New Zealand : Cost of Living by City
Cost of Living in New Zealand
How Much Does It Cost to Live in Dunedin?
Dunedin is a small and peaceful city with a population of 118,500, making it the seventh largest city in New Zealand.
Dunedin is a university town with much of the local economy being built around education and tourism, and for many – it’s a dream city.
However, when it comes to landing your dream job you have a better chance in Wellington and a way way better chance in Auckland than you’ll have in Dunedin.
In terms of the rent costs and overall prices – well, you will love the low prices and the easy going way of living compared to Auckland or Wellington: Dunedin is even cheaper than Christchurch.
Cost of Living Breakdown in Dunedin
RESTAURANTS
In Dunedin’s lovely downtown area, you’ll find the grass Octagon in the middle with restaurants, bars, cafes and shops around it. Here, you can have a gorgeous meal at an inexpensive restaurant for only 10$. However, you should still keep in mind that eating out will definitely empty your wallet faster than if you cook for yourself.
| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $10.13 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $6.08 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.71 |
MARKETS
As for grocery shopping, your groceries and amount of money you spend on food depends on your eating habit and may vary from $80 per week onwards. Food prices are good particularly if you use direct growers for fruit and veg. Be very careful, though, as prices of vegetables tend to skyrocket during winter.
| Average Market Prices | |
|---|---|
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.61 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.15 |
| Eggs (12) | $3.28 |
TRANSPORTATION
Dunedin’s public transport system is not as good as Auckland’s or Wellington’s. It can be a bit pricey to travel form the suburbs to the city, averaging $5 to $6. But if you have a Go Bus card, you can get to the city for about 2.50$ to $3.00$. Cars, mopeds, and vans are relatively affordable in Dunedin. There aren’t any trams or monorails but the Dunedin Railway Station does have tourist trains into the surrounding regions.
| Average Transport Prices | |
|---|---|
| One Way Ticket | $1.96 |
| Monthly Pass | $73.37 |
| Gasoline | $1.52 |
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are not too expensive in Dunedin, if you look at the price of all included utilities for an apartment of a larger structure (85m2): for such an apartment, all basic utilities – including electricity, along with heating and cooling, water, gas and garbage services – costs around 130$. Internet is pretty pricey though, amounting up to 60$.
| Average Utilities Prices | |
|---|---|
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $134.51 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.45 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $58.48 |
SPORTS & LEISURE
In terms of entertainment, Dunedin has two big cinemas called Rialto and Reading cinemas, and if you want to go and watch a movie in one of them, it will cost you around 10$. Comparing with the prices of everything else, enjoying some sports and fitness activities is more expensive than in Christchurch, for example. Becoming a member of a gym or a fitness club will cost you around 50$ a month.
| Average Leisure Prices | |
|---|---|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $48.94 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $18.56 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $9.45 |
CLOTHING & SHOES
Be warned – there are not too many options to shop and splurge in Dunedin, but South Dunedin does have a lot of warehouses and some shops. This, however, doesn’t mean that the prices are lower. On the contrary! For example, a pair of quality jeans like Levi’s costs 80$, a pair of quality running sneakers like Nike are around 95$, while simpler items of clothing like shirts cost around 30$.
| Average Clothing Prices | |
|---|---|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $80.60 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $33.75 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $98.19 |
RENT PER MONTH
In terms of the price of housing and rent costs – you will love the news we have for you: Dunedin is even cheaper than many cities in New Zealand known for low rent prices. If you want to live in the center of Dunedin, the apartment will cost you around 700$ and if you’re looking for one a bit outside of the center, you’re looking at around 500$.
| Average Rent Prices | |
|---|---|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $773.53 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $509.65 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $931.54 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Dunedin?
Food is the biggest expense of anyone living in Dunedin, along with the rent.
This goes to show that rent is definitely one of the most expensive aspects of living in this country, if not the most expensive one.
Apart from food and rent, people spend a lot of money on transportation and restaurants – since there are many people who are used to eating all three meals in restaurants.
Utilities are also a big expense for an average person living in Dunedin.
Clothing definitely draws the least money from the residents of Dunedin.
Average Costs Breakdown
Dunedin: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Salaries in Dunedin are definitely high and make living in this city very pleasant and comfortable experience, though they are significantly lower than in many other major cities.
Still, the minimum wage of Dunedin, that amounts to around 1300$ is still a reasonable amount of money that just goes in line with the high standard of living here, especially taking into consideration that the prices here are lower than the country’s average.
Though it certainly isn’t the most expensive place to be, people in Dunedin are certain there’s room for improvement.
Cost of Living by City in New Zealand
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Auckland |
76.63 |
| Christchurch |
70.23 |
| Hamilton |
71.91 |
| Wellington |
71.52 |
I’ve always found Dunedin to have such a lovely vibe, and it’s great to see its affordability highlighted. It’s refreshing to know you can enjoy a laid-back lifestyle without breaking the bank, especially compared to the bustling bigger cities. Just makes me wonder if the job scene can catch up to those prices someday!
Cheap rent, tiny paychecks, and big travel costs whenever you want a real job, perfect.