Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,821 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Sydney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Dunedin versus $3,182 in Sydney.

Dunedin $1,821
Sydney $3,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,717 in Dunedin versus $4,696 in Sydney.

Dunedin $2,717
Sydney $4,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,613 in Dunedin versus $6,210 in Sydney.

Dunedin $3,613
Sydney $6,210

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 43% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 36% above, Sydney 137% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 NZ$24.47

$17.66 A$25.28

-22.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 NZ$110

$97.1 A$139

-36.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.35

$11.94 A$17.09

-4.36%

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.75

$4.00 A$5.72

-19.25%

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

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$2.84 A$4.06

-26.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$2.27 A$3.25

-7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 NZ$12.21

$7.89 A$11.29

-13.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 NZ$10.72

$7.13 A$10.20

-15.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$1.66 A$2.38

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$2.79 A$4.00

-30.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$2.32 A$3.33

-24.57%

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.39

$5.53 A$7.92

5.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.52

$12.08 A$17.28

-32.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.80

$9.84 A$14.09

-4.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 NZ$29.49

$16.61 A$23.78

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.12

$4.02 A$5.76

-28.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.17

$3.15 A$4.51

-25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NZ$5.52

$3.50 A$5.01

-11.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 NZ$8.99

$4.47 A$6.39

12.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$3.32 A$4.76

-44.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$2.30 A$3.30

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.24

$2.34 A$3.35

1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$1.15 A$1.65

-52.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.93 NZ$37.29

$45.02 A$64.4

-53.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 NZ$15.81

$13.96 A$19.97

-36.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.98 A$5.70

-20.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

$4.07 A$5.82

-69.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$3.16 A$4.52

-65.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

$150 A$215

-54.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

$3.45 A$4.94

63.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.83

$39.98 A$57.2

-30.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$1.40 A$2.01

22.14%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

$28.4K A$40.7K

-11.57%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.6K

$29.4K A$42.1K

-14.85%

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

$111 NZ$197

$220 A$315

-49.67%

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

$27.70 A$39.64

2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.0

$55.5 A$79.5

-8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.6

$74.3 A$106

-35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.58

$17.73 A$25.37

-41.17%

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

$591 NZ$1,053

$2,157 A$3,087

-72.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$102

$78.4 A$112

-26.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.5

$70.5 A$101

-51.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$165

$111 A$159

-16.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

$132 A$189

0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,561

$2,514 A$3,598

-65.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,338

$1,732 A$2,478

-56.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,627

$4,889 A$6,996

-69.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,049

$3,039 A$4,349

-62.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,019

$8,117 A$11.6K

-72.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,375

$4,082 A$5,842

-39.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.84

21.06%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 131% $981

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Sydney

$380 12% 18.8% $60

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 21.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 59.5% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 23.7% $34

Getting Around

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 123% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 59.3% $41

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 $876 in Dunedin and $2,514 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 66% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $97.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $380 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

2 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

4,840,600

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Sydney 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Sydney differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $3,182 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Sydney. 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: $876 in Dunedin versus $2,514 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 120% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $591 in Dunedin versus $2,157 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,821 in Dunedin versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin 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 Sydney are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.