Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manukau and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Manukau: $1,914 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,914 in Manukau versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Manukau $1,914
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,853 in Manukau versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Manukau $2,853
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,792 in Manukau versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Manukau $3,792
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Manukau 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: Manukau 41% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.06 NZ$21.42

$14.03 NZ$24.90

-14.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 NZ$121

$62.0 NZ$110

9.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 NZ$14.71

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-27.37%

Cappuccino

$3.48 NZ$6.19

$3.27 NZ$5.80

6.42%

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

$2.04 NZ$3.63

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-1.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.22 NZ$11.05

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 NZ$9.98

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-8.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 NZ$2.56

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-33.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 NZ$2.31

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-34.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.37

$1.76 NZ$3.13

7.95%

Eggs

$5.26 NZ$9.34

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-10.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.80

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-35.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 NZ$13.24

$9.21 NZ$16.36

-19.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 NZ$21.23

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-28.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 NZ$4.55

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-14.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.84

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-5.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.16

$5.13 NZ$9.11

11.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.70

$1.84 NZ$3.27

13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.55

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-16.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NZ$1.62

$0.60 NZ$1.07

51.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.51 NZ$45.30

$20.90 NZ$37.11

22.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.51 NZ$18.65

$9.01 NZ$16.00

16.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.04

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-10.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 NZ$5.90

$1.26 NZ$2.23

163.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.43 NZ$2.54

29.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 NZ$197

$102 NZ$180

9.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-60.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.50 NZ$57.7

$28.63 NZ$50.8

13.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-2.82%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-3.38%

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

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-6.98%

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

$58.0 NZ$103

$110 NZ$196

-47.48%

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

$26.67 NZ$47.35

$29.44 NZ$52.3

-9.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 NZ$90.3

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 NZ$77.0

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-5.56%

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 NZ$21.92

$11.20 NZ$19.89

10.27%

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

$687 NZ$1,220

$588 NZ$1,045

16.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NZ$111

$58.8 NZ$104

5.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.79 NZ$68.9

$35.28 NZ$62.6

9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 NZ$164

$91.3 NZ$162

1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NZ$198

$135 NZ$240

-17.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 NZ$1,840

$1,013 NZ$1,798

2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 NZ$1,669

$897 NZ$1,593

4.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 NZ$2,912

$1,632 NZ$2,897

0.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 NZ$2,653

$1,358 NZ$2,410

10.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 NZ$8,834

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,073 NZ$5,457

$2,273 NZ$4,035

35.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,825 NZ$3,239

$2,464 NZ$4,374

-25.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.07

-16.55%

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

Last update for Manukau: 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

Manukau

$940 49.1%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 4.6% $43

Groceries & Markets

Manukau

$282 14.7%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 14.8% $42

Eating Out

Manukau

$221 11.5%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 12.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Manukau

$137 7.2%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 5% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manukau

$136 7.1%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 41.8% $57

Getting Around

Manukau

$131 6.8%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 13.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Manukau

$68 3.6%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 0.4% $0.3

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 $1,036 in Manukau and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 35% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Manukau vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $282 vs $324, with Manukau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Manukau

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

Same time as Manukau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,000

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manukau Dunedin 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Manukau
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

Manukau vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,914 in Manukau and $1,987 in Dunedin, so Manukau is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Manukau. 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: $1,036 in Manukau 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 9% less than in Manukau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $687 in Manukau 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 $3,000 a month, though Manukau 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, Manukau and Dunedin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Manukau wins on affordability, Dunedin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.