Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Timaru: $1,980 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
Learn more

Timaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Timaru

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Timaru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,980 in Timaru.

Austin, TX $2,663
Timaru $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,925 in Timaru.

Austin, TX $4,133
Timaru $2,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,870 in Timaru.

Austin, TX $5,603
Timaru $3,870

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 35% more expensive than in Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Timaru 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.80 NZ$24.41

50.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$62.1 NZ$110

36.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.70 NZ$18.93

15.14%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.37 NZ$5.95

67.06%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.03 NZ$3.59

83.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.81 NZ$3.20

38.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.72 NZ$10.11

40.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.12 NZ$10.81

47.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.11 NZ$1.96

0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.82 NZ$3.22

106.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.09 NZ$1.93

199.08%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.69 NZ$10.06

-26.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.24 NZ$14.57

56.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.13 NZ$16.15

55.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$16.33 NZ$28.89

-0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.92 NZ$5.17

48.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.33 NZ$4.12

-37.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.24 NZ$5.72

39.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.19 NZ$9.18

-16.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.87 NZ$3.30

37.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.78 NZ$3.14

32.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.25 NZ$3.98

-20.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.55 NZ$0.97

303.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$20.75 NZ$36.70

-52.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.63 NZ$9.96

167.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.07 NZ$5.42

-4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.18 NZ$2.09

193.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.65 NZ$2.91

-9.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$92.4 NZ$163

-54.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.29 NZ$4.04

19.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.08 NZ$3.68

-20.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$27.65 NZ$48.90

27.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.48 NZ$2.61

-35.81%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

45.08%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

8.54%

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

$229 $229

$110 NZ$194

108.65%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$22.70 NZ$40.15

161.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$51.4 NZ$90.9

36.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$38.87 NZ$68.7

47.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.17 NZ$17.98

40.41%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$579 NZ$1,025

159.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

25.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$59.1 NZ$105

-10.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$34.65 NZ$61.3

26.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$91.0 NZ$161

-6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$132 NZ$234

-22.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$877 NZ$1,550

117.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$946 NZ$1,674

34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,616 NZ$2,857

126.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,510 NZ$2,670

68.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,303 NZ$7,610

76.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,018 NZ$5,337

4.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.07

-3.96%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Timaru

$946 47.8% 25.7% $328

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Timaru

$297 15% 26.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Timaru

$184 9.3% 48.7% $174

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Timaru

$239 12.1% 32.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Timaru

$143 7.2% 11.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Timaru

$59 3% 31% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Timaru

$112 5.6% 90.3% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $877 in Timaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $62.0 in Timaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $297 per month, with Timaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

28,600

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Timaru 12,380 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Timaru

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

Austin, TX vs Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timaru wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Timaru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,970 in Timaru to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $877 in Timaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,980 in Timaru – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Timaru runs roughly 122% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,980 in Timaru versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timaru but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Timaru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Austin, TX and Timaru are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Timaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.