Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,794 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Wellington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Dunedin versus $2,358 in Wellington.

Dunedin $1,794
Wellington $2,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,661 in Dunedin versus $3,368 in Wellington.

Dunedin $2,661
Wellington $3,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,527 in Dunedin versus $4,378 in Wellington.

Dunedin $3,527
Wellington $4,378

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 24% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 33% above, Wellington 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 NZ$24.43

$13.72 NZ$24.27

0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$109

$63.7 NZ$113

-3.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NZ$19.54

$8.95 NZ$15.83

23.46%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.80

$3.42 NZ$6.05

-4.09%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$2.44 NZ$4.31

-16.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$1.69 NZ$2.98

20.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.92

$7.22 NZ$12.76

-6.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$6.65 NZ$11.76

-5.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.91 NZ$3.38

11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$2.20 NZ$3.89

-10.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-8.20%

Eggs

$5.75 NZ$10.16

$6.77 NZ$11.97

-15.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 NZ$15.10

$9.05 NZ$16.00

-5.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.72

$9.85 NZ$17.43

-4.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.19

$15.19 NZ$26.86

8.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$2.21 NZ$3.91

8.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$3.07 NZ$5.43

2.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NZ$8.72

$6.59 NZ$11.65

-25.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$2.06 NZ$3.64

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.23 NZ$2.18

47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 NZ$4.13

$2.07 NZ$3.66

13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.04

$1.15 NZ$2.03

-48.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.71 NZ$36.63

$24.86 NZ$43.96

-16.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 NZ$15.75

$11.28 NZ$19.95

-21.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$2.87 NZ$5.08

-58.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$2.83 NZ$5.01

-60.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 NZ$117

$102 NZ$180

-34.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 NZ$9.66

$1.87 NZ$3.30

191.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.62 NZ$48.84

$34.15 NZ$60.4

-19.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-3.30%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

2.31%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

-2.08%

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

$111 NZ$196

$197 NZ$348

-43.60%

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

$28.15 NZ$49.78

$32.00 NZ$56.6

-12.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$92.9

$52.4 NZ$92.7

0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.73 NZ$84.4

$37.73 NZ$66.7

26.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 NZ$18.33

$11.93 NZ$21.10

-13.16%

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

$570 NZ$1,009

$1,056 NZ$1,867

-45.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 NZ$104

$76.3 NZ$135

-22.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 NZ$61.1

$28.23 NZ$49.93

22.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$99.6 NZ$176

-7.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$152 NZ$270

-13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 NZ$1,545

$1,226 NZ$2,169

-28.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NZ$1,324

$1,141 NZ$2,018

-34.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 NZ$2,617

$2,143 NZ$3,790

-30.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 NZ$2,031

$1,709 NZ$3,022

-32.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,200 NZ$3,890

$3,559 NZ$6,294

-38.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,425 NZ$4,288

$2,785 NZ$4,925

-12.93%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$749 41.7%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4% 52.3% $392

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$321 17.9%

Wellington

$346 14.7% 7.9% $25

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Wellington

$244 10.3% 0.8% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 10.7%

Wellington

$281 11.9% 46.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 8%

Wellington

$160 6.8% 12.1% $17

Getting Around

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2%

Wellington

$124 5.3% 63.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.8%

Wellington

$62 2.6% 10% $6.9

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 $873 in Dunedin and $1,226 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $64.0 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $346 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Wellington 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Wellington differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $2,358 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Wellington. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $873 in Dunedin versus $1,226 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 54% less than in Wellington. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $570 in Dunedin versus $1,056 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,794 in Dunedin versus $2,358 in Wellington, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Wellington are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.