Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,821 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $1,821 in Dunedin.

Sydney $3,182
Dunedin $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $2,717 in Dunedin.

Sydney $4,696
Dunedin $2,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $3,613 in Dunedin.

Sydney $6,210
Dunedin $3,613

Living in Sydney is roughly 75% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 137% above, Dunedin 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$13.73 NZ$24.47

28.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$61.8 NZ$110

57.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$11.42 NZ$20.35

4.55%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.23 NZ$5.75

23.84%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$2.08 NZ$3.71

36.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$2.09 NZ$3.72

8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$6.85 NZ$12.21

15.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$6.02 NZ$10.72

18.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.18 NZ$3.88

-23.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.94 NZ$3.46

43.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.75 NZ$3.12

32.57%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$5.83 NZ$10.39

-5.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$8.15 NZ$14.52

48.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$9.43 NZ$16.80

4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$16.55 NZ$29.49

0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.87 NZ$5.12

40.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$2.34 NZ$4.17

34.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$3.10 NZ$5.52

12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$5.04 NZ$8.99

-11.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$1.83 NZ$3.26

81.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.84 NZ$3.28

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$2.38 NZ$4.24

-1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.55 NZ$0.99

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$20.93 NZ$37.29

115.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$8.87 NZ$15.81

57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$3.17 NZ$5.64

25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.24 NZ$2.22

228.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$1.09 NZ$1.94

189.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$68.1 NZ$121

120.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$5.65 NZ$10.08

-38.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$27.97 NZ$49.83

42.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.71 NZ$3.05

-18.13%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

13.09%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$25.0K NZ$44.6K

17.44%

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

$220 A$315

$111 NZ$197

98.71%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$28.28 NZ$50.4

-2.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$51.1 NZ$91.0

8.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$48.05 NZ$85.6

54.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$10.43 NZ$18.58

69.99%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$591 NZ$1,053

265.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$57.5 NZ$102

36.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$34.52 NZ$61.5

104.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$92.9 NZ$165

19.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$132 NZ$236

-0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$876 NZ$1,561

187.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$751 NZ$1,338

130.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$1,474 NZ$2,627

231.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$1,150 NZ$2,049

164.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$2,256 NZ$4,019

259.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$2,455 NZ$4,375

66.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

7.07

-17.40%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Dunedin

$751 41.8% 56.6% $981

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Dunedin

$320 17.8% 15.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Dunedin

$190 10.6% 37.3% $113

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 17.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Dunedin

$143 7.9% 19.1% $34

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4% 55.2% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Dunedin

$69 3.8% 37.2% $41

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 $2,514 in Sydney and $876 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 66% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $97.0 in Sydney vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $320 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

105,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Dunedin 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

Sydney vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Dunedin differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($3,182 vs $1,821 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $876 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 120% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,157 in Sydney versus $591 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,821 in Dunedin versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin 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, Sydney 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.

Expats usually find Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.