Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Dunfermline

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,820 a month against $2,047 in Dunfermline, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New Plymouth, New Zealand
Dunfermline, United Kingdom
New Plymouth
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,820
/mo nomad
Dunfermline
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,047
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Plymouth and in Dunfermline

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in New Plymouth and in Dunfermline actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in New Plymouth versus $2,047 in Dunfermline.

  • New Plymouth $1,820
  • Dunfermline $2,047

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in New Plymouth versus $3,016 in Dunfermline.

  • New Plymouth $2,828
  • Dunfermline $3,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,836 in New Plymouth versus $3,986 in Dunfermline.

  • New Plymouth $3,836
  • Dunfermline $3,986

Living in New Plymouth costs roughly 11% less than in Dunfermline, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Plymouth 34% above, Dunfermline 50% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.43 NZ$22.06
$20.15 £15.05
-38.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.9 NZ$121
$79.1 £59.1
-14.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.44 NZ$14.98
$9.59 £7.16
-11.99%
Cappuccino
$3.34 NZ$5.93
$4.37 £3.26
-23.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 NZ$3.76
$2.49 £1.86
-14.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 NZ$3.28
$1.32 £0.98
40.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.32 NZ$9.45
$5.69 £4.25
-6.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.65 NZ$10.02
$5.98 £4.46
-5.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 NZ$2.55
$1.92 £1.43
-25.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 NZ$2.22
$1.24 £0.92
0.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 NZ$2.92
$2.39 £1.78
-30.96%
Eggs
$5.53 NZ$9.82
$4.12 £3.07
34.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.52 NZ$9.79
$7.51 £5.61
-26.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.19 NZ$12.76
$8.54 £6.37
-15.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.42 NZ$20.28
$10.07 £7.52
13.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.63 NZ$4.67
$2.37 £1.77
10.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.86 NZ$3.29
$1.28 £0.95
45.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.93 NZ$5.20
$2.88 £2.15
1.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.12 NZ$10.86
$2.73 £2.04
124.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 NZ$3.53
$1.13 £0.85
76.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 NZ$2.51
$1.34 £1.00
5.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 NZ$3.33
$1.25 £0.94
50.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 NZ$2.35
$1.63 £1.21
-19.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.12 NZ$41.04
$23.46 £17.52
-1.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.73 NZ$15.51
$11.06 £8.26
-21.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.03 NZ$5.37
$2.19 £1.64
38.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.78 NZ$6.72
$2.48 £1.85
52.42%
🚌 Getting Around
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.68 NZ$2.99
$3.17 £2.37
-47.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.6 NZ$133
$77.4 £57.8
-3.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.68 NZ$6.53
$4.60 £3.43
-20.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$3.82 £2.85
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$20.40 £15.23
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.67 NZ$2.97
$1.96 £1.46
-14.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.7K NZ$50.9K
$37.6K £28.1K
-23.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K NZ$40.5K
$39.3K £29.4K
-42.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 NZ$231
$238 £178
-45.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.85 NZ$49.44
$13.31 £9.94
109.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.35 NZ$85.8
$42.35 £31.62
14.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.29 NZ$76.9
$48.25 £36.03
-10.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$12.05 £9.00
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.20 NZ$14.55
$13.47 £10.05
-39.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$680 NZ$1,206
$1,407 £1,050
-51.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K NZ$41.0K
$19.1K £14.3K
20.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.3 NZ$109
$52.8 £39.44
16.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.74 NZ$68.8
$53.7 £40.08
-27.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 NZ$161
$100 £74.9
-9.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 NZ$188
$88.9 £66.4
19.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$907 NZ$1,611
$1,009 £754
-10.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$836 NZ$1,485
$867 £647
-3.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,740 NZ$3,089
$1,277 £953
36.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 NZ$2,821
$1,376 £1,027
15.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,209 NZ$5,697
$2,029 £1,515
58.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,622 NZ$4,655
$2,726 £2,035
-3.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Plymouth
Dunfermline
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,787 NZ$4,948
$3,006 £2,245
-7.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.93
5.4
9.81%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dunfermline: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New Plymouth
$836
Dunfermline
$867 3.6% $30
Groceries & Markets
New Plymouth
$281
Dunfermline
$266 5.3% $15
Eating Out
New Plymouth
$219
Dunfermline
$298 36.4% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Plymouth
$206
Dunfermline
$294 42.5% $88
Clothing & Footwear
New Plymouth
$133
Dunfermline
$133 0.2% $0.3
Getting Around
New Plymouth
$85 *
Dunfermline
$114 33.8% $29
Sport & Entertainment
New Plymouth
$60
Dunfermline
$75 26% $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 $907 in New Plymouth and $1,009 in Dunfermline. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunfermline pays 8% 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: $68 in New Plymouth vs $79 in Dunfermline. Groceries flip the comparison at $281 vs $266, with Dunfermline cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇿 New Plymouth
🇬🇧 Dunfermline
🕒 Local time
20:46 8:46 PM
07:46 7:46 AM
13 h behind New Plymouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,400
55,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New Plymouth Dunfermline 18,110 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New Plymouth
  • Dunfermline

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
New Plymouth vs Dunfermline: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New Plymouth or Dunfermline?
New Plymouth wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Dunfermline. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making New Plymouth the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in New Plymouth or in Dunfermline?
On paper, salaries run 7% lower in New Plymouth. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in New Plymouth compared to Dunfermline?
Rent for a central apartment: $907 in New Plymouth versus $1,009 in Dunfermline. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in New Plymouth compared to Dunfermline?
A monthly transit pass in New Plymouth runs roughly 4% less than in Dunfermline. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in New Plymouth and in Dunfermline?
Childcare runs $680 in New Plymouth versus $1,407 in Dunfermline. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $3,000/month in New Plymouth or in Dunfermline?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though New Plymouth gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: New Plymouth or Dunfermline?
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.
How safe is New Plymouth compared to Dunfermline?
Safety-wise, New Plymouth and Dunfermline are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Should I move to New Plymouth or to Dunfermline?
It comes down to priorities – New Plymouth wins on affordability, Dunfermline on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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