Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $2,010 a month against $2,379 in Queenstown, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,379

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,010

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,379 in Queenstown versus $2,010 in Dunedin.

Queenstown $2,379
Dunedin $2,010

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,713 in Queenstown versus $2,900 in Dunedin.

Queenstown $3,713
Dunedin $2,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,047 in Queenstown versus $3,791 in Dunedin.

Queenstown $5,047
Dunedin $3,791

Living in Queenstown is roughly 18% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Queenstown 76% above, Dunedin 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.90 NZ$30.20

$13.90 NZ$24.83

21.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 NZ$149

$61.7 NZ$110

35.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 NZ$16.72

$11.11 NZ$19.84

-15.75%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NZ$5.83

$3.24 NZ$5.79

0.62%

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

$2.27 NZ$4.06

$2.13 NZ$3.80

6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NZ$3.63

$2.06 NZ$3.67

-1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 NZ$12.14

$6.68 NZ$11.94

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.30 NZ$11.25

$6.09 NZ$10.87

3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.90

$2.09 NZ$3.74

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.56

$1.91 NZ$3.41

4.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.99

$1.68 NZ$3.00

-0.60%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.55

$5.86 NZ$10.47

0.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 NZ$15.01

$8.27 NZ$14.77

1.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 NZ$18.26

$9.43 NZ$16.85

8.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.56 NZ$27.81

$16.16 NZ$28.88

-3.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.13

$2.99 NZ$5.34

-4.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 NZ$4.14

$2.28 NZ$4.08

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 NZ$6.61

$3.17 NZ$5.67

16.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.50 NZ$9.83

$5.22 NZ$9.33

5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 NZ$6.30

$1.89 NZ$3.37

86.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 NZ$3.21

$1.79 NZ$3.19

0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.25

$2.28 NZ$4.08

4.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 NZ$3.51

$0.55 NZ$0.99

256.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.33 NZ$48.84

$20.63 NZ$36.87

32.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 NZ$15.67

$8.92 NZ$15.94

-1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.36 NZ$7.79

$3.21 NZ$5.73

35.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 NZ$11.78

$1.25 NZ$2.23

427.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 NZ$3.22

$1.38 NZ$2.47

30.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 NZ$226

$102 NZ$182

24.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 NZ$4.64

$5.78 NZ$10.33

-55.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.64 NZ$53.0

$28.24 NZ$50.5

4.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$1.78 NZ$3.17

-1.69%

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

$26.6K NZ$47.6K

$28.1K NZ$50.3K

-5.34%

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

$22.3K NZ$39.8K

$23.3K NZ$41.7K

-4.52%

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

$112 NZ$200

$109 NZ$195

2.54%

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

$28.11 NZ$50.2

$29.07 NZ$51.9

-3.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 NZ$92.6

$53.0 NZ$94.7

-2.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 NZ$99.9

$39.60 NZ$70.8

41.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.90 NZ$48.08

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 NZ$19.99

$11.22 NZ$20.06

-0.27%

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

$967 NZ$1,728

$576 NZ$1,028

68.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K NZ$26.8K

$15.1K NZ$27.0K

-0.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$103

$59.0 NZ$105

-2.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 NZ$80.8

$35.67 NZ$63.7

26.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 NZ$164

$90.7 NZ$162

1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 NZ$239

$136 NZ$243

-1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 NZ$2,691

$1,012 NZ$1,809

48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 NZ$2,116

$934 NZ$1,669

26.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,933 NZ$5,242

$1,496 NZ$2,673

96.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 NZ$3,983

$1,351 NZ$2,413

65.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,608 NZ$13.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,314 NZ$9,495

$2,246 NZ$4,013

136.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,087 NZ$5,515

$2,453 NZ$4,382

25.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.12

7.07

-13.44%

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

Last update for Queenstown: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queenstown

$1.2K 49.8%

Dunedin

$934 46.5% 21.1% $250

Groceries & Markets

Queenstown

$365 15.4%

Dunedin

$319 15.9% 12.6% $46

Eating Out

Queenstown

$266 11.2%

Dunedin

$246 12.2% 7.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queenstown

$192 8.1%

Dunedin

$191 9.5% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Queenstown

$148 6.2%

Dunedin

$145 7.2% 2.2% $3.3

Getting Around

Queenstown

$146 6.1%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.6% 22.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Queenstown

$78 3.3%

Dunedin

$62 3.1% 20.8% $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 $1,506 in Queenstown and $1,012 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queenstown pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Queenstown vs $62 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $319 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

Same time as Queenstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,450

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

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Queenstown Dunedin 170 km

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Queenstown
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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

Queenstown vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,379 in Queenstown and $2,010 in Dunedin, so Dunedin is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Queenstown, 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: $1,506 in Queenstown versus $1,012 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 20% less than in Queenstown. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $967 in Queenstown versus $576 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.

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

Expats usually find Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Queenstown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.