Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,794 a month against $1,966 in Thames, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,966 in Thames versus $1,794 in Dunedin.

Thames $1,966
Dunedin $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,999 in Thames versus $2,661 in Dunedin.

Thames $2,999
Dunedin $2,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,032 in Thames versus $3,527 in Dunedin.

Thames $4,032
Dunedin $3,527

Living in Thames is roughly 10% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thames 46% above, Dunedin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$13.81 NZ$24.43

0.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$61.7 NZ$109

10.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$11.05 NZ$19.54

-19.55%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.06

$3.28 NZ$5.80

4.27%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$2.03 NZ$3.58

-0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$6.74 NZ$11.92

2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 NZ$11.90

$6.27 NZ$11.09

7.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.96 NZ$3.47

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.68 NZ$2.98

6.55%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$10.97

$5.75 NZ$10.16

7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 NZ$15.55

$8.54 NZ$15.10

2.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.11

$9.45 NZ$16.72

2.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 NZ$29.74

$16.50 NZ$29.19

1.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$3.00 NZ$5.30

-6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$2.39 NZ$4.22

-9.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$3.14 NZ$5.56

-7.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

$4.93 NZ$8.72

16.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.85 NZ$3.28

15.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-16.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$2.34 NZ$4.13

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$0.59 NZ$1.04

76.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.57 NZ$46.99

$20.71 NZ$36.63

28.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$8.90 NZ$15.75

15.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

$3.09 NZ$5.47

-8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$1.20 NZ$2.12

181.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$1.11 NZ$1.96

30.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

$66.0 NZ$117

14.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$5.46 NZ$9.66

-57.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 NZ$56.9

$27.62 NZ$48.84

16.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.76 NZ$3.12

6.25%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

-1.64%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

-12.84%

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

$183 NZ$324

$111 NZ$196

65.36%

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

$26.20 NZ$46.33

$28.15 NZ$49.78

-6.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$89.6

$52.5 NZ$92.9

-3.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 NZ$74.0

$47.73 NZ$84.4

-12.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

$10.36 NZ$18.33

26.45%

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

$1,135 NZ$2,007

$570 NZ$1,009

99.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$58.9 NZ$104

34.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 NZ$70.6

$34.56 NZ$61.1

15.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 NZ$163

$92.5 NZ$164

-0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$132 NZ$234

-15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

$873 NZ$1,545

6.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

$749 NZ$1,324

9.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

$1,480 NZ$2,617

0.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

$1,148 NZ$2,031

29.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

$2,200 NZ$3,890

71.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,425 NZ$4,288

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 Thames: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thames

$821 41.7%

Dunedin

$749 41.7% 8.7% $72

Groceries & Markets

Thames

$337 17.1%

Dunedin

$321 17.9% 4.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thames

$260 13.2%

Dunedin

$192 10.7% 26.4% $69

Eating Out

Thames

$242 12.3%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 1.4% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Thames

$145 7.4%

Dunedin

$143 8% 1.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Thames

$93 4.7%

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2% 18.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Thames

$68 3.5%

Dunedin

$68 3.8% 0.6% $0.4

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 $930 in Thames and $873 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Thames vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $321 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Thames

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Thames Dunedin 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Thames
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

Thames vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thames and Dunedin differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,966 vs $1,794 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,949 in Thames and $2,692 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: $930 in Thames versus $873 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 14% less than in Thames. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,135 in Thames versus $570 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,794 in Dunedin versus $1,966 in Thames, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Thames. 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, Thames 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 10% less than in Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.