Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Levin and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Levin and in Dunedin: $2,005 and $1,987 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Levin
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Levin Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Levin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,005

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,005 in Levin versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Levin $2,005
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,929 in Levin versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Levin $2,929
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,853 in Levin versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Levin $3,853
Dunedin $3,828

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Levin 47% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 NZ$24.71

$14.03 NZ$24.98

-1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 NZ$117

$62.0 NZ$110

6.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 NZ$16.57

$11.40 NZ$20.30

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$2.79 NZ$4.97

$3.27 NZ$5.82

-14.68%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.34

$2.07 NZ$3.69

17.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 NZ$3.03

$2.06 NZ$3.66

-17.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.50 NZ$13.36

$6.73 NZ$11.99

11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.82

$6.16 NZ$10.97

7.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 NZ$3.38

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-11.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 NZ$1.62

$1.99 NZ$3.55

-54.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$1.76 NZ$3.14

-2.84%

Eggs

$7.03 NZ$12.52

$5.90 NZ$10.51

19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 NZ$11.88

$8.52 NZ$15.17

-21.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 NZ$12.79

$9.21 NZ$16.41

-22.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.89

$16.72 NZ$29.77

-43.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$3.02 NZ$5.38

-42.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.87

$2.29 NZ$4.08

-5.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.50

$3.27 NZ$5.82

-5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 NZ$3.21

$5.13 NZ$9.14

-64.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.84 NZ$3.28

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

$1.87 NZ$3.34

-33.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$2.41 NZ$4.29

-24.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.05

$0.60 NZ$1.07

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.26 NZ$32.52

$20.90 NZ$37.22

-12.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 NZ$20.05

$9.01 NZ$16.05

24.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.17 NZ$5.65

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 NZ$5.19

$1.26 NZ$2.24

130.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 NZ$3.51

$1.43 NZ$2.55

37.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 NZ$211

$102 NZ$181

16.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$5.76 NZ$10.25

-68.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 NZ$60.9

$28.63 NZ$51.0

19.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.86

$1.77 NZ$3.15

-9.04%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.7K

$28.2K NZ$50.3K

0.77%

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

$24.0K NZ$42.7K

$23.5K NZ$41.8K

2.17%

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

$200 NZ$355

$110 NZ$197

80.72%

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

$21.91 NZ$39.01

$29.44 NZ$52.4

-25.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 NZ$96.0

$52.3 NZ$93.1

3.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.09 NZ$69.6

$45.90 NZ$81.7

-14.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.37 NZ$18.47

$11.20 NZ$19.95

-7.41%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,881

$588 NZ$1,048

79.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K NZ$23.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 NZ$141

$58.8 NZ$105

35.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.63 NZ$40.30

$35.28 NZ$62.8

-35.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.8 NZ$92.2

$91.3 NZ$163

-43.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 NZ$202

$135 NZ$240

-16.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 NZ$1,823

$1,013 NZ$1,804

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 NZ$1,629

$897 NZ$1,597

1.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 NZ$2,103

$1,632 NZ$2,906

-27.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 NZ$2,654

$1,358 NZ$2,418

9.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,200 NZ$7,480

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 NZ$5,658

$2,273 NZ$4,047

39.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,387

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

7.07

-23.76%

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

Last update for Levin: 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

Levin

$914 45.6%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 1.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Levin

$275 13.7%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 30.2% $83

Groceries & Markets

Levin

$257 12.8%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 25.9% $67

Eating Out

Levin

$240 12%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 3.5% $8.4

Getting Around

Levin

$138 6.9%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 17.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Levin

$120 6%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 19.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Levin

$60 3%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 14.2% $8.5

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 $1,024 in Levin and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Levin vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $324, with Levin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Levin

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

Same time as Levin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,800

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.562 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Levin Dunedin 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Levin
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

Levin vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $3,007 in Levin 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: $1,024 in Levin 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 Dunedin runs roughly 14% less than in Levin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Levin pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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