Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wairoa and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Wairoa and in Dunedin: $1,974 and $1,987 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Wairoa
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Wairoa Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Wairoa

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,974

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,974 in Wairoa versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Wairoa $1,974
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,023 in Wairoa versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Wairoa $3,023
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,072 in Wairoa versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Wairoa $4,072
Dunedin $3,828

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wairoa 45% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.18 NZ$26.94

$14.03 NZ$24.90

8.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 NZ$131

$62.0 NZ$110

19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 NZ$15.74

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-22.28%

Cappuccino

$3.53 NZ$6.26

$3.27 NZ$5.80

7.95%

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

$2.31 NZ$4.11

$2.07 NZ$3.68

11.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 NZ$11.27

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 NZ$10.04

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-8.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.86

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-25.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-6.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-5.11%

Eggs

$4.99 NZ$8.86

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 NZ$13.09

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.60

$9.21 NZ$16.36

1.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.53 NZ$29.34

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-1.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.87

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-9.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 NZ$4.38

$2.29 NZ$4.06

7.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.27 NZ$5.80

4.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 NZ$10.13

$5.13 NZ$9.11

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$1.84 NZ$3.27

20.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-25.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-4.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 NZ$2.08

$0.60 NZ$1.07

95.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.98 NZ$37.24

$20.90 NZ$37.11

0.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 NZ$14.09

$9.01 NZ$16.00

-11.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 NZ$5.68

$3.17 NZ$5.63

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 NZ$6.18

$1.26 NZ$2.23

176.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$1.43 NZ$2.54

33.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$102 NZ$180

3.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 NZ$3.89

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-61.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.49 NZ$55.9

$28.63 NZ$50.8

9.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 NZ$3.49

$1.77 NZ$3.14

10.73%

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

$26.3K NZ$46.6K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-6.99%

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

$22.6K NZ$40.1K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-3.91%

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

$120 NZ$213

$110 NZ$196

8.72%

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

$27.16 NZ$48.22

$29.44 NZ$52.3

-7.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.53 NZ$84.4

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-9.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 NZ$73.2

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-10.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.86 NZ$21.05

$11.20 NZ$19.89

5.89%

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

$587 NZ$1,041

$588 NZ$1,045

-0.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K NZ$26.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 NZ$97.1

$58.8 NZ$104

-6.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.11 NZ$60.6

$35.28 NZ$62.6

-3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 NZ$188

$91.3 NZ$162

16.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$135 NZ$240

-17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 NZ$1,863

$1,013 NZ$1,798

3.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 NZ$1,565

$897 NZ$1,593

-1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 NZ$3,121

$1,632 NZ$2,897

7.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,545 NZ$2,742

$1,358 NZ$2,410

13.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,480 NZ$9,730

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,226 NZ$5,728

$2,273 NZ$4,035

41.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

7.07

-17.54%

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

Last update for Wairoa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wairoa

$882 44.7%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 1.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Wairoa

$322 16.3%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 0.6% $1.9

Eating Out

Wairoa

$250 12.7%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 0.7% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wairoa

$195 9.9%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 1.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Wairoa

$138 7%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 4.8% $6.6

Getting Around

Wairoa

$123 6.2%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 8.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Wairoa

$65 3.3%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 5.2% $3.3

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 $1,049 in Wairoa and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in Wairoa vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $324, with Wairoa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wairoa

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

Same time as Wairoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,300

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

Wairoa Dunedin 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Wairoa
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

Wairoa vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,961 in Wairoa 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: $1,049 in Wairoa versus $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $587 in Wairoa versus $588 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 3% less than in Wairoa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Wairoa and Dunedin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.