Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Wairoa

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Wairoa: $1,987 and $1,974 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 Wairoa
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Wairoa Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Wairoa

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Wairoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,974 in Wairoa.

Dunedin $1,987
Wairoa $1,974

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $3,023 in Wairoa.

Dunedin $2,907
Wairoa $3,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $4,072 in Wairoa.

Dunedin $3,828
Wairoa $4,072

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Wairoa 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.90

$15.18 NZ$26.94

-7.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$73.9 NZ$131

-16.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.23

$8.86 NZ$15.74

28.67%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.53 NZ$6.26

-7.37%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.31 NZ$4.11

-10.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.79 NZ$3.18

15.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.95

$6.35 NZ$11.27

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.94

$5.65 NZ$10.04

9.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.61 NZ$2.86

33.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.86 NZ$3.31

6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$1.67 NZ$2.97

5.39%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.48

$4.99 NZ$8.86

18.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.12

$7.37 NZ$13.09

15.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.36

$9.35 NZ$16.60

-1.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.68

$16.53 NZ$29.34

1.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.36

$2.74 NZ$4.87

10.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.47 NZ$4.38

-7.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.80

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-4.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.11

$5.70 NZ$10.13

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.22 NZ$3.94

-17.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.40 NZ$2.48

33.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.29 NZ$4.06

5.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.17 NZ$2.08

-48.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.11

$20.98 NZ$37.24

-0.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.00

$7.93 NZ$14.09

13.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.20 NZ$5.68

-0.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$3.48 NZ$6.18

-63.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.91 NZ$3.39

-25.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$105 NZ$187

-3.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$2.19 NZ$3.89

163.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.8

$31.49 NZ$55.9

-9.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.96 NZ$3.49

-9.69%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

$26.3K NZ$46.6K

7.52%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.6K NZ$40.1K

4.07%

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

$110 NZ$196

$120 NZ$213

-8.02%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$27.16 NZ$48.22

8.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.8

$47.53 NZ$84.4

10.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.5

$41.24 NZ$73.2

11.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.89

$11.86 NZ$21.05

-5.56%

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

$588 NZ$1,045

$587 NZ$1,041

0.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K NZ$26.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$54.7 NZ$97.1

7.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.6

$34.11 NZ$60.6

3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$106 NZ$188

-13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$111 NZ$197

21.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

$1,049 NZ$1,863

-3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

$882 NZ$1,565

1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,897

$1,758 NZ$3,121

-7.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

$1,545 NZ$2,742

-12.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,480 NZ$9,730

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

$3,226 NZ$5,728

-29.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.83

21.27%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wairoa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Wairoa

$882 44.7% 1.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Wairoa

$322 16.3% 0.6% $1.9

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Wairoa

$250 12.7% 0.7% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Wairoa

$195 9.9% 1.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Wairoa

$138 7% 4.6% $6.6

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Wairoa

$123 6.2% 9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Wairoa

$65 3.3% 4.9% $3.3

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 $1,049 in Wairoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $74 in Wairoa. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $322, with Wairoa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Wairoa

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

4,300

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Wairoa 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Wairoa

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 Wairoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $2,961 in Wairoa 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 $1,049 in Wairoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $587 in Wairoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 3% less than in Wairoa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Wairoa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.