Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Timaru

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Timaru: $1,987 and $1,992 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Timaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,992 in Timaru.

Dunedin $1,987
Timaru $1,992

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $3,048 in Timaru.

Dunedin $2,907
Timaru $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $4,104 in Timaru.

Dunedin $3,828
Timaru $4,104

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$14.41 NZ$25.62

-2.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$61.3 NZ$109

1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$10.87 NZ$19.32

4.88%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-0.61%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.13 NZ$3.78

-2.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.78 NZ$3.16

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$5.70 NZ$10.12

18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$6.12 NZ$10.87

0.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.15 NZ$2.05

86.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.79 NZ$3.18

11.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.12 NZ$1.99

57.14%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.98 NZ$10.62

-1.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$8.28 NZ$14.72

2.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$9.21 NZ$16.37

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$16.69 NZ$29.66

0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.93 NZ$5.21

3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.42 NZ$4.29

-5.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.17 NZ$5.64

3.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$5.25 NZ$9.33

-2.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.86 NZ$3.30

-1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.85 NZ$3.29

1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.32 NZ$4.13

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.55 NZ$0.98

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$21.06 NZ$37.44

-0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$5.57 NZ$9.91

61.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$1.26 NZ$2.23

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.94 NZ$3.45

-26.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$110 NZ$196

-7.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$2.23 NZ$3.97

158.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$28.93 NZ$51.4

-1.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.56 NZ$2.76

13.46%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-0.90%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.9K NZ$40.8K

2.32%

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

$110 NZ$196

$113 NZ$201

-2.40%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$22.85 NZ$40.63

28.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$52.5 NZ$93.3

-0.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$39.92 NZ$71.0

14.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$11.39 NZ$20.25

-1.67%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$590 NZ$1,048

-0.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NZ$28.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$59.4 NZ$106

-1.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$35.10 NZ$62.4

0.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$91.0 NZ$162

0.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$137 NZ$244

-1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$1,108 NZ$1,970

-8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$921 NZ$1,637

-2.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,790 NZ$3,182

-8.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,674 NZ$2,975

-18.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,547 NZ$8,083

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$2,866 NZ$5,094

-20.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Timaru

$921 46.2% 2.7% $24

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Timaru

$302 15.1% 6.9% $22

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Timaru

$244 12.2% 1.8% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Timaru

$188 9.5% 1.9% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Timaru

$145 7.3% 0.8% $1.1

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Timaru

$129 6.5% 14.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Timaru

$63 3.2% 8.2% $5.6

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 $1,108 in Timaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $61 in Timaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $302 per month, with Timaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

28,600

💱 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

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Between locations

Dunedin Timaru 170 km

From you

Dunedin
Timaru

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 Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $2,987 in Timaru 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 $1,108 in Timaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $590 in Timaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Timaru pay roughly 7% 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 Timaru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.