Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,987 a month against $2,123 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in North Shore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,123 in North Shore versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

North Shore $2,123
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,945 in North Shore versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

North Shore $2,945
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,766 in North Shore versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

North Shore $3,766
Dunedin $3,828

Living in North Shore is roughly 7% more expensive than in Dunedin.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Shore 56% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.84

$14.03 NZ$24.90

-0.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 NZ$134

$62.0 NZ$110

21.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 NZ$15.10

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-25.35%

Cappuccino

$3.44 NZ$6.11

$3.27 NZ$5.80

5.20%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-3.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.86

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-0.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 NZ$10.24

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-6.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-24.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 NZ$2.38

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-32.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$1.76 NZ$3.13

3.41%

Eggs

$5.76 NZ$10.22

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-2.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.22

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-5.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 NZ$17.77

$9.21 NZ$16.36

8.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 NZ$20.90

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-29.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 NZ$4.76

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-11.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-7.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.61

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-3.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 NZ$10.71

$5.13 NZ$9.11

17.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.69

$1.84 NZ$3.27

13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-18.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 NZ$4.44

$2.41 NZ$4.28

3.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 NZ$1.64

$0.60 NZ$1.07

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.31 NZ$44.93

$20.90 NZ$37.11

21.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 NZ$18.64

$9.01 NZ$16.00

16.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.87

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.84

$1.26 NZ$2.23

161.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 NZ$4.12

$1.43 NZ$2.54

62.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 NZ$109

$102 NZ$180

-39.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 NZ$4.10

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-59.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 NZ$58.3

$28.63 NZ$50.8

14.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-1.69%

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

$26.9K NZ$47.7K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-4.78%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-5.80%

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

$182 NZ$323

$110 NZ$196

64.65%

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

$26.22 NZ$46.55

$29.44 NZ$52.3

-10.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$91.2

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.58 NZ$48.96

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-39.91%

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 NZ$21.43

$11.20 NZ$19.89

7.77%

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

$686 NZ$1,218

$588 NZ$1,045

16.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NZ$25.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 NZ$123

$58.8 NZ$104

17.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 NZ$66.9

$35.28 NZ$62.6

6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 NZ$169

$91.3 NZ$162

4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$190

$135 NZ$240

-20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 NZ$2,358

$1,013 NZ$1,798

31.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,849

$897 NZ$1,593

16.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 NZ$3,978

$1,632 NZ$2,897

37.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 NZ$2,353

$1,358 NZ$2,410

-2.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

$2,273 NZ$4,035

167.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,856 NZ$5,071

$2,464 NZ$4,374

15.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

7.07

-6.22%

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

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Shore

$1K 49%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 13.9% $145

Groceries & Markets

North Shore

$310 14.6%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 4.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Shore

$259 12.2%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 25.9% $67

Eating Out

North Shore

$239 11.3%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 3.9% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

North Shore

$139 6.6%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 3.5% $4.9

Getting Around

North Shore

$83 3.9%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 36.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

North Shore

$52 2.4%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 32.1% $17

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 $1,328 in North Shore and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in North Shore vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $324, with North Shore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 North Shore

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

Same time as North Shore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,697

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

North Shore Dunedin 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

North Shore
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

North Shore vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 16% higher in North Shore, 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: $1,328 in North Shore 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 North Shore runs roughly 40% less than in Dunedin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $686 in North Shore 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 Dunedin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Dunedin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in North Shore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, North Shore 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, North Shore on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.