Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Whanganui

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Whanganui: $1,987 and $2,000 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 Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin and in Whanganui

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Dunedin versus $2,000 in Whanganui.

Dunedin $1,987
Whanganui $2,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,907 in Dunedin versus $2,910 in Whanganui.

Dunedin $2,907
Whanganui $2,910

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in Dunedin versus $3,820 in Whanganui.

Dunedin $3,828
Whanganui $3,820

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 46% above, Whanganui 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$24.94

$12.42 NZ$22.07

12.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$73.0 NZ$130

-15.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.26

$8.38 NZ$14.90

36.04%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$3.36 NZ$5.97

-2.68%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.21 NZ$3.94

-6.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$2.04 NZ$3.63

0.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$11.97

$5.48 NZ$9.74

22.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.95

$5.48 NZ$9.75

12.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.34 NZ$2.38

60.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$1.01 NZ$1.80

97.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.16 NZ$2.05

51.72%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.49

$5.54 NZ$9.85

6.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.14

$5.64 NZ$10.03

51.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.38

$7.49 NZ$13.32

22.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.71

$11.96 NZ$21.26

39.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.37

$2.21 NZ$3.93

36.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.07

$1.98 NZ$3.52

15.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.81

$1.89 NZ$3.36

73.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.13

$3.51 NZ$6.23

46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.70 NZ$3.03

8.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.32 NZ$2.35

41.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.28

$2.27 NZ$4.03

6.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.52 NZ$0.93

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.16

$23.29 NZ$41.40

-10.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.02

$9.56 NZ$16.99

-5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$2.60 NZ$4.62

21.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-43.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.54

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-27.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$109 NZ$193

-6.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$3.59 NZ$6.39

60.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 NZ$3.62

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$50.9

$31.45 NZ$55.9

-8.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.62 NZ$2.87

9.26%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

0.22%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$22.7K NZ$40.4K

3.35%

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

$110 NZ$196

$197 NZ$351

-44.09%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.3

$32.21 NZ$57.3

-8.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.0

$47.07 NZ$83.7

11.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.6

$39.46 NZ$70.1

16.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.91

$5.66 NZ$10.06

97.88%

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

$588 NZ$1,046

$686 NZ$1,220

-14.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K NZ$41.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$104

$61.3 NZ$109

-4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$38.61 NZ$68.6

-8.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$162

$93.4 NZ$166

-2.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$240

$106 NZ$188

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,800

$1,030 NZ$1,831

-1.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,594

$939 NZ$1,670

-4.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,901

$1,657 NZ$2,945

-1.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,413

$1,465 NZ$2,605

-7.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,694 NZ$8,344

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,040

$2,967 NZ$5,274

-23.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,379

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

6.8

3.97%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Whanganui: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Whanganui

$939 47% 4.7% $42

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Whanganui

$248 12.4% 23.4% $76

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Whanganui

$220 11% 11.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Whanganui

$277 13.8% 44% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Whanganui

$135 6.7% 6.6% $9.5

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Whanganui

$130 6.5% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Whanganui

$51 2.5% 25.7% $18

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 $1,030 in Whanganui. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Dunedin vs $73 in Whanganui. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $248, with Whanganui cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

Same time as Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

42,300

💱 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

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Between locations

Dunedin Whanganui 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
Whanganui

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 Whanganui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,980 in Dunedin and $3,000 in Whanganui 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 $1,030 in Whanganui. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 6% less than in Whanganui. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Whanganui pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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