Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotorua and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Rotorua: $1,455 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Rotorua
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Rotorua Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Rotorua

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,455

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,455 in Rotorua versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Rotorua $1,455
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,347 in Rotorua versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Rotorua $2,347
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,238 in Rotorua versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Rotorua $3,238
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Rotorua costs roughly 27% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotorua 7% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.23 NZ$20.01

$14.03 NZ$25.00

-19.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 NZ$121

$62.0 NZ$110

9.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 NZ$16.38

$11.40 NZ$20.31

-19.39%

Cappuccino

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$3.27 NZ$5.83

-3.06%

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

$1.97 NZ$3.52

$2.07 NZ$3.69

-4.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.10

$2.06 NZ$3.66

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 NZ$11.10

$6.73 NZ$12.00

-7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 NZ$12.10

$6.16 NZ$10.98

10.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$3.07

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$1.99 NZ$3.55

-35.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 NZ$2.27

$1.76 NZ$3.14

-27.84%

Eggs

$6.19 NZ$11.03

$5.90 NZ$10.52

4.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.56 NZ$13.48

$8.52 NZ$15.18

-11.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 NZ$8.08

$9.21 NZ$16.42

-50.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.15 NZ$30.56

$16.72 NZ$29.79

2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 NZ$5.16

$3.02 NZ$5.38

-3.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 NZ$3.59

$2.29 NZ$4.08

-12.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.53

$3.27 NZ$5.82

-22.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 NZ$10.77

$5.13 NZ$9.15

17.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.49

$1.84 NZ$3.28

-23.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 NZ$1.44

$1.87 NZ$3.34

-56.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 NZ$1.04

$2.41 NZ$4.29

-75.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.96

$0.60 NZ$1.07

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.09 NZ$42.94

$20.90 NZ$37.25

15.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 NZ$14.76

$9.01 NZ$16.06

-8.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.16

$3.17 NZ$5.66

-8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.84

$1.26 NZ$2.24

160.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 NZ$2.40

$1.43 NZ$2.55

-6.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 NZ$108

$102 NZ$181

-40.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 NZ$4.13

$5.76 NZ$10.26

-59.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NZ$3.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.95 NZ$57.0

$28.63 NZ$51.0

11.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.93

$1.77 NZ$3.15

-7.34%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.9K

$28.2K NZ$50.3K

-20.71%

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

$21.0K NZ$37.4K

$23.5K NZ$41.8K

-10.60%

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

$64.5 NZ$115

$110 NZ$197

-41.60%

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

$27.10 NZ$48.30

$29.44 NZ$52.5

-7.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.26 NZ$80.7

$52.3 NZ$93.2

-13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 NZ$69.6

$45.90 NZ$81.8

-14.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 NZ$15.78

$11.20 NZ$19.96

-20.89%

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

$684 NZ$1,219

$588 NZ$1,049

16.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K NZ$34.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 NZ$134

$58.8 NZ$105

28.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.06 NZ$30.41

$35.28 NZ$62.9

-51.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 NZ$166

$91.3 NZ$163

2.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NZ$199

$135 NZ$241

-17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 NZ$1,241

$1,013 NZ$1,805

-31.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 NZ$984

$897 NZ$1,599

-38.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 NZ$2,245

$1,632 NZ$2,908

-22.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 NZ$1,919

$1,358 NZ$2,419

-20.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,144 NZ$7,385

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 NZ$5,943

$2,273 NZ$4,050

46.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,750 NZ$6,684

$2,464 NZ$4,391

52.23%

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 Rotorua: 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

Rotorua

$552 37.9%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 62.5% $345

Groceries & Markets

Rotorua

$283 19.4%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 14.6% $41

Eating Out

Rotorua

$215 14.8%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 15.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotorua

$137 9.4%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 40.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Rotorua

$134 9.2%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 7.8% $10

Getting Around

Rotorua

$78 5.4%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 44.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Rotorua

$57 3.9%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 20.3% $12

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 $696 in Rotorua and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotorua pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Rotorua vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $324, with Rotorua cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rotorua

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

Same time as Rotorua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rotorua Dunedin 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rotorua
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

Rotorua vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotorua and Dunedin differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,455 vs $1,987 including rent). Rotorua is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Rotorua, 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: $696 in Rotorua 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 Rotorua runs roughly 41% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Rotorua versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rotorua is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Rotorua and Dunedin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.