Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whakatane and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Whakatane and in Dunedin: $1,982 and $1,987 a month, rent and utilities included.

94

Cost of Living Index in Whakatane
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Whakatane Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Whakatane

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,982

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,982 in Whakatane versus $1,987 in Dunedin.

Whakatane $1,982
Dunedin $1,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Whakatane versus $2,907 in Dunedin.

Whakatane $2,919
Dunedin $2,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,856 in Whakatane versus $3,828 in Dunedin.

Whakatane $3,856
Dunedin $3,828

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.21 NZ$25.23

$14.03 NZ$24.90

1.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 NZ$120

$62.0 NZ$110

8.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 NZ$15.85

$11.40 NZ$20.23

-21.67%

Cappuccino

$3.16 NZ$5.61

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-3.36%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-3.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$2.06 NZ$3.65

-11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$6.73 NZ$11.95

-9.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 NZ$11.21

$6.16 NZ$10.94

2.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$2.15 NZ$3.81

-13.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 NZ$1.75

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-50.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.76 NZ$3.13

5.68%

Eggs

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$5.90 NZ$10.48

-4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 NZ$15.02

$8.52 NZ$15.12

-0.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 NZ$15.18

$9.21 NZ$16.36

-7.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 NZ$27.29

$16.72 NZ$29.68

-8.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 NZ$4.31

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-19.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$2.29 NZ$4.06

-6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 NZ$10.18

$5.13 NZ$9.11

11.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NZ$3.55

$1.84 NZ$3.27

8.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-18.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$2.41 NZ$4.28

-14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NZ$1.90

$0.60 NZ$1.07

78.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.52 NZ$48.87

$20.90 NZ$37.11

31.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.66 NZ$15.37

$9.01 NZ$16.00

-3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-54.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.04

$1.26 NZ$2.23

-8.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.43 NZ$2.54

21.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 NZ$166

$102 NZ$180

-7.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$5.76 NZ$10.22

-60.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.50 NZ$57.7

$28.63 NZ$50.8

13.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.81

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-10.73%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.5K

$28.2K NZ$50.1K

-3.19%

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

$9,071 NZ$16.1K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

-61.37%

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

$119 NZ$212

$110 NZ$196

7.90%

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

$26.90 NZ$47.76

$29.44 NZ$52.3

-8.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 NZ$72.1

$52.3 NZ$92.8

-22.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.14 NZ$69.5

$45.90 NZ$81.5

-14.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 NZ$14.89

$11.20 NZ$19.89

-25.09%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,891

$588 NZ$1,045

81.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K NZ$34.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 NZ$119

$58.8 NZ$104

13.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.12 NZ$71.2

$35.28 NZ$62.6

13.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NZ$151

$91.3 NZ$162

-6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 NZ$130

$135 NZ$240

-45.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 NZ$1,714

$1,013 NZ$1,798

-4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NZ$1,730

$897 NZ$1,593

8.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 NZ$2,910

$1,632 NZ$2,897

0.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 NZ$2,707

$1,358 NZ$2,410

12.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,810 NZ$8,540

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,305 NZ$5,868

$2,273 NZ$4,035

45.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 NZ$7,150

$2,464 NZ$4,374

63.46%

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 Whakatane: 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

Whakatane

$974 49.2%

Dunedin

$897 45.2% 8% $78

Groceries & Markets

Whakatane

$295 14.9%

Dunedin

$324 16.3% 9.7% $29

Eating Out

Whakatane

$237 12%

Dunedin

$248 12.5% 4.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Whakatane

$187 9.4%

Dunedin

$192 9.7% 3% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Whakatane

$119 6%

Dunedin

$144 7.3% 20.6% $25

Getting Around

Whakatane

$113 5.7%

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Whakatane

$56 2.8%

Dunedin

$68 3.4% 22.2% $12

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 $966 in Whakatane and $1,013 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Whakatane pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Whakatane vs $62 in Dunedin. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $324, with Whakatane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Whakatane

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

Same time as Whakatane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,700

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Whakatane Dunedin 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Whakatane
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

Whakatane vs Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 63% higher in Whakatane, 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: $966 in Whakatane 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 Whakatane runs roughly 8% less than in Dunedin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Dunedin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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