Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gisborne and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Gisborne and in Dunedin: $2,029 and $1,987 a month, rent and utilities included.

102

Cost of Living Index in Gisborne
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Gisborne Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Gisborne

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,029

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gisborne and in Dunedin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Gisborne and in Dunedin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,029 in Gisborne versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Gisborne $2,029
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,006 in Gisborne versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Gisborne $3,006
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,982 in Gisborne versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Gisborne $3,982
Dunedin $3,828

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gisborne 49% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.96 NZ$51.4

$14.03 NZ$24.90

106.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 NZ$97.0

$62.0 NZ$110

-11.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 NZ$16.06

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-20.70%

Cappuccino

$3.54 NZ$6.28

$3.27 NZ$5.80

8.26%

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

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$2.07 NZ$3.68

0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NZ$3.61

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 NZ$11.27

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 NZ$10.32

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-5.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-14.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 NZ$3.59

$1.99 NZ$3.54

1.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.35

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-1.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 NZ$15.09

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-0.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 NZ$16.38

$9.21 NZ$16.36

0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 NZ$25.47

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-14.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.66

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-13.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-0.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.46

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-6.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 NZ$10.07

$5.13 NZ$9.11

10.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 NZ$3.56

$1.84 NZ$3.27

9.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 NZ$2.56

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-22.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 NZ$3.95

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-7.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.96

$0.60 NZ$1.07

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.32 NZ$37.85

$20.90 NZ$37.11

2.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.32 NZ$16.54

$9.01 NZ$16.00

3.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 NZ$6.10

$3.17 NZ$5.63

8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$1.26 NZ$2.23

165.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$1.43 NZ$2.54

20.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.1 NZ$176

$102 NZ$180

-2.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 NZ$4.44

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-56.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.82 NZ$60.0

$28.63 NZ$50.8

18.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$1.77 NZ$3.14

25.42%

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

$27.6K NZ$49.0K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-2.17%

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

$24.8K NZ$44.1K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

5.72%

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

$115 NZ$204

$110 NZ$196

4.29%

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

$32.28 NZ$57.3

$29.44 NZ$52.3

9.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.02 NZ$87.0

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-6.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.98 NZ$71.0

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-12.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 NZ$19.60

$11.20 NZ$19.89

-1.43%

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

$718 NZ$1,274

$588 NZ$1,045

22.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K NZ$31.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 NZ$95.5

$58.8 NZ$104

-8.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.84 NZ$65.4

$35.28 NZ$62.6

4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 NZ$157

$91.3 NZ$162

-3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 NZ$226

$135 NZ$240

-5.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,799

$1,013 NZ$1,798

0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 NZ$1,474

$897 NZ$1,593

-7.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 NZ$2,597

$1,632 NZ$2,897

-10.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 NZ$2,323

$1,358 NZ$2,410

-3.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,946 NZ$8,781

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,203 NZ$5,687

$2,273 NZ$4,035

40.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

7.07

-17.54%

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

Last update for Gisborne: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gisborne

$830 40.9%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 8.1% $67

Eating Out

Gisborne

$361 17.8%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 31.3% $113

Groceries & Markets

Gisborne

$325 16%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 0.2% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gisborne

$196 9.7%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 2.2% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Gisborne

$138 6.8%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 4.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Gisborne

$117 5.8%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 3.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Gisborne

$62 3.1%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 10.1% $6.2

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 Gisborne and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Gisborne vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $324, with Dunedin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Gisborne

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

Same time as Gisborne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,300

105,000

💱 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

Gisborne Dunedin 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gisborne
Dunedin

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

Gisborne vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $3,044 in Gisborne and $2,980 in Dunedin 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 Gisborne versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $718 in Gisborne versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Gisborne runs roughly 3% less than in Dunedin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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