Living in South Dunedin: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,106 live property titles in South Dunedin, Dunedin City are mostly freehold (74%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 356 (16.9%), well above the national share of 8.7%.
South Dunedin cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 356
- Share of live titles
- 16.9%
- Live titles in total
- 2,106
- Dunedin City share
- 4.9%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Dunedin City
- 2 of 18
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 178 of 644
South Dunedin at a glance
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- South Dunedin is listed under Dunedin City.
- 2,106 live titles are recorded here, including 356 cross-lease titles (16.9%).
- The page includes 2023 Census context for the statistical area that represents this suburb.
- The page includes MBIE new-tenancy rent figures for April–June 2026.
Contextual observations
- Cross-lease titles make up 16.9% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 4.7% of recorded titles, so title structure can vary within the suburb.
- Coast distance is a suburb-level map measure, not a flood or hazard assessment.
Questions worth investigating
- For any cross-lease property you consider, do the current title, flats plan and lease match what is built today?
- What do the LIM, council property file and a suitable inspection add for the specific address?
No data held for this suburb
- Mapped public-transport context is not available for this suburb.
Title mix in South Dunedin
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,564 | 74.3% |
| Cross lease | 356 | 16.9% |
| Unit title | 98 | 4.7% |
| Leasehold | 63 | 3.0% |
| Other record types | 25 | 1.2% |
| Total | 2,106 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How South Dunedin compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; South Dunedin is about 1.9 times the national share (8.7%).
Across Dunedin City as a whole, the share is 4.9%; South Dunedin is about 3.4 times the overall Dunedin City share (4.9%).
Its cross-lease share is 2nd highest of 18 in Dunedin City (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in South Dunedin are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (6%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
Separate exclusive-use areas are less common (1% of schemes, against 5% nationally).
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (37%, against 11% nationally), up to 13.
| Scheme structure | South Dunedin | Dunedin City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 115 | 1,210 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 47.8% | 70.9% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 14.8% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 37.4% | 18.2% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 616 m² | 632 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 206 m² | 270 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 22.6% | 32.4% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 17.4% | 17.5% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.9% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 6.1% | 10.2% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1981 | 1980 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 2 | 239 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in South Dunedin
Unit titles are 5% of South Dunedin's titles, above Dunedin City (4%) and well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 25 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 3 units or fewer.
63 titles (3.0%) are leasehold, well above the national share (1.2%).
5 of them have a stated term that has ended or has under 10 years to run, which is worth reading closely in the lease.
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 1 |
| Under 10 years left | 4 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 0 |
| More than 50 years left | 4 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 53 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 1 |
New titles in South Dunedin since 2020
65 of South Dunedin's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Dunedin City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is in the lowest quarter of 17 in Dunedin City.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 46 | 17 |
| Unit title | 7 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 11 | 8 |
| Other | 1 | 0 |
New titles include cross-leases converted to freehold and titles re-issued; they are not a count of new homes. Sources and limits
The lie of the land in South Dunedin
The typical building in South Dunedin stands on ground sloping 0.7° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated), in the flattest quarter of 18 in Dunedin City.
Nearly all of its 2,348 measured buildings (100%) stand on ground under 5°.
Much of the land is low-lying: the median elevation is 1 m.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from South Dunedin
2% of South Dunedin's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 6% within 500 m and 43% within 1 km. The typical title is 1.1 km away.
Measured in a straight line from the centre of each title's land to the coastline on LINZ's 1:50k topographic map, which follows harbours and estuaries as well as the open coast; lakes and rivers are not included. Distance says nothing about beach access, views or exposure to coastal hazards; council hazard maps and the LIM describe those.
Who lives around South Dunedin: 2023 Census
South Dunedin's titles fall in 7 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 2 shown below hold 87% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
More households have no car in South Dunedin than across Dunedin City: 29.8% against 8.8%.
More workers commute by bus, train or ferry in South Dunedin than across Dunedin City: 9.7% against 4.6%.
Household incomes are lower in South Dunedin than across Dunedin City: $39,900 against $80,500.
| Measure | South Dunedin 56% of titles | Hillside-Portsmouth Drive 31% of titles | Dunedin City whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,517 | 78 | 128,901 |
| Change since 2018 | +3.2% | −21.2% | +2.1% |
| Change since 2013 | +9.0% | +4.0% | +7.2% |
| Median age | 46.3 | 33.9 | 37 |
| Households | 1,257 | 45 | 49,188 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 43.7% | — | 68.1% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 56.1% | — | 31.8% |
| Median household income | $39,900 | $37,500 | $80,500 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $265 | $350 | $400 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 7.0% | 5.3% | 8.2% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 12.3% | 11.5% | 14.8% |
| 15 to 29 | 19.4% | 30.8% | 26.7% |
| 30 to 64 | 41.6% | 46.2% | 41.2% |
| 65 and over | 26.8% | 11.5% | 17.3% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 20.6% | 24.0% | 21.2% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 27.8% | — | 22.7% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 51.8% | 72.0% | 45.1% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.4% | 0.0% | 3.7% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 21.7% | 28.0% | 24.0% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 16.3% | 21.7% | 29.0% |
| Employed full-time | 37.2% | 34.8% | 44.5% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.1% | 13.0% | 3.2% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 25.2% | — | 42.6% |
| Median personal income | $27,800 | $32,600 | $33,500 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 6.6% | — | 12.6% |
| Car, truck or van | 65.4% | — | 70.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 9.7% | — | 4.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 16.9% | — | 11.4% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 53.9% | — | 27.0% |
| Average people per household | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 29.8% | — | 8.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.7% | — | 3.4% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 28.8% | — | 38.4% |
| Couples without children | 39.9% | — | 46.5% |
| One-parent families | 31.3% | — | 15.1% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 52.4% | 33.3% | 81.2% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.2 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 72.4% | — | 77.7% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 21.0% | — | 17.3% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 14.7% | — | 11.5% |
Rents around South Dunedin
New tenancies in Bathgate Park in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $540 a week (down 1.8% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Dunedin City ($565), and slightly below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Bathgate Park 56% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $540 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $476–$578 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | −1.8% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near South Dunedin
LINZ maps 3 school sites inside South Dunedin, among them Bathgate Park School (Full Primary) and Kings High School (Dunedin) (Secondary (Year 9-15)).
- Bathgate Park School (Full Primary)
- Kings High School (Dunedin) (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Queen's High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- Nearest school: Kings High School (Dunedin) (0.9 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Kings High School (Dunedin) (0.9 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Dunedin Hospital (2.9 km)
School enrolment zones in South Dunedin: a guide
Four secondary schools have a home zone covering most of South Dunedin's titles, among them John McGlashan College, Kavanagh College and St Hildas Collegiate.
- Musselburgh School (primary, Years 1–6): about 30% of titles
- Dunedin Rudolf Steiner School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Liberton Christian School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Tahuna Normal Intermediate (intermediate, Years 7–8): about 30% of titles
- Columba College (composite): all or nearly all titles
- John McGlashan College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Kavanagh College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Hildas Collegiate (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Queens High School (secondary): all or nearly all titles
A guide only: check the school's own zone map for any address. Zones as at 14 July 2026. Sources and limits
Places of worship near South Dunedin
OpenStreetMap maps 6 places of worship inside South Dunedin (5 Christian, 1 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: St Patrick Parish - Dunedin South / Mercy Parish, under 1 km away
- Muslim: Masjid Al Huda, 3.1 km away
- Jewish: Dunedin Jewish Congregation, 4.0 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Dunedin City with many cross-leases
- Mosgiel: 626 cross-lease titles (8.9%)
- Saint Kilda: 573 cross-lease titles (25.3%)
- Caversham: 165 cross-lease titles (12.2%)
- Dunedin Central: 123 cross-lease titles (3.4%)
- North East Valley: 96 cross-lease titles (5.4%)
- Roslyn: 85 cross-lease titles (9.8%)
- Saint Clair: 85 cross-lease titles (5.5%)
Suburbs like South Dunedin
The closest match on the measures on this site is Caversham in Dunedin City, nearest on land per flat, children, distance to the coast. Closeness is arithmetic, not a rating. Sources and limits
| Suburb | Council | Cross-lease share of titles | Median weekly rent, new tenancies | Median age | Closest on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caversham | Dunedin City | 12.2% | $570 | 42.9 | land per flat, children, distance to the coast |
| Saint Kilda | Dunedin City | 25.3% | $535 | 42.4 | slope, elevation, born overseas |
| Forbury Corner | Dunedin City | 16.7% | $573 | 39.7 | slope, elevation, distance to the coast |
| Seaview, Timaru District | Timaru District | 18.5% | $430 | 41 | new titles, distance to the coast, born overseas |
| Oamaru | Waitaki District | 6.4% | $495 | 44.3 | schools, distance to the coast, new titles |
Questions
What is the rent in South Dunedin?
New tenancies in Bathgate Park (the rent area for part of South Dunedin) had a median rent of $540 a week in the April–June 2026 quarter (MBIE bond data, all dwelling types). These are rents agreed for new tenancies, not asking rents. The middle half of those rents ran from $476 to $578.
What schools are in South Dunedin?
LINZ maps 3 school sites inside South Dunedin: Bathgate Park School, Kings High School (Dunedin) and Queen's High School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Kings High School (Dunedin) (0.9 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include John McGlashan College, Kavanagh College and St Hildas Collegiate; check the school's own zone map for any address.