Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, New Zealand and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Hamilton and in Dunedin: $1,917 and $1,987 a month, rent and utilities included.

93

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,917

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton 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 Hamilton and in Dunedin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,917 in Hamilton versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Hamilton $1,917
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Hamilton versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Hamilton $2,828
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,739 in Hamilton versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Hamilton $3,739
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Hamilton costs roughly 3% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 41% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.20 NZ$21.74

$14.03 NZ$25.00

-13.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 NZ$133

$62.0 NZ$110

20.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 NZ$14.86

$11.40 NZ$20.31

-26.84%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NZ$6.22

$3.27 NZ$5.83

6.73%

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

$2.31 NZ$4.12

$2.07 NZ$3.69

11.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 NZ$4.46

$2.06 NZ$3.66

21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 NZ$10.83

$6.73 NZ$12.00

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 NZ$10.00

$6.16 NZ$10.98

-8.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.60

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-32.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.23

$1.99 NZ$3.55

-37.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

$1.76 NZ$3.14

10.23%

Eggs

$5.52 NZ$9.83

$5.90 NZ$10.52

-6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.78 NZ$10.30

$8.52 NZ$15.18

-32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 NZ$12.80

$9.21 NZ$16.42

-22.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 NZ$20.85

$16.72 NZ$29.79

-30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 NZ$4.82

$3.02 NZ$5.38

-10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 NZ$4.12

$2.29 NZ$4.08

0.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NZ$5.78

$3.27 NZ$5.82

-0.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.21 NZ$11.06

$5.13 NZ$9.15

21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$1.84 NZ$3.28

11.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.52

$1.87 NZ$3.34

-24.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$2.41 NZ$4.29

3.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NZ$1.75

$0.60 NZ$1.07

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.19 NZ$46.68

$20.90 NZ$37.25

25.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 NZ$19.11

$9.01 NZ$16.06

18.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 NZ$7.17

$3.17 NZ$5.66

26.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 NZ$7.38

$1.26 NZ$2.24

228.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 NZ$4.74

$1.43 NZ$2.55

86.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.7 NZ$93.8

$102 NZ$181

-48.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 NZ$6.59

$5.76 NZ$10.26

-35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$51.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.77 NZ$3.15

-5.65%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.3K

-0.03%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.8K

$23.5K NZ$41.8K

-4.80%

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

$58.3 NZ$104

$110 NZ$197

-47.24%

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

$36.48 NZ$65.0

$29.44 NZ$52.5

23.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 NZ$98.9

$52.3 NZ$93.2

6.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.73 NZ$45.86

$45.90 NZ$81.8

-43.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.98 NZ$51.6

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 NZ$24.83

$11.20 NZ$19.96

24.38%

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

$670 NZ$1,195

$588 NZ$1,049

13.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K NZ$40.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NZ$113

$58.8 NZ$105

8.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.93 NZ$69.4

$35.28 NZ$62.9

10.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 NZ$169

$91.3 NZ$163

3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$190

$135 NZ$241

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NZ$1,942

$1,013 NZ$1,805

7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 NZ$1,759

$897 NZ$1,599

10.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,636 NZ$2,915

$1,632 NZ$2,908

0.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 NZ$2,631

$1,358 NZ$2,419

8.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,019 NZ$7,163

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,525 NZ$8,064

$2,273 NZ$4,050

99.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,678 NZ$4,773

$2,464 NZ$4,391

8.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

7.07

-3.39%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$987 51.5%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 9.1% $90

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$297 15.5%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 9% $27

Eating Out

Hamilton

$225 11.8%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 10.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$150 7.8%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 27.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$137 7.1%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 5.4% $7.4

Getting Around

Hamilton

$67 * 3.5%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 68.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$54 2.8%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 27.4% $15

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 $1,090 in Hamilton and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $75 in Hamilton vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $324, with Hamilton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

Same time as Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,500

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hamilton Dunedin 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
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

Hamilton vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton and Dunedin differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,917 vs $1,987 including rent). Hamilton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Hamilton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,090 in Hamilton versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hamilton runs roughly 48% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $670 in Hamilton versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Hamilton 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, Hamilton and Dunedin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.