Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolleston and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,143 a month against $2,010 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,143

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,010

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,143 in Rolleston versus $2,010 in Dunedin.

Rolleston $1,143
Dunedin $2,010

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,179 in Rolleston versus $2,900 in Dunedin.

Rolleston $2,179
Dunedin $2,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,214 in Rolleston versus $3,791 in Dunedin.

Rolleston $3,214
Dunedin $3,791

Living in Rolleston costs roughly 43% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rolleston is 15% below, Dunedin is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 NZ$24.47

$13.90 NZ$24.67

-0.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 NZ$122

$61.7 NZ$109

11.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 NZ$16.19

$11.11 NZ$19.72

-17.91%

Cappuccino

$3.14 NZ$5.58

$3.24 NZ$5.75

-3.09%

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

$2.12 NZ$3.77

$2.13 NZ$3.78

-0.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-14.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 NZ$11.77

$6.68 NZ$11.86

-0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 NZ$10.67

$6.09 NZ$10.80

-1.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$2.09 NZ$3.72

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-2.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.68 NZ$2.98

-16.67%

Eggs

$5.75 NZ$10.21

$5.86 NZ$10.40

-1.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 NZ$12.83

$8.27 NZ$14.68

-12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 NZ$16.64

$9.43 NZ$16.74

-0.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 NZ$24.26

$16.16 NZ$28.69

-15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 NZ$4.45

$2.99 NZ$5.30

-16.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 NZ$4.68

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-16.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 NZ$9.27

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.89 NZ$3.35

-5.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.44

$1.79 NZ$3.17

-23.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 NZ$4.17

$2.28 NZ$4.06

3.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.05

$0.55 NZ$0.98

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.13 NZ$42.83

$20.63 NZ$36.63

16.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 NZ$14.91

$8.92 NZ$15.83

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$6.02

$3.21 NZ$5.69

5.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.82

$1.25 NZ$2.22

162.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 NZ$2.04

$1.38 NZ$2.45

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 NZ$4.55

$5.78 NZ$10.27

-55.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NZ$2.92

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.21 NZ$50.1

$28.24 NZ$50.1

-0.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$1.78 NZ$3.15

5.06%

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

$27.8K NZ$49.3K

$28.1K NZ$49.9K

-1.29%

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

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

-1.04%

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

$108 NZ$192

$109 NZ$193

-0.68%

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

$22.51 NZ$39.97

$29.07 NZ$51.6

-22.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.01 NZ$81.7

$53.0 NZ$94.1

-13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.60 NZ$70.3

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 NZ$19.63

$11.22 NZ$19.92

-1.43%

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

$338 NZ$599

$576 NZ$1,022

-41.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K NZ$26.9K

$15.1K NZ$26.8K

0.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 NZ$104

$59.0 NZ$105

-0.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.72 NZ$61.6

$35.67 NZ$63.3

-2.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 NZ$161

-0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$221

$136 NZ$241

-8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 NZ$507

$1,012 NZ$1,797

-71.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 NZ$448

$934 NZ$1,658

-73.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 NZ$1,785

$1,496 NZ$2,655

-32.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 NZ$1,978

$1,351 NZ$2,398

-17.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,032 NZ$3,607

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,772 NZ$3,146

$2,246 NZ$3,987

-21.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,406 NZ$7,821

$2,453 NZ$4,354

79.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

7.07

-16.41%

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

Last update for Rolleston: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rolleston

$302 26.4%

Dunedin

$319 15.9% 5.9% $18

Accommodation & Living

Rolleston

$252 22.1%

Dunedin

$934 46.5% 270% $682

Eating Out

Rolleston

$236 20.7%

Dunedin

$246 12.2% 4.1% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rolleston

$177 15.5%

Dunedin

$191 9.5% 8.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Rolleston

$139 12.1%

Dunedin

$145 7.2% 4.2% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Rolleston

$22 * 1.9%

Dunedin

$62 3.1% 181% $40

Getting Around

Rolleston

$15 * 1.4%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.6% 635% $98

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 $285 in Rolleston and $1,012 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolleston pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69 in Rolleston vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $319, with Rolleston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

Same time as Rolleston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,000

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rolleston Dunedin 290 km

From you

Rolleston
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

Rolleston vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,143 in Rolleston and $2,010 in Dunedin, so Rolleston is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Rolleston, 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: $285 in Rolleston versus $1,012 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Dunedin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,143 per month in Rolleston versus $2,010 in Dunedin – Rolleston is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,143 in Rolleston versus $2,010 in Dunedin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rolleston but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Rolleston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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