Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,425 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,425

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Invercargill versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Invercargill $1,425
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,122 in Invercargill versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Invercargill $2,122
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,819 in Invercargill versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Invercargill $2,819
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Invercargill costs roughly 28% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Invercargill 5% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.31 NZ$25.41

$14.03 NZ$24.90

2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 NZ$110

$62.0 NZ$110

0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 NZ$14.71

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-27.37%

Cappuccino

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-3.06%

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

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-19.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NZ$3.79

$2.06 NZ$3.65

3.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NZ$4.96

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-58.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-53.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-19.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-4.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 NZ$3.15

$1.76 NZ$3.13

0.57%

Eggs

$5.78 NZ$10.25

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 NZ$15.40

$8.52 NZ$15.12

1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 NZ$15.58

$9.21 NZ$16.36

-4.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.05 NZ$21.39

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-27.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 NZ$4.80

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-10.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 NZ$4.26

$2.29 NZ$4.06

4.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 NZ$4.63

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-20.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 NZ$6.10

$5.13 NZ$9.11

-32.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 NZ$5.84

$1.84 NZ$3.27

78.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 NZ$2.95

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-11.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-4.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NZ$1.86

$0.60 NZ$1.07

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.03 NZ$37.34

$20.90 NZ$37.11

0.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.42 NZ$14.95

$9.01 NZ$16.00

-6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.14

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.85

$1.26 NZ$2.23

161.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 NZ$2.60

$1.43 NZ$2.54

2.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 NZ$3.98

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-61.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$28.63 NZ$50.8

-2.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.81

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-10.73%

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

$24.1K NZ$42.8K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-14.58%

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

$18.6K NZ$33.0K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-20.75%

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

$113 NZ$201

$110 NZ$196

2.55%

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

$32.59 NZ$57.9

$29.44 NZ$52.3

10.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.59 NZ$75.6

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-18.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 NZ$50.2

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-38.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 NZ$25.07

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 NZ$15.73

$11.20 NZ$19.89

-20.89%

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

$597 NZ$1,059

$588 NZ$1,045

1.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 NZ$105

$58.8 NZ$104

0.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.27 NZ$62.6

$35.28 NZ$62.6

-0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 NZ$125

$91.3 NZ$162

-23.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 NZ$139

$135 NZ$240

-42.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 NZ$1,085

$1,013 NZ$1,798

-39.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 NZ$977

$897 NZ$1,593

-38.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 NZ$1,482

$1,632 NZ$2,897

-48.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 NZ$1,365

$1,358 NZ$2,410

-43.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,776 NZ$10.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,013 NZ$8,899

$2,273 NZ$4,035

120.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,756 NZ$4,894

$2,464 NZ$4,374

11.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

7.07

-4.95%

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

Last update for Invercargill: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Invercargill

$550 38.6%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 63% $347

Groceries & Markets

Invercargill

$301 21.1%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 7.6% $23

Eating Out

Invercargill

$212 14.9%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 16.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Invercargill

$188 13.2%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 2% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Invercargill

$109 7.7%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 31.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Invercargill

$46 3.2%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 48.5% $22

Getting Around

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 546% $96

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 $611 in Invercargill and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Invercargill pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Invercargill vs $62 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $324 per month, with Invercargill cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

Same time as Invercargill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,200

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

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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

Invercargill vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,425 in Invercargill and $1,987 in Dunedin, so Invercargill is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Invercargill, 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: $611 in Invercargill versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $597 in Invercargill versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Invercargill versus $1,987 in Dunedin – Invercargill is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Invercargill is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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