Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Rolleston

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,143 a month against $2,010 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,010

/mo nomad

Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Rolleston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,010 in Dunedin versus $1,143 in Rolleston.

Dunedin $2,010
Rolleston $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,900 in Dunedin versus $2,179 in Rolleston.

Dunedin $2,900
Rolleston $2,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,791 in Dunedin versus $3,214 in Rolleston.

Dunedin $3,791
Rolleston $3,214

Living in Dunedin is roughly 76% more expensive than in Rolleston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dunedin is 49% above, Rolleston is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.90 NZ$24.67

$13.78 NZ$24.47

0.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$109

$68.5 NZ$122

-10.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 NZ$19.72

$9.12 NZ$16.19

21.82%

Cappuccino

$3.24 NZ$5.75

$3.14 NZ$5.58

3.18%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.78

$2.12 NZ$3.77

0.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.76 NZ$3.12

17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.86

$6.63 NZ$11.77

0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 NZ$10.80

$6.01 NZ$10.67

1.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$1.71 NZ$3.03

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.87 NZ$3.31

2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.40 NZ$2.48

20.00%

Eggs

$5.86 NZ$10.40

$5.75 NZ$10.21

1.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 NZ$14.68

$7.22 NZ$12.83

14.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.74

$9.38 NZ$16.64

0.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 NZ$28.69

$13.66 NZ$24.26

18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 NZ$5.30

$2.51 NZ$4.45

19.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$2.27 NZ$4.03

0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$2.64 NZ$4.68

20.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 NZ$9.27

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.78 NZ$3.16

6.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$1.37 NZ$2.44

30.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.06

$2.35 NZ$4.17

-2.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.98

$0.59 NZ$1.05

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.63 NZ$36.63

$24.13 NZ$42.83

-14.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 NZ$15.83

$8.40 NZ$14.91

6.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 NZ$5.69

$3.39 NZ$6.02

-5.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 NZ$2.22

$3.28 NZ$5.82

-61.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 NZ$2.45

$1.15 NZ$2.04

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 NZ$10.27

$2.56 NZ$4.55

125.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NZ$2.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.24 NZ$50.1

$28.21 NZ$50.1

0.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-4.81%

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

$28.1K NZ$49.9K

$27.8K NZ$49.3K

1.31%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

1.05%

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

$109 NZ$193

$108 NZ$192

0.68%

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

$29.07 NZ$51.6

$22.51 NZ$39.97

29.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 NZ$94.1

$46.01 NZ$81.7

15.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.60 NZ$70.3

Cinema Ticket

$11.22 NZ$19.92

$11.06 NZ$19.63

1.45%

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

$576 NZ$1,022

$338 NZ$599

70.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K NZ$26.8K

$15.1K NZ$26.9K

-0.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 NZ$105

$58.5 NZ$104

0.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.67 NZ$63.3

$34.72 NZ$61.6

2.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 NZ$161

0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 NZ$241

$124 NZ$221

9.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 NZ$1,797

$285 NZ$507

254.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 NZ$1,658

$252 NZ$448

270.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 NZ$2,655

$1,005 NZ$1,785

48.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 NZ$2,398

$1,114 NZ$1,978

21.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,032 NZ$3,607

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,246 NZ$3,987

$1,772 NZ$3,146

26.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 NZ$4,354

$4,406 NZ$7,821

-44.33%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Rolleston: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$934 46.5%

Rolleston

$252 22.1% 73% $682

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$319 15.9%

Rolleston

$302 26.4% 5.6% $18

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 12.2%

Rolleston

$236 20.7% 3.9% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$191 9.5%

Rolleston

$177 15.5% 7.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$145 7.2%

Rolleston

$139 12.1% 4% $5.8

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.6%

Rolleston

$15 * 1.4% 86.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$62 3.1%

Rolleston

$22 * 1.9% 64.4% $40

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 $1,012 in Dunedin and $285 in Rolleston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolleston pays 80% 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 $69 in Rolleston. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $302, with Rolleston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

28,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Rolleston 290 km

From you

Dunedin
Rolleston

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 Rolleston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,010 in Dunedin and $1,143 in Rolleston, so Rolleston is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $1,012 in Dunedin versus $285 in Rolleston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Dunedin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,010 per month in Dunedin versus $1,143 in Rolleston – Rolleston is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,143 in Rolleston versus $2,010 in Dunedin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rolleston but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Rolleston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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