Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waitakere and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,987 a month against $2,065 in Waitakere, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waitakere outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Waitakere
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Waitakere Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Waitakere

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,065

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,065 in Waitakere versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Waitakere $2,065
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,933 in Waitakere versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Waitakere $2,933
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,801 in Waitakere versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Waitakere $3,801
Dunedin $3,828

Living in Waitakere is roughly 4% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waitakere 52% above, Dunedin 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 NZ$21.98

$14.03 NZ$24.90

-11.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 NZ$131

$62.0 NZ$110

18.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.61 NZ$15.29

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-24.47%

Cappuccino

$3.43 NZ$6.09

$3.27 NZ$5.80

4.89%

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

$2.30 NZ$4.08

$2.07 NZ$3.68

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.06 NZ$3.65

17.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 NZ$11.24

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-5.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 NZ$9.81

$6.16 NZ$10.94

-10.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 NZ$2.57

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 NZ$2.30

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-34.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$1.76 NZ$3.13

15.34%

Eggs

$5.28 NZ$9.38

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-10.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.61 NZ$9.96

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-34.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.32 NZ$12.99

$9.21 NZ$16.36

-20.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 NZ$21.31

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 NZ$4.59

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-14.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 NZ$3.90

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 NZ$5.72

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-1.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 NZ$11.01

$5.13 NZ$9.11

20.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.69

$1.84 NZ$3.27

13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 NZ$2.52

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-24.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 NZ$4.66

$2.41 NZ$4.28

8.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 NZ$1.66

$0.60 NZ$1.07

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.32 NZ$46.73

$20.90 NZ$37.11

25.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 NZ$19.10

$9.01 NZ$16.00

19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 NZ$7.02

$3.17 NZ$5.63

24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 NZ$7.27

$1.26 NZ$2.23

224.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 NZ$3.80

$1.43 NZ$2.54

49.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$189

$102 NZ$180

4.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 NZ$6.59

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-35.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NZ$3.55

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.54 NZ$47.12

$28.63 NZ$50.8

-7.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-1.13%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.5K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

0.87%

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

$22.7K NZ$40.2K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-3.49%

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

$57.0 NZ$101

$110 NZ$196

-48.38%

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

$36.26 NZ$64.4

$29.44 NZ$52.3

23.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.3 NZ$98.2

$52.3 NZ$92.8

5.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.97 NZ$72.7

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-10.74%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 NZ$24.40

$11.20 NZ$19.89

22.77%

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

$684 NZ$1,215

$588 NZ$1,045

16.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K NZ$40.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NZ$113

$58.8 NZ$104

8.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.29 NZ$68.0

$35.28 NZ$62.6

8.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 NZ$166

$91.3 NZ$162

2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$189

$135 NZ$240

-21.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 NZ$1,821

$1,013 NZ$1,798

1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 NZ$1,880

$897 NZ$1,593

18.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,846 NZ$3,277

$1,632 NZ$2,897

13.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 NZ$2,523

$1,358 NZ$2,410

4.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,184 NZ$9,204

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,812 NZ$6,768

$2,273 NZ$4,035

67.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,374

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

7.07

-3.39%

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

Last update for Waitakere: 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

Waitakere

$1.1K 51.3%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 15.3% $162

Groceries & Markets

Waitakere

$296 14.4%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 9.3% $28

Eating Out

Waitakere

$228 11%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waitakere

$149 7.2%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 29.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Waitakere

$136 6.6%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 6% $8.2

Getting Around

Waitakere

$129 6.2%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 12.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Waitakere

$68 3.3%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 0.2% $0.2

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 $1,026 in Waitakere and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in Waitakere vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $296 vs $324, with Waitakere cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Waitakere

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

Same time as Waitakere

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,830

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

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

From you

Waitakere
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

Waitakere vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,065 in Waitakere and $1,987 in Dunedin, so Dunedin is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,097 in Waitakere 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: $1,026 in Waitakere 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 5% less than in Waitakere. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Dunedin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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