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Suburb profile · Otago · NZ

Dunedin Central NZ

Dunedin Central is in Otago, New Zealand, with population 2,178.

The read

Verify-first

There are enough weaker signals here that you should expect trade-offs, not a clean local story. Compare it directly with stronger nearby suburbs before treating it as a preferred option.

$255/wk
1/04/2021 → 1/01/2026 · 20 periods
Tenancy Services · 1/01/2026
$305
$195
1/04/20211/01/2026
What to check

Higher deprivation should be treated as a local-context caution.

Median rent
$1050/wk
Rent-pressure candidate
D10 vs NZ
Population
2,178
2K local footprint
D5 vs NZ
Income
$20K/yr
Median personal income
D1 vs NZ
NZDep
Decile 9
Higher deprivation
D9 vs NZ
Schools
1
matched school context

Area prices & affordability

Median sale price
$588K
+8.5% over 5yr
0.7%YoY
Lower quartile
$484K
Entry-level price
House Price Index
3,565
QV-based HPI
1.1%5yr
Income to buy
7.4x
Years of median income
Annual sales
2,427
Transactions, TA
Years of median household income to buy

Figures are for the Dunedin City territorial authority (as at 2026-02). New Zealand has no free suburb-level sale-price series, so these are TA-wide medians from HUD Local Housing Statistics (LINZ District Valuation Roll + Stats NZ) — a market backdrop for Dunedin Central, not a Dunedin Central-specific sale price.

Rent trend depth

Rent cycle positionRents near their low
Low · 2021Peak · 2020

13.6% below peak rent · 2.0% above its low

Rent growth (compound)3-yr -2.8%/yr · 5-yr +0.4%/yr

Rent trend is derived from MBIE tenancy-bond medians and excludes suburbs with too few bonds to be reliable.

Personal income

$20K personal · yr-50.7% vs Otago suburb median

Median individual income. NZ has no suburb-level household-income or sale-price data, so this is a personal-income benchmark, not a household-affordability measure.

Schools

Total1
Students731
State1
  • Otago Girls' High SchoolSecondary (Year 9-15) · StateZoned

1 of 1 schools here operate published enrolment zones (catchments). Zone boundaries set eligibility — check the official source for the exact catchment. Not enrolment advice.

Building activity

Latest consents
16
0 houses · 16 units
42.9%YoY D10 vs NZ

Employment

Employed residents
1,221
Was 1,176 in 2018
3.8%vs 2018 D6 vs NZ

Full data detail

Dunedin Central Otago — Property Data and Demographics

Dunedin Central is a small suburb in Otago with a population of 2,178 and a median age of 23. Median personal income is $20K per year. The main ethnic groups are European, Asian, Māori. Otago population estimates moved +1.2% in the year ended June 2024, after averaging +1.6% a year from 2018 to 2023, which should be read as a broader regional movement backdrop rather than suburb-level migration precision. The resident employment base moved from 1,176 in 2018 to 1,221 in 2023 (+3.8%), which should be read as a census-to-census employment backdrop rather than a live jobs series. Te Waihanga's December 2025 Pipeline snapshot tracked over 12,000 NZ infrastructure initiatives, with more than 2,700 under construction and transport taking 52% of projected 2026 pipeline spend, which should be read as a broader national delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project list.

Median weekly rent in Dunedin Central is $1050 (1,050 houses, 675 units). This represents approximately 269% of median weekly personal income.

Livability indicators for Dunedin Central: NZDep decile 9 (high deprivation); 1 school with avg EQI 439; 1 hospital nearby.

In 2026, Dunedin Central recorded 16 building approvals (0 houses, 16 units), down 42.9% year-on-year.

Market & money
Livability signalsHeuristics
Rent Affordability269% Stretched
School QualityEQI 439· Average
DeprivationDecile 9 High
Development-43% Slowing
Rental marketMBIE
Median rent · wk(1/01/2026)$1050
House · wk$1050
Unit · wk$675
Rent / income269.0%
Lodgements54
DevelopmentStats NZ
Consents (2026)16
Units16
YoY change-42.9%
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 23
Population2,178
Median age23
Household size
HH income · yr
Personal income · yr$20,300
Deprivation (NZDep)NZDep23
Less deprived9/10
NZDep score1072

1 = least deprived · 10 = most deprived

EthnicityCensus 23
European1,443
Asian567
Māori270
Pacific Peoples138
MELAA72
Top industriesCensus 23
Accommodation and Food231
Retail Trade150
Health Care and Social Assistance144
Education and Training138
Public Administration and Safety93
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets4
Pharmacies5
GP / clinics3
Fuel stations1
Cafes & dining101
countdown1
new world1
Hospitals · 1MoH
Dunedin HospitalPublic Hospital
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Dunedin Central for a first-pass decision.

NZ suburb pages combine Stats NZ, MBIE, MoE, GTFS, and pinned service coverage. The key difference is that some items are direct feeds, while others are fallback or snapshot layers.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using MBIE bond data when present.

Treat current rent as a decision input, not as a guaranteed market quote.

HOSPITAL POSTURE
Hospital coverage comes from an official pinned snapshot.

This is a trusted coverage layer, but it is still a pinned snapshot rather than a live facility API.

TRANSPORT POSTURE
Transport is feed-based and depends on GTFS bundle coverage.

It is good for stop presence and local network context, but not a guarantee that every operator or schedule is equally current.

Data status
Weekly rent
MBIE rental bond data · 1/01/2026 · Bond market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Schools
MoE school directory · 1 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · nightly
Available
Hospitals
Pinned Health NZ public hospital snapshot · 1 hospitals in coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
NZ GTFS bundle · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Building consents
Stats NZ building consents CSV · 2026 · Annual release series
Available
Demographic baseline
Stats NZ Census 2023 · Population, income, and demographic baseline
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Available
Available means a direct local source is linked. Verify means the page is using a weaker fallback or coverage-only snapshot, especially Census rent fallback or pinned hospital coverage.

Dunedin Central FAQ

Common questions
  1. What is the typical weekly rent in Dunedin Central?

    The median weekly rent in Dunedin Central is $1050/wk, based on the MBIE market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent-pressure candidate.

  2. What does the rent signal say about Dunedin Central?

    Rent-pressure candidate: Dunedin Central rents screen above the local benchmark. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  3. What is the livability profile for Dunedin Central?

    QuickProperty's livability signals for Dunedin Central show: Stretched, Average, High. These are based on rent affordability, school EQI, NZDep deprivation index, and transport access.

  4. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Dunedin Central?

    Housing data comes from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Demographics are from Stats NZ Census 2023. Schools data uses the Ministry of Education Equity Index (EQI). The deprivation score uses NZDep2018. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  5. How often is the Dunedin Central data updated?

    RBNZ macro data updates with each deploy. Demographics are from NZ Census 2023. School EQI scores are from the Ministry of Education latest release.