Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upper Hutt and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Upper Hutt and in Dunedin: $1,952 and $1,987 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Upper Hutt
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Upper Hutt Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Upper Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,952

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,952 in Upper Hutt versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Upper Hutt $1,952
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,954 in Upper Hutt versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Upper Hutt $2,954
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,956 in Upper Hutt versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Upper Hutt $3,956
Dunedin $3,828

Monthly costs are close between Upper Hutt and Dunedin; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Upper Hutt 43% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 NZ$15.24

$14.03 NZ$24.90

-38.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 NZ$103

$62.0 NZ$110

-6.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 NZ$15.37

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-24.04%

Cappuccino

$2.92 NZ$5.18

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-10.70%

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

$2.39 NZ$4.25

$2.07 NZ$3.68

15.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.58 NZ$13.46

$6.73 NZ$11.95

12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.79

$6.16 NZ$10.94

7.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-13.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NZ$3.86

$1.99 NZ$3.54

9.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.76 NZ$3.13

5.68%

Eggs

$7.09 NZ$12.58

$5.90 NZ$10.48

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.51 NZ$9.78

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-35.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$9.21 NZ$16.36

4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.38 NZ$27.30

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$3.02 NZ$5.36

4.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 NZ$4.02

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-1.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.58

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-3.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.38

$5.13 NZ$9.11

24.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

$1.84 NZ$3.27

17.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 NZ$2.31

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-30.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 NZ$3.69

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-13.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.05

$0.60 NZ$1.07

91.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.44 NZ$45.17

$20.90 NZ$37.11

21.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 NZ$20.09

$9.01 NZ$16.00

25.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 NZ$5.67

$3.17 NZ$5.63

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 NZ$4.92

$1.26 NZ$2.23

119.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$1.43 NZ$2.54

32.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$102 NZ$180

3.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-68.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.32 NZ$60.9

$28.63 NZ$50.8

19.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.77 NZ$3.14

3.39%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

0.98%

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

$23.2K NZ$41.2K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-1.24%

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

$113 NZ$201

$110 NZ$196

2.69%

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

$25.35 NZ$45.01

$29.44 NZ$52.3

-13.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 NZ$97.2

$52.3 NZ$92.8

4.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.80 NZ$76.0

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-6.75%

Cinema Ticket

$12.16 NZ$21.59

$11.20 NZ$19.89

8.57%

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

$1,064 NZ$1,890

$588 NZ$1,045

80.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 NZ$140

$58.8 NZ$104

33.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.83 NZ$51.2

$35.28 NZ$62.6

-18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 NZ$185

$91.3 NZ$162

14.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 NZ$276

$135 NZ$240

15.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 NZ$1,877

$1,013 NZ$1,798

4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 NZ$1,542

$897 NZ$1,593

-3.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 NZ$2,659

$1,632 NZ$2,897

-8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,531 NZ$2,719

$1,358 NZ$2,410

12.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,193 NZ$7,444

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,357 NZ$5,960

$2,273 NZ$4,035

47.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

7.07

-23.76%

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

Last update for Upper Hutt: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Upper Hutt

$869 44.5%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 3.3% $28

Groceries & Markets

Upper Hutt

$336 17.2%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 3.7% $13

Eating Out

Upper Hutt

$197 10.1%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 25.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upper Hutt

$194 9.9%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 0.7% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Upper Hutt

$165 8.5%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 12.8% $21

Getting Around

Upper Hutt

$124 6.3%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Upper Hutt

$67 3.4%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 1.8% $1.2

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 $1,057 in Upper Hutt and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58 in Upper Hutt vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $336 vs $324, with Dunedin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Upper Hutt

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

Same time as Upper Hutt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,600

105,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Upper Hutt Dunedin 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Upper Hutt
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

Upper Hutt vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,928 in Upper Hutt and $2,980 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: $1,057 in Upper Hutt 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 Dunedin runs roughly 3% less than in Upper Hutt. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Dunedin pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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