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Dunedin City: A Guide to Cheap Long-Term Accommodation [2024]

© NZPocketGuide.com

A Guide to Cheap Weekly Accommodation in Dunedin City

Welcome to Dunedin! The city of New Zealand’s first university, first botanic garden, first daily newspaper, first co-op dairy factory, first skyscraper, first girls’ high school, New Zealand’s oldest farm buildings and brewery, the world’s steepest street and the world’s only mainland royal albatross colony… It really does have a lot of claims to fame! Whether you are here for studying at the University of Otago or to seek some work opportunities on your working holiday, you’ll need to find cheap long-term accommodation in Dunedin.

Because Dunedin is a pretty huge place, we have put together a quick list of the inner city suburbs where you are likely to find some cheap accommodation, as well as outlining how far away they are from Dunedin’s centre, The Octagon. For accommodation in the outer suburbs, check out The Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to the Dunedin Region.

This accommodation guide to Dunedin is also split into accommodation types, so you can just skip straight to the short-term or long-term options.

So, find a place to stay in Dunedin using our nifty guide to cheap long-term accommodation to Dunedin City.

Which Dunedin Suburb to Find Long-Term Accommodation?

There is cheap weekly accommodation found all over Dunedin City. Here’s a quick rundown on what to expect in each Dunedin suburb in relation to Dunedin city centre. For the rest of Dunedin’s outer suburbs and districts, read our Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to the Dunedin Region.

Note: CBD refers to Central Business District i.e. The Octagon in Dunedin city centre.

  • Dunedin City Centre – Location: Central Dunedin. Distance from CBD: you’re in it! Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • North Dunedin – Location: north of CBD. Distance from CBD: 5min drive/25min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.
  • City Rise – Location: west Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 4min drive/21min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.
  • Fernhill – Location: south Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 6min drive/19min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.
  • Roslyn/Kaikorai – Location: northwest Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 6min drive/29min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$170.
  • Mornington/Belleknowes/Bradford/Kenmure – Location: southwest Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 7min/27min drive. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
  • Kensington/The Glen/Clyde Hill – Location: south Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 7min drive/27min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$200.
  • Balaclava – Location: southwest Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 10min drive/46min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$200.
  • Glenross/Brockville – Location: west Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 6min drive/42min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.
  • Calton Hill – Location: southwest Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 9min drive/1hour walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$170.
  • Kew – Location: West Auckland. Distance from CBD: 10min drive/1hour walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$170.
  • Pine Hill/Opoho/Mt Mera/Normanby – Location: north Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 13min drive/1h5min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$150.
  • Halfway Bush – Location: west Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 9min drive/1h5min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$170.
  • Wakari – Location: northwest Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 6min drive/37min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$140.
  • Maori Hill – Location: north Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 6min drive/30min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$150.
  • Woodhaugh/Dalmore/Liberton – Location: north Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 9min drive/40min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.
  • Glenleith/Leith Valley – Location: north Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 11min drive/1hour walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.
  • Ravensbourne/Maia/Burkes/Saint Leonards – Location: east Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 8min drive/1hour walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.
  • Sunshine – Location: southeast Dunedin. Distance from CBD: 11min drive/45min walk.Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$160.

Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

For the rest of Dunedin’s outer suburbs and districts, such as Port Chalmers, the Otago Peninsula, Green Island, Fairfield and more, check out the Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to the Dunedin Region.

cheap long-term accommodation in Dunedin© NZPocketGuide.com

Hostels in Dunedin City

Hostels are a good place to start when looking for cheap long-term accommodation in Dunedin. Not only do they provide an affordable base for rental-hunting but many also offer weekly rates.

There are 11+ hostels dotted around Dunedin City. Most hostels can be found right in the centre of Dunedin, whereas a few other backpacker hostels can be found in an inner-city suburb of North Dunedin, City Rise and Fernhill. A couple more hostels can be found in Dunedin’s outer suburbs of Port Chalmers and the Otago Peninsula, which you can read more about in our Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to the Dunedin Region.

Hostel prices in Dunedin usually start from NZ$24-$30 per bed per night. However, prices can surge during times of big events. We always recommend booking your bed a couple of weeks in advance in Dunedin, especially during the summer and especially for the popular hostels we recommend in 6 Best Backpacker Hostels in Dunedin.

You can always keep the cost of living down along with an extended stay by working for accommodation in a Dunedin hostel. For tips, have a look at How to Find Work for Accommodation in New Zealand. For a complete list of hostels in Dunedin, check out Dunedin – Guide For Backpackers.

pexels© Pexels

Renting a Room in Dunedin City

Renting a room is common practice in Dunedin to keep the price to a minimum when staying for the long term, usually done if you have landed a job in Dunedin as part of a working holiday or are a student. With that, you might find there are plenty of houseshare opportunities in Dunedin thanks to its popularity as a student city.

Rent prices per room between the city centre and the inner suburbs appear to stick around the price range. Expect a room to rent in Dunedin City and the inner suburbs to be around NZ$150-$200 per week. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change. That’s a room to yourself in a flatshare or houseshare. You may find cheaper for a shared room.

For advice on how to find a room to rent in Auckland, have a look at our 6 Resources to Find a Room to Rent in New Zealand. Renting a room involves a more complicated process than staying in short-term accommodation, so get clued up by reading The Paperwork Process of Renting or Flatting in New Zealand.

cheap long-term accommodation in Dunedin© Pexels

Airbnb in Dunedin City

Stay with a local Dunedin-dweller in Dunedin’s city centre and inner suburbs. Airbnb, the online network of people’s spare rooms available for accommodation, is huge in Dunedin.

Like hostels, Airbnb stays can provide a cheap room while finding something long term. Alternatively, some Airbnb hosts offer weekly rates for cheap long-term accommodation in Dunedin. Plus, consider an Airbnb room for more convenient inner suburb locations and something different from the hostel experience.

Although the average price for a room in Dunedin Central is NZ$190 per night, you can find an array of NZ$25-$100 rooms in the city centre and inner-city suburbs. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

For more information on Airbnb, check out Everything You Need to Know About Airbnb in New Zealand and 10 Tips to Make the Most of Airbnb in New Zealand.

cheap long-term accommodation in Dunedin© pxhere

Campgrounds and Holiday Parks in Dunedin City

Dunedin is camper friendly, especially if you have a self-contained vehicle which means you can stay overnight on most gravelled and sealed Dunedin City Council land set aside for parking unless otherwise restricted. Campers in non-self-contained vehicles can stay at the  Warrington Domain and Ocean View Recreation Reserve, while free tent camping is available at the designated site at the Warrington Domain.

See the latest freedom camping laws on the Dunedin City Council website, linked to through our guide to Freedom Camping Rules in New Zealand: Region by Region.

Alternatively, you can plug your campervan and pitch a tent at the Leith Valley Touring Park with prices starting from NZ$19. Dunedin Holiday Park has prices starting from NZ$22 and is situated in the Sunshine suburb. We recommend you book a power site a couple of weeks in advance during the summer months. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

For information about camping, check out our guide to Camping in New Zealand.

More About Dunedin City

That’s it for our guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Dunedin. Here’s everything else you need to know about staying in Dunedin:

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

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