Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paihia and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $2,010 a month against $2,104 in Paihia, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
Learn more

Paihia Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
Learn more

Dunedin Living Index

Jump to prices

Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,104

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,010

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,104 in Paihia versus $2,010 in Dunedin.

Paihia $2,104
Dunedin $2,010

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,026 in Paihia versus $2,900 in Dunedin.

Paihia $3,026
Dunedin $2,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,947 in Paihia versus $3,791 in Dunedin.

Paihia $3,947
Dunedin $3,791

Living in Paihia is roughly 5% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paihia 56% above, Dunedin 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.15 NZ$25.28

$13.90 NZ$24.83

1.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.58 NZ$61.8

$61.7 NZ$110

-43.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 NZ$15.66

$11.11 NZ$19.84

-21.15%

Cappuccino

$3.36 NZ$6.01

$3.24 NZ$5.79

3.70%

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

$2.05 NZ$3.66

$2.13 NZ$3.80

-3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 NZ$3.22

$2.06 NZ$3.67

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 NZ$12.27

$6.68 NZ$11.94

2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.86

$6.09 NZ$10.87

9.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.42

$2.09 NZ$3.74

-8.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 NZ$4.04

$1.91 NZ$3.41

18.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.38

$1.68 NZ$3.00

12.50%

Eggs

$6.26 NZ$11.18

$5.86 NZ$10.47

6.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 NZ$15.79

$8.27 NZ$14.77

6.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 NZ$17.80

$9.43 NZ$16.85

5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 NZ$31.64

$16.16 NZ$28.88

9.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 NZ$5.11

$2.99 NZ$5.34

-4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.84

$2.28 NZ$4.08

-5.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.29

$3.17 NZ$5.67

-6.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 NZ$10.30

$5.22 NZ$9.33

10.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.77

$1.89 NZ$3.37

11.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.74

$1.79 NZ$3.19

-14.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NZ$3.56

$2.28 NZ$4.08

-12.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.97

$0.55 NZ$0.99

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.11 NZ$48.44

$20.63 NZ$36.87

31.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 NZ$18.89

$8.92 NZ$15.94

18.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 NZ$4.99

$3.21 NZ$5.73

-13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.88

$1.25 NZ$2.23

163.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 NZ$3.45

$1.38 NZ$2.47

39.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$102 NZ$182

-0.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 NZ$3.00

$5.78 NZ$10.33

-70.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 NZ$3.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.97 NZ$57.1

$28.24 NZ$50.5

13.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$1.78 NZ$3.17

6.18%

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

$27.1K NZ$48.5K

$28.1K NZ$50.3K

-3.51%

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

$22.5K NZ$40.2K

$23.3K NZ$41.7K

-3.58%

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

$185 NZ$330

$109 NZ$195

69.46%

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

$26.54 NZ$47.42

$29.07 NZ$51.9

-8.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 NZ$92.9

$53.0 NZ$94.7

-1.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.55 NZ$68.9

$39.60 NZ$70.8

-2.65%

Cinema Ticket

$12.28 NZ$21.95

$11.22 NZ$20.06

9.45%

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

$1,049 NZ$1,875

$576 NZ$1,028

82.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K NZ$35.4K

$15.1K NZ$27.0K

30.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.7 NZ$146

$59.0 NZ$105

38.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.95 NZ$71.4

$35.67 NZ$63.7

12.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 NZ$171

$90.7 NZ$162

5.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 NZ$195

$136 NZ$243

-19.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 NZ$1,846

$1,012 NZ$1,809

2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$923 NZ$1,650

$934 NZ$1,669

-1.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 NZ$2,980

$1,496 NZ$2,673

11.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 NZ$2,677

$1,351 NZ$2,413

10.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,744 NZ$8,477

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,384 NZ$6,047

$2,246 NZ$4,013

50.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 NZ$4,382

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

7.07

-24.05%

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

Last update for Paihia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paihia

$923 43.9%

Dunedin

$934 46.5% 1.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Paihia

$344 16.4%

Dunedin

$319 15.9% 7.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paihia

$263 12.5%

Dunedin

$191 9.5% 27.4% $72

Eating Out

Paihia

$243 11.5%

Dunedin

$246 12.2% 1.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Paihia

$147 7%

Dunedin

$145 7.2% 1.7% $2.5

Getting Around

Paihia

$121 5.7%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.6% 6.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Paihia

$63 3%

Dunedin

$62 3.1% 1.7% $1.1

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 $1,033 in Paihia and $1,012 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Paihia vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $319, with Dunedin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Paihia

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Paihia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.56 USD

1 NZD = 0.498 EUR

1 NZD = 0.56 USD

1 NZD = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Paihia Dunedin 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Paihia
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

Paihia vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,104 in Paihia and $2,010 in Dunedin, so Dunedin is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,156 in Paihia and $3,015 in Dunedin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,033 in Paihia versus $1,012 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Paihia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,104 per month in Paihia versus $2,010 in Dunedin – Dunedin is about 4% 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, Paihia and Dunedin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.