Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Te Awamutu

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Te Awamutu: $1,987 and $2,024 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Te Awamutu
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Te Awamutu Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Te Awamutu

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Te Awamutu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $2,024 in Te Awamutu.

Dunedin $1,987
Te Awamutu $2,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,980 in Te Awamutu.

Dunedin $2,907
Te Awamutu $2,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,935 in Te Awamutu.

Dunedin $3,828
Te Awamutu $3,935

Monthly costs are close between Dunedin and Te Awamutu; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Te Awamutu 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.98

$12.01 NZ$21.38

16.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$68.2 NZ$121

-9.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.30

$8.36 NZ$14.89

36.36%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.82

$3.50 NZ$6.23

-6.57%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.69

$2.06 NZ$3.67

0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.66

$1.77 NZ$3.14

16.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.99

$6.13 NZ$10.92

9.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.97

$5.62 NZ$10.01

9.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.51 NZ$2.68

42.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$1.26 NZ$2.25

57.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.92 NZ$3.43

-8.33%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.51

$5.27 NZ$9.39

11.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.17

$5.61 NZ$9.99

51.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.41

$7.23 NZ$12.87

27.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.77

$11.80 NZ$21.01

41.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$2.59 NZ$4.62

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.08

$2.17 NZ$3.87

5.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.82

$2.98 NZ$5.30

9.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.14

$5.70 NZ$10.14

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$2.07 NZ$3.69

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.34

$1.39 NZ$2.47

34.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.29

$1.98 NZ$3.53

21.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.92 NZ$1.65

-34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.22

$26.25 NZ$46.74

-20.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.05

$10.20 NZ$18.17

-11.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$2.87 NZ$5.11

10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$3.47 NZ$6.18

-63.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.55

$2.19 NZ$3.90

-34.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$108 NZ$192

-5.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.25

$2.24 NZ$3.99

157.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 NZ$3.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$51.0

$32.64 NZ$58.1

-12.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.15

$1.65 NZ$2.94

7.27%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.3K

$27.1K NZ$48.3K

4.05%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.8K

$22.3K NZ$39.7K

5.44%

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

$110 NZ$197

$58.3 NZ$104

89.46%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.4

$26.24 NZ$46.72

12.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.1

$51.5 NZ$91.8

1.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.7

$41.29 NZ$73.5

11.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.95

$12.11 NZ$21.57

-7.51%

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

$588 NZ$1,048

$671 NZ$1,196

-12.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K NZ$35.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$105

$61.8 NZ$110

-4.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.8

$38.72 NZ$69.0

-8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$163

$95.4 NZ$170

-4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$108 NZ$192

25.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,804

$888 NZ$1,581

14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,597

$1,056 NZ$1,881

-15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,906

$1,656 NZ$2,949

-1.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,418

$1,650 NZ$2,938

-17.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,119 NZ$7,335

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,047

$3,834 NZ$6,829

-40.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,387

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.37

31.66%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Te Awamutu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Te Awamutu

$1.1K 52.2% 17.8% $159

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Te Awamutu

$281 13.9% 13.3% $43

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Te Awamutu

$220 10.9% 11.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Te Awamutu

$136 6.7% 29.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Te Awamutu

$137 6.8% 5.1% $7.4

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Te Awamutu

$129 6.4% 13.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Te Awamutu

$66 3.2% 4.1% $2.8

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 $888 in Te Awamutu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $68 in Te Awamutu. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $281, with Te Awamutu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Te Awamutu

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

13,350

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Te Awamutu 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Te Awamutu

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 Te Awamutu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $3,037 in Te Awamutu 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 $888 in Te Awamutu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 6% less than in Te Awamutu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Te Awamutu pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.

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