Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Hastings and in Dunedin: $1,731 and $1,794 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,731

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Hastings versus $1,794 in Dunedin.

Hastings $1,731
Dunedin $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,526 in Hastings versus $2,661 in Dunedin.

Hastings $2,526
Dunedin $2,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,322 in Hastings versus $3,527 in Dunedin.

Hastings $3,322
Dunedin $3,527

Living in Hastings costs roughly 4% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hastings 28% above, Dunedin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 NZ$19.55

$13.81 NZ$24.43

-19.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 NZ$98.5

$61.7 NZ$109

-9.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$11.05 NZ$19.54

-18.10%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.41

$3.28 NZ$5.80

-6.71%

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

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$2.03 NZ$3.58

-7.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NZ$2.41

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 NZ$7.67

$6.74 NZ$11.92

-35.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NZ$9.75

$6.27 NZ$11.09

-12.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 NZ$2.50

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-33.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 NZ$2.28

$1.96 NZ$3.47

-34.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 NZ$3.05

$1.68 NZ$2.98

2.38%

Eggs

$5.45 NZ$9.64

$5.75 NZ$10.16

-5.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.11

$8.54 NZ$15.10

-33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.30 NZ$12.90

$9.45 NZ$16.72

-22.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 NZ$20.26

$16.50 NZ$29.19

-30.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.71

$3.00 NZ$5.30

-11.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$2.39 NZ$4.22

-19.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.42

$3.14 NZ$5.56

-2.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$4.93 NZ$8.72

-33.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-2.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 NZ$1.85

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-42.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$2.34 NZ$4.13

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NZ$1.60

$0.59 NZ$1.04

54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.62 NZ$31.16

$20.71 NZ$36.63

-14.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 NZ$16.06

$8.90 NZ$15.75

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 NZ$7.11

$3.09 NZ$5.47

30.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$1.20 NZ$2.12

142.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 NZ$4.79

$1.11 NZ$1.96

144.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.8 NZ$145

$66.0 NZ$117

23.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 NZ$6.46

$5.46 NZ$9.66

-33.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 NZ$4.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.32 NZ$58.9

$27.62 NZ$48.84

20.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.82

$1.76 NZ$3.12

-9.09%

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

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

5.42%

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

$22.7K NZ$40.1K

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

-8.97%

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

$190 NZ$335

$111 NZ$196

70.93%

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

$36.05 NZ$63.8

$28.15 NZ$49.78

28.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 NZ$105

$52.5 NZ$92.9

13.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.98 NZ$49.48

$47.73 NZ$84.4

-41.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 NZ$17.55

$10.36 NZ$18.33

-4.15%

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

$679 NZ$1,200

$570 NZ$1,009

18.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K NZ$38.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.05 NZ$81.4

$58.9 NZ$104

-21.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 NZ$66.7

$34.56 NZ$61.1

9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 NZ$168

$92.5 NZ$164

2.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 NZ$161

$132 NZ$234

-31.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 NZ$1,426

$873 NZ$1,545

-7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 NZ$1,243

$749 NZ$1,324

-6.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 NZ$2,687

$1,480 NZ$2,617

2.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 NZ$1,997

$1,148 NZ$2,031

-1.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,051 NZ$8,933

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,061 NZ$5,414

$2,200 NZ$3,890

39.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,589 NZ$2,810

$2,425 NZ$4,288

-34.47%

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 Hastings: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hastings

$703 40.6%

Dunedin

$749 41.7% 6.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hastings

$285 16.5%

Dunedin

$192 10.7% 32.8% $94

Groceries & Markets

Hastings

$266 15.4%

Dunedin

$321 17.9% 20.8% $55

Eating Out

Hastings

$198 11.4%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 24% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Hastings

$121 7%

Dunedin

$143 8% 18.1% $22

Getting Around

Hastings

$110 6.4%

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2% 31% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Hastings

$48 2.8%

Dunedin

$68 3.8% 43.1% $21

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 $806 in Hastings and $873 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 53% 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: $56.0 in Hastings vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $321 per month, with Hastings cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hastings

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

Same time as Hastings

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,100

105,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Hastings Dunedin 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hastings
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

Hastings vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hastings and Dunedin differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,731 vs $1,794 including rent). Hastings is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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: $806 in Hastings versus $873 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hastings runs roughly 24% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $679 in Hastings versus $570 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,731 in Hastings versus $1,794 in Dunedin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hastings but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Hastings 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, Hastings 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.

Expats usually find Hastings gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.