Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,865 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,865 in Nelson versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Nelson $1,865
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,872 in Nelson versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Nelson $2,872
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,879 in Nelson versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Nelson $3,879
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Nelson costs roughly 6% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nelson 37% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.37

$14.03 NZ$24.90

-2.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 NZ$115

$62.0 NZ$110

4.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 NZ$14.69

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-27.46%

Cappuccino

$3.19 NZ$5.65

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-2.45%

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

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-12.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 NZ$2.93

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.61 NZ$13.51

$6.73 NZ$11.95

13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 NZ$10.37

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-5.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-10.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NZ$3.89

$1.99 NZ$3.54

10.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$1.76 NZ$3.13

11.36%

Eggs

$5.85 NZ$10.39

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-0.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 NZ$16.20

$8.52 NZ$15.12

7.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 NZ$13.53

$9.21 NZ$16.36

-17.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.65 NZ$24.23

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-18.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 NZ$5.60

$3.02 NZ$5.36

4.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.33

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 NZ$10.00

$5.13 NZ$9.11

9.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.84 NZ$3.27

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-34.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NZ$3.59

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-16.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NZ$1.92

$0.60 NZ$1.07

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.87 NZ$45.93

$20.90 NZ$37.11

23.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 NZ$17.64

$9.01 NZ$16.00

10.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 NZ$5.58

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$4.99

$1.26 NZ$2.23

123.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 NZ$3.91

$1.43 NZ$2.54

53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-68.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.80 NZ$60.0

$28.63 NZ$50.8

18.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.77

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-11.86%

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

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-39.57%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-4.80%

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

$130 NZ$231

$110 NZ$196

17.90%

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

$32.93 NZ$58.5

$29.44 NZ$52.3

11.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.70 NZ$77.6

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-16.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 NZ$179

$45.90 NZ$81.5

119.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.48 NZ$61.2

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 NZ$19.78

$11.20 NZ$19.89

-0.54%

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

$458 NZ$813

$588 NZ$1,045

-22.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 NZ$94.0

$58.8 NZ$104

-9.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.57 NZ$50.7

$35.28 NZ$62.6

-19.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 NZ$184

$91.3 NZ$162

13.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NZ$253

$135 NZ$240

5.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 NZ$1,817

$1,013 NZ$1,798

1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 NZ$1,443

$897 NZ$1,593

-9.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 NZ$3,116

$1,632 NZ$2,897

7.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 NZ$2,582

$1,358 NZ$2,410

7.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,396 NZ$2,479

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$852 NZ$1,512

$2,273 NZ$4,035

-62.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,043 NZ$3,627

$2,464 NZ$4,374

-17.07%

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 Nelson: 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

Nelson

$813 43.6%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 10.4% $84

Groceries & Markets

Nelson

$319 17.1%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 1.7% $5.3

Eating Out

Nelson

$236 12.7%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nelson

$207 11.1%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 7.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nelson

$148 7.9%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 2.4% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nelson

$123 6.6%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 44.4% $55

Getting Around

Nelson

$20 * 1.1%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 477% $94

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 $1,023 in Nelson and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 21% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Nelson vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $324, with Nelson cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Nelson

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

Same time as Nelson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,100

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

Nelson Dunedin 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nelson
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

Nelson vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,865 in Nelson and $1,987 in Dunedin, so Nelson is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Nelson. 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: $1,023 in Nelson versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $458 in Nelson versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,865 per month in Nelson versus $1,987 in Dunedin – Nelson is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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