Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $825 a month against $1,821 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$825

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $825 in Lae versus $1,821 in Dunedin.

Lae $825
Dunedin $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,464 in Lae versus $2,717 in Dunedin.

Lae $1,464
Dunedin $2,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,103 in Lae versus $3,613 in Dunedin.

Lae $2,103
Dunedin $3,613

Living in Lae costs roughly 55% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lae is 38% below, Dunedin is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 PGK 108

$13.73 NZ$24.47

78.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 PGK 219

$61.8 NZ$110

-19.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.35

Cappuccino

$2.66 PGK 11.67

$3.23 NZ$5.75

-17.65%

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

$0.79 PGK 3.47

$2.08 NZ$3.71

-62.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 PGK 2.35

$2.09 NZ$3.72

-74.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 PGK 14.33

$6.85 NZ$12.21

-52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 PGK 22.78

$6.02 NZ$10.72

-13.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 PGK 8.85

$2.18 NZ$3.88

-7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 PGK 6.42

$1.94 NZ$3.46

-24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PGK 5.61

$1.75 NZ$3.12

-26.86%

Eggs

$3.95 PGK 17.30

$5.83 NZ$10.39

-32.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 PGK 41.69

$8.15 NZ$14.52

16.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 PGK 38.70

$9.43 NZ$16.80

-6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.71 PGK 46.93

$16.55 NZ$29.49

-35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 PGK 19.94

$2.87 NZ$5.12

58.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 PGK 12.18

$2.34 NZ$4.17

18.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 PGK 26.46

$3.10 NZ$5.52

94.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 PGK 6.64

$5.04 NZ$8.99

-70.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 PGK 15.31

$1.83 NZ$3.26

90.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 PGK 10.46

$1.84 NZ$3.28

29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 PGK 3.00

$2.38 NZ$4.24

-71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PGK 4.00

$0.55 NZ$0.99

65.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 PGK 28.83

$20.93 NZ$37.29

-68.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 PGK 52.7

$8.87 NZ$15.81

35.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 PGK 10.81

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 PGK 18.76

$1.24 NZ$2.22

245.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 PGK 1.39

$1.09 NZ$1.94

-70.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.83

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 PGK 4.23

$1.71 NZ$3.05

-43.86%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

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

$25.0K NZ$44.6K

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

$111 NZ$197

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.0

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.6

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.58

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

$591 NZ$1,053

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$102

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$165

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 PGK 1,951

$876 NZ$1,561

-49.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 PGK 1,141

$751 NZ$1,338

-65.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 PGK 5,228

$1,474 NZ$2,627

-19.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 PGK 2,677

$1,150 NZ$2,049

-46.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,019

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$157 PGK 689

$2,455 NZ$4,375

-93.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

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

Last update for Lae: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lae

–

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Groceries & Markets

Lae

–

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Eating Out

Lae

–

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lae

–

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Lae

–

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Getting Around

Lae

–

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Lae

–

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

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 $445 in Lae and $876 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 1461% 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: $50.0 in Lae vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $320 per month, with Lae cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Lae

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

3 h ahead of Lae

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,948

105,000

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lae Dunedin 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lae
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

Lae vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lae and Dunedin differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($825 vs $1,821 including rent). Lae is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1461% 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: $445 in Lae versus $876 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lae – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $62.0 in Dunedin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $825 per month in Lae versus $1,821 in Dunedin – a 121% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $825 in Lae versus $1,821 in Dunedin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lae but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Lae 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, Lae 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 Lae gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.