Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Masterton versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Masterton $841
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,446 in Masterton versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Masterton $1,446
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,051 in Masterton versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Masterton $2,051
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Masterton costs roughly 58% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Dunedin is 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$14.03 NZ$24.90

-34.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 NZ$115

$62.0 NZ$110

4.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 NZ$15.58

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-23.07%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.95

$3.27 NZ$5.80

2.45%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-5.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-46.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 NZ$7.04

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-41.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 NZ$6.04

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-44.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-32.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.99 NZ$3.54

7.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-37.50%

Eggs

$6.49 NZ$11.51

$5.90 NZ$10.48

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 NZ$15.25

$8.52 NZ$15.12

0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 NZ$17.65

$9.21 NZ$16.36

7.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 NZ$26.69

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-10.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-26.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-20.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.40

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-7.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NZ$7.95

$5.13 NZ$9.11

-12.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 NZ$2.69

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-17.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-29.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.93

$0.60 NZ$1.07

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.90 NZ$35.33

$20.90 NZ$37.11

-4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$9.01 NZ$16.00

27.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NZ$1.56

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-72.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.17

$1.26 NZ$2.23

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.43 NZ$2.54

55.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NZ$3.20

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.98 NZ$60.3

$28.63 NZ$50.8

18.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-2.26%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-18.99%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

1.69%

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

$56.0 NZ$99.5

$110 NZ$196

-49.26%

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

$29.91 NZ$53.1

$29.44 NZ$52.3

1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 NZ$94.8

$52.3 NZ$92.8

2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 NZ$75.2

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-7.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.22 NZ$14.59

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 NZ$16.81

$11.20 NZ$19.89

-15.45%

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

$1,038 NZ$1,844

$588 NZ$1,045

76.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 NZ$101

$58.8 NZ$104

-3.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.47 NZ$50.6

$35.28 NZ$62.6

-19.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 NZ$186

$91.3 NZ$162

14.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$250

$135 NZ$240

4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,798

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,593

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 NZ$1,809

$1,632 NZ$2,897

-37.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,410

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,035

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,339 NZ$4,152

$2,464 NZ$4,374

-5.07%

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 Masterton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$293 34.8%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 10.6% $31

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.3%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 38.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$149 17.7%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 3.1% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$139 16.6%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 37.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.3%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 11.4% $7

Getting Around

Masterton

$20 * 2.4%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 470% $93

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dunedin pays 5% 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: $65 in Masterton vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $324, with Masterton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

Same time as Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

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

Masterton Dunedin 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

Masterton vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $841 in Masterton and $1,987 in Dunedin, so Masterton is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Masterton. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Dunedin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $841 per month in Masterton versus $1,987 in Dunedin – Masterton is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $841 in Masterton versus $1,987 in Dunedin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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, Masterton and Dunedin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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