Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,598 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,598

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,598 in Palmerston North versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Palmerston North $1,598
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,662 in Palmerston North versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Palmerston North $2,662
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,726 in Palmerston North versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Palmerston North $3,726
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Palmerston North costs roughly 20% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palmerston North 17% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.14 NZ$25.13

$14.03 NZ$24.94

0.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 NZ$115

$62.0 NZ$110

4.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 NZ$15.87

$11.40 NZ$20.26

-21.67%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.87

$3.27 NZ$5.81

0.92%

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

$2.29 NZ$4.08

$2.07 NZ$3.68

10.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 NZ$3.15

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-14.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.56 NZ$11.66

$6.73 NZ$11.97

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 NZ$12.46

$6.16 NZ$10.95

13.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-15.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

$1.99 NZ$3.54

9.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.44

$1.76 NZ$3.14

-22.16%

Eggs

$5.06 NZ$9.00

$5.90 NZ$10.49

-14.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 NZ$11.85

$8.52 NZ$15.14

-21.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.96

$9.21 NZ$16.38

3.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 NZ$18.83

$16.72 NZ$29.71

-36.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.66

$3.02 NZ$5.37

-13.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 NZ$3.97

$2.29 NZ$4.07

-2.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.16

$3.27 NZ$5.81

-28.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.55 NZ$9.87

$5.13 NZ$9.13

8.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-20.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 NZ$1.55

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-53.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 NZ$3.10

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-27.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 NZ$1.35

$0.60 NZ$1.07

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.42 NZ$39.86

$20.90 NZ$37.16

7.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 NZ$14.35

$9.01 NZ$16.02

-10.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 NZ$4.77

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-15.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 NZ$5.21

$1.26 NZ$2.24

132.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 NZ$3.56

$1.43 NZ$2.54

40.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 NZ$209

$102 NZ$181

15.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$5.76 NZ$10.23

-67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.19 NZ$30.55

$28.63 NZ$50.9

-39.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.99

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-5.08%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.5K

$28.2K NZ$50.2K

-3.35%

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

$24.0K NZ$42.6K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

2.19%

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

$69.0 NZ$123

$110 NZ$196

-37.53%

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

$33.60 NZ$59.7

$29.44 NZ$52.3

14.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.32 NZ$62.8

$52.3 NZ$93.0

-32.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.91 NZ$44.28

$45.90 NZ$81.6

-45.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.01 NZ$24.90

Cinema Ticket

$11.66 NZ$20.73

$11.20 NZ$19.91

4.11%

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

$1,058 NZ$1,881

$588 NZ$1,046

79.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,589 NZ$15.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 NZ$124

$58.8 NZ$104

18.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.83 NZ$51.3

$35.28 NZ$62.7

-18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 NZ$150

$91.3 NZ$162

-7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 NZ$150

$135 NZ$240

-37.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 NZ$1,625

$1,013 NZ$1,800

-9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 NZ$1,114

$897 NZ$1,594

-30.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 NZ$2,876

$1,632 NZ$2,901

-0.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 NZ$2,539

$1,358 NZ$2,413

5.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,058 NZ$3,658

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 NZ$3,389

$2,273 NZ$4,040

-16.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,521 NZ$4,481

$2,464 NZ$4,379

2.31%

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 Palmerston North: 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

Palmerston North

$627 39.2%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 43.1% $270

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$286 17.9%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 13.1% $38

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$243 15.2%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 2.3% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$138 8.6%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 39.4% $54

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$136 8.5%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 17% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$120 7.5%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 19.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$48 3%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 41.6% $20

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 $914 in Palmerston North and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64 in Palmerston North vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $324, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

Same time as Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

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

Palmerston North Dunedin 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,598 in Palmerston North and $1,987 in Dunedin, so Palmerston North is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,398 in Palmerston North and $2,980 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: $914 in Palmerston North 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 Dunedin runs roughly 13% less than in Palmerston North. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,058 in Palmerston North versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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