Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Whakatane

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Whakatane: $1,987 and $1,982 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Whakatane
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Whakatane Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Whakatane

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Whakatane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $1,982 in Whakatane.

Dunedin $1,987
Whakatane $1,982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,919 in Whakatane.

Dunedin $2,907
Whakatane $2,919

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,856 in Whakatane.

Dunedin $3,828
Whakatane $3,856

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$14.21 NZ$25.26

-1.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$67.5 NZ$120

-8.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.93 NZ$15.87

27.66%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.16 NZ$5.62

3.48%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.99 NZ$3.53

4.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.83 NZ$3.26

12.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$6.12 NZ$10.87

9.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$6.32 NZ$11.23

-2.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.86 NZ$3.31

15.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$0.98 NZ$1.75

103.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.86 NZ$3.30

-5.38%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.66 NZ$10.07

4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$8.46 NZ$15.03

0.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$8.55 NZ$15.20

7.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$15.37 NZ$27.32

8.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.43 NZ$4.32

24.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$2.15 NZ$3.83

6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$2.97 NZ$5.28

10.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$5.73 NZ$10.19

-10.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$2.00 NZ$3.56

-8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.52 NZ$2.69

23.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.05 NZ$3.65

17.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$1.07 NZ$1.90

-43.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$27.52 NZ$48.93

-24.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$8.66 NZ$15.39

4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$1.44 NZ$2.55

120.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$1.15 NZ$2.05

9.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.74 NZ$3.10

-17.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$93.8 NZ$167

8.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$2.25 NZ$4.01

156.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$32.50 NZ$57.8

-11.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.58 NZ$2.81

12.03%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$27.3K NZ$48.6K

3.29%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$9,071 NZ$16.1K

158.83%

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

$110 NZ$196

$119 NZ$212

-7.32%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$26.90 NZ$47.82

9.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$40.58 NZ$72.1

28.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$39.14 NZ$69.6

17.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$8.39 NZ$14.91

33.49%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$1,065 NZ$1,894

-44.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K NZ$34.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$66.8 NZ$119

-12.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$40.12 NZ$71.3

-12.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$85.2 NZ$152

7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$73.4 NZ$130

83.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$966 NZ$1,717

4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$975 NZ$1,732

-7.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,639 NZ$2,914

-0.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,525 NZ$2,710

-10.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,810 NZ$8,550

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$3,305 NZ$5,875

-31.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

$4,027 NZ$7,159

-38.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.37

31.66%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Whakatane: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Whakatane

$974 49.2% 8.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Whakatane

$295 14.9% 8.8% $29

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Whakatane

$237 12% 4.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Whakatane

$187 9.4% 2.9% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Whakatane

$119 6% 17.1% $25

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Whakatane

$113 5.7% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Whakatane

$56 2.8% 18.1% $12

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 $966 in Whakatane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Whakatane pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $67 in Whakatane. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $295, with Whakatane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Whakatane

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

16,700

💱 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 Whakatane 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Whakatane

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 Whakatane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Dunedin. 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: $1,013 in Dunedin versus $966 in Whakatane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Whakatane runs roughly 8% less than in Dunedin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Dunedin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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