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$9.54 NZ$16.96

-3.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$10.59 NZ$18.83

57.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.62 NZ$4.66

15.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.24 NZ$3.97

2.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$2.34 NZ$4.16

39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$5.55 NZ$9.87

-7.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.46 NZ$2.59

26.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$0.87 NZ$1.55

114.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$1.74 NZ$3.10

38.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.76 NZ$1.35

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$22.42 NZ$39.86

-6.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$8.07 NZ$14.35

11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$2.69 NZ$4.77

17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-57.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$2.01 NZ$3.56

-28.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$117 NZ$209

-13.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$1.89 NZ$3.36

204.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$17.19 NZ$30.55

66.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.68 NZ$2.99

5.36%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$27.3K NZ$48.5K

3.46%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$24.0K NZ$42.6K

-2.15%

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

$110 NZ$196

$69.0 NZ$123

60.08%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$33.60 NZ$59.7

-12.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$35.32 NZ$62.8

48.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$24.91 NZ$44.28

84.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.01 NZ$24.90

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$11.66 NZ$20.73

-3.95%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$1,058 NZ$1,881

-44.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,589 NZ$15.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$69.7 NZ$124

-15.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$28.83 NZ$51.3

22.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$84.3 NZ$150

8.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$84.6 NZ$150

59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$914 NZ$1,625

10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$627 NZ$1,114

43.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,618 NZ$2,876

0.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,428 NZ$2,539

-4.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,058 NZ$3,658

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$1,907 NZ$3,389

19.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

$2,521 NZ$4,481

-2.26%

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 Palmerston North: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Palmerston North

$627 39.2% 30.1% $270

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Palmerston North

$286 17.9% 11.6% $38

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Palmerston North

$243 15.2% 2.2% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Palmerston North

$138 8.6% 28.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Palmerston North

$120 7.5% 16.5% $24

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Palmerston North

$136 8.5% 20.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Palmerston North

$48 3% 29.4% $20

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 $914 in Palmerston North. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $64 in Palmerston North. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $286, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

90,500

💱 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 Palmerston North 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $1,598 in Palmerston North, so Palmerston North is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $2,398 in Palmerston North to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,013 in Dunedin versus $914 in Palmerston North. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 13% less than in Palmerston North. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $1,058 in Palmerston North. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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