Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Upper Hutt

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Upper Hutt: $1,987 and $1,952 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 Upper Hutt
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Upper Hutt Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Upper Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Upper Hutt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,952 in Upper Hutt.

Dunedin $1,987
Upper Hutt $1,952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,954 in Upper Hutt.

Dunedin $2,907
Upper Hutt $2,954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,956 in Upper Hutt.

Dunedin $3,828
Upper Hutt $3,956

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Upper Hutt 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$8.58 NZ$15.24

63.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$57.9 NZ$103

7.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$8.66 NZ$15.37

31.64%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$2.92 NZ$5.18

11.99%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.39 NZ$4.25

-13.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.74 NZ$3.09

18.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$7.58 NZ$13.46

-11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$6.64 NZ$11.79

-7.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.86 NZ$3.31

15.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$2.18 NZ$3.86

-8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.86 NZ$3.31

-5.38%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$7.09 NZ$12.58

-16.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$5.51 NZ$9.78

54.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$9.62 NZ$17.08

-4.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$15.38 NZ$27.30

8.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-4.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.26 NZ$4.02

1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.14 NZ$5.58

4.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$6.41 NZ$11.38

-19.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.17 NZ$3.85

-15.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.30 NZ$2.31

43.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.08 NZ$3.69

15.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.15 NZ$2.05

-47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$25.44 NZ$45.17

-17.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$11.31 NZ$20.09

-20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.19 NZ$5.67

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$2.77 NZ$4.92

-54.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-24.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$105 NZ$187

-3.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$1.82 NZ$3.23

216.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

$34.32 NZ$60.9

-16.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-3.28%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-0.97%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$23.2K NZ$41.2K

1.25%

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

$110 NZ$196

$113 NZ$201

-2.62%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$25.35 NZ$45.01

16.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$54.8 NZ$97.2

-4.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

$42.80 NZ$76.0

7.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$12.16 NZ$21.59

-7.89%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$1,064 NZ$1,890

-44.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$78.6 NZ$140

-25.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$28.83 NZ$51.2

22.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$104 NZ$185

-12.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$156 NZ$276

-13.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$1,057 NZ$1,877

-4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

$869 NZ$1,542

3.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

$1,498 NZ$2,659

8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

$1,531 NZ$2,719

-11.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,193 NZ$7,444

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

$3,357 NZ$5,960

-32.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

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 Upper Hutt: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Upper Hutt

$869 44.5% 3.2% $28

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Upper Hutt

$336 17.2% 3.9% $13

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Upper Hutt

$197 10.1% 20.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Upper Hutt

$194 9.9% 0.7% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Upper Hutt

$165 8.5% 14.7% $21

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Upper Hutt

$124 6.3% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Upper Hutt

$67 3.4% 1.7% $1.2

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 $1,057 in Upper Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $58 in Upper Hutt. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $336, with Dunedin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Upper Hutt

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

44,600

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Upper Hutt 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Upper Hutt

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 Upper Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $2,928 in Upper Hutt 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 $1,057 in Upper Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 3% less than in Upper Hutt. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Dunedin pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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