Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,794 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,358 in Wellington versus $1,794 in Dunedin.

Wellington $2,358
Dunedin $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,368 in Wellington versus $2,661 in Dunedin.

Wellington $3,368
Dunedin $2,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,378 in Wellington versus $3,527 in Dunedin.

Wellington $4,378
Dunedin $3,527

Living in Wellington is roughly 31% more expensive than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 75% above, Dunedin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.27

$13.81 NZ$24.43

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$61.7 NZ$109

3.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.83

$11.05 NZ$19.54

-19.00%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.05

$3.28 NZ$5.80

4.27%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.31

$2.03 NZ$3.58

20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.98

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-17.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.22 NZ$12.76

$6.74 NZ$11.92

7.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.76

$6.27 NZ$11.09

6.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-10.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 NZ$3.89

$1.96 NZ$3.47

12.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.68 NZ$2.98

8.93%

Eggs

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$5.75 NZ$10.16

17.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$8.54 NZ$15.10

5.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NZ$17.43

$9.45 NZ$16.72

4.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 NZ$26.86

$16.50 NZ$29.19

-7.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$3.00 NZ$5.30

4.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$2.39 NZ$4.22

-7.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.43

$3.14 NZ$5.56

-2.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 NZ$11.65

$4.93 NZ$8.72

33.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.85 NZ$3.28

11.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.18

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-32.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$2.34 NZ$4.13

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.03

$0.59 NZ$1.04

94.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$20.71 NZ$36.63

20.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 NZ$19.95

$8.90 NZ$15.75

26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$1.20 NZ$2.12

139.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$1.11 NZ$1.96

154.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$66.0 NZ$117

53.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$5.46 NZ$9.66

-65.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.15 NZ$60.4

$27.62 NZ$48.84

23.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.76 NZ$3.12

3.41%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

-2.26%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

2.13%

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

$197 NZ$348

$111 NZ$196

77.30%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.6

$28.15 NZ$49.78

13.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$52.5 NZ$92.9

-0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$66.7

$47.73 NZ$84.4

-20.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 NZ$21.10

$10.36 NZ$18.33

15.15%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,867

$570 NZ$1,009

85.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 NZ$135

$58.9 NZ$104

29.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$49.93

$34.56 NZ$61.1

-18.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$92.5 NZ$164

7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$270

$132 NZ$234

15.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 NZ$2,169

$873 NZ$1,545

40.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 NZ$2,018

$749 NZ$1,324

52.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 NZ$3,790

$1,480 NZ$2,617

44.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 NZ$3,022

$1,148 NZ$2,031

48.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,559 NZ$6,294

$2,200 NZ$3,890

61.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,925

$2,425 NZ$4,288

14.85%

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 Wellington: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4%

Dunedin

$749 41.7% 34.4% $392

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$346 14.7%

Dunedin

$321 17.9% 7.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.9%

Dunedin

$192 10.7% 31.8% $90

Eating Out

Wellington

$244 10.3%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 0.8% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$160 6.8%

Dunedin

$143 8% 10.8% $17

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.3%

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2% 38.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Dunedin

$68 3.8% 11.1% $6.9

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 $1,226 in Wellington and $873 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 15% 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: $64.0 in Wellington vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $321 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Dunedin 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
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

Wellington vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington and Dunedin differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,358 vs $1,794 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Wellington, 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: $1,226 in Wellington 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 54% less than in Wellington. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,056 in Wellington 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 $2,358 in Wellington, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Wellington. 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, Wellington 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 31% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.