Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Napier and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,987 a month against $2,251 in Napier, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Napier
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Napier Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Napier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,251

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Napier versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Napier $2,251
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,239 in Napier versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Napier $3,239
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,227 in Napier versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Napier $4,227
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Napier is roughly 13% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Napier 65% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.60 NZ$33.07

$14.03 NZ$24.94

32.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.3 NZ$169

$62.0 NZ$110

53.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 NZ$16.89

$11.40 NZ$20.26

-16.67%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NZ$6.14

$3.27 NZ$5.81

5.50%

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

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$2.07 NZ$3.68

9.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 NZ$4.12

$2.06 NZ$3.65

12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.67 NZ$11.86

$6.73 NZ$11.97

-0.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 NZ$10.21

$6.16 NZ$10.95

-6.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 NZ$2.90

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-24.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 NZ$2.68

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-24.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 NZ$2.64

$1.76 NZ$3.14

-15.91%

Eggs

$5.65 NZ$10.04

$5.90 NZ$10.49

-4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 NZ$13.36

$8.52 NZ$15.14

-11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 NZ$15.25

$9.21 NZ$16.38

-6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 NZ$22.68

$16.72 NZ$29.71

-23.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.08

$3.02 NZ$5.37

-24.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$2.29 NZ$4.07

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 NZ$5.56

$3.27 NZ$5.81

-4.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 NZ$5.12

$5.13 NZ$9.13

-43.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-2.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 NZ$4.60

$1.87 NZ$3.33

38.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-22.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.10

$0.60 NZ$1.07

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.68 NZ$36.75

$20.90 NZ$37.16

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.47 NZ$15.06

$9.01 NZ$16.02

-5.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 NZ$4.54

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-19.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 NZ$4.34

$1.26 NZ$2.24

93.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 NZ$3.49

$1.43 NZ$2.54

37.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$185

$102 NZ$181

2.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$5.76 NZ$10.23

-60.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.23 NZ$53.7

$28.63 NZ$50.9

5.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 NZ$2.74

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-12.99%

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

$25.9K NZ$46.0K

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

-8.28%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

1.61%

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

$185 NZ$329

$110 NZ$196

67.61%

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

$35.28 NZ$62.7

$29.44 NZ$52.3

19.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.81 NZ$86.8

$52.3 NZ$93.0

-6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.62 NZ$61.5

$45.90 NZ$81.6

-24.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 NZ$19.29

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 NZ$15.43

$11.20 NZ$19.91

-22.50%

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

$690 NZ$1,227

$588 NZ$1,046

17.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NZ$29.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NZ$190

$58.8 NZ$104

82.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.09 NZ$62.4

$35.28 NZ$62.7

-0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 NZ$185

$91.3 NZ$162

14.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NZ$216

$135 NZ$240

-10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 NZ$2,121

$1,013 NZ$1,800

17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 NZ$1,919

$897 NZ$1,594

20.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 NZ$3,035

$1,632 NZ$2,901

4.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 NZ$2,651

$1,358 NZ$2,413

9.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,873 NZ$8,662

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,334 NZ$5,926

$2,273 NZ$4,040

46.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,110 NZ$5,528

$2,464 NZ$4,379

26.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

7.07

-7.50%

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

Last update for Napier: 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

Napier

$1.1K 48%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 16.9% $183

Eating Out

Napier

$282 12.5%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 12% $34

Groceries & Markets

Napier

$279 12.4%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 16.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Napier

$269 12%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 28.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Napier

$166 7.4%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 12.9% $21

Getting Around

Napier

$123 5.5%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 8.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Napier

$52 2.3%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 31.4% $16

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 $1,193 in Napier and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Napier pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $95 in Napier vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $324, with Napier cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Napier

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

Same time as Napier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

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

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Between locations

Napier Dunedin 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Napier
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

Napier vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,251 in Napier and $1,987 in Dunedin, so Dunedin is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Napier, 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: $1,193 in Napier versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Napier pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,251 per month in Napier versus $1,987 in Dunedin – Dunedin is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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