Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Waitakere

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,987 a month against $2,065 in Waitakere, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waitakere outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Waitakere
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Waitakere Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Waitakere

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Waitakere

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $2,065 in Waitakere.

Dunedin $1,987
Waitakere $2,065

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,933 in Waitakere.

Dunedin $2,907
Waitakere $2,933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,801 in Waitakere.

Dunedin $3,828
Waitakere $3,801

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 4% less than in Waitakere, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Waitakere 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$12.38 NZ$22.01

13.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$73.6 NZ$131

-15.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.61 NZ$15.31

32.40%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.43 NZ$6.10

-4.66%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.30 NZ$4.08

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$6.33 NZ$11.25

6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$5.53 NZ$9.82

11.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.45 NZ$2.58

48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.30 NZ$2.31

53.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$2.03 NZ$3.60

-13.30%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.28 NZ$9.39

11.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$5.61 NZ$9.97

51.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$7.32 NZ$13.01

25.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$12.00 NZ$21.34

39.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.59 NZ$4.60

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.19 NZ$3.90

4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.22 NZ$5.72

1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$6.20 NZ$11.02

-17.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.42 NZ$2.52

31.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.62 NZ$4.66

-8.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.94 NZ$1.66

-36.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$26.32 NZ$46.79

-20.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$10.76 NZ$19.12

-16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.95 NZ$7.03

-19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$4.09 NZ$7.28

-69.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$2.14 NZ$3.81

-33.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$107 NZ$190

-4.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$3.71 NZ$6.60

55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NZ$3.55

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$26.54 NZ$47.18

7.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.75 NZ$3.11

1.14%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-0.86%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.7K NZ$40.3K

3.61%

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

$110 NZ$196

$57.0 NZ$101

93.72%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$36.26 NZ$64.5

-18.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$55.3 NZ$98.3

-5.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$40.97 NZ$72.8

12.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$13.75 NZ$24.43

-18.55%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$684 NZ$1,217

-14.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K NZ$40.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$63.7 NZ$113

-7.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$38.29 NZ$68.1

-7.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$93.6 NZ$166

-2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$107 NZ$189

26.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$1,026 NZ$1,823

-1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$1,059 NZ$1,882

-15.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,846 NZ$3,281

-11.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,421 NZ$2,526

-4.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,184 NZ$9,216

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$3,812 NZ$6,777

-40.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.83

3.51%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Waitakere: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Waitakere

$1.1K 51.3% 18.1% $162

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Waitakere

$296 14.4% 8.5% $28

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Waitakere

$228 11% 8.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Waitakere

$149 7.2% 22.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Waitakere

$136 6.6% 5.7% $8.2

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Waitakere

$129 6.2% 13.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Waitakere

$68 3.3% 0.2% $0.2

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 $1,026 in Waitakere. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $74 in Waitakere. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $296, with Waitakere cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Waitakere

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

1,830

💱 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 Waitakere 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Waitakere

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 Waitakere: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,987 in Dunedin and $2,065 in Waitakere, so Dunedin is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $3,097 in Waitakere 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 $1,026 in Waitakere. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 5% less than in Waitakere. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $588 in Dunedin versus $684 in Waitakere. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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