Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Timaru Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Timaru

🙂 Solo nomad: Christchurch is 4.8% cheaper than Timaru without rent, and 10.3% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Christchurch is 8.2% cheaper than Timaru without rent, and 6.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 NZ$27.32

$14.94 NZ$24.64

10.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 NZ$118

$79.5 NZ$131

-10.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 NZ$15.53

$9.72 NZ$16.04

-3.19%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.52

$3.51 NZ$5.79

-4.84%

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

$2.3 NZ$3.8

$2.17 NZ$3.59

5.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NZ$3.34

$1.89 NZ$3.11

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.31 NZ$12.06

$5.92 NZ$9.77

23.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.2 NZ$11.87

$6.21 NZ$10.24

15.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.16

$1.63 NZ$2.69

17.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.2

$1.99 NZ$3.28

-2.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$2.85

$1.2 NZ$1.97

44.17%

Eggs

$6.26 NZ$10.33

$6.43 NZ$10.6

-2.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 NZ$13.48

$9.86 NZ$16.26

-17.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 NZ$15.91

$10.69 NZ$17.64

-9.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 NZ$21.17

$16.6 NZ$27.39

-22.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.04

$2.65 NZ$4.37

15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 NZ$4.46

$2.52 NZ$4.16

7.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NZ$4.87

$3.04 NZ$5.01

-2.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.11

$5.86 NZ$9.66

-5.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.54

$2.67 NZ$4.4

-19.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.64

$2.38 NZ$3.93

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 NZ$4.91

$2.92 NZ$4.82

2.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 NZ$2.4

$1.16 NZ$1.91

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 NZ$39.02

$29 NZ$47.83

-18.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 NZ$14.72

$7.28 NZ$12.01

22.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 NZ$6.29

$4.84 NZ$7.98

-21.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 NZ$8

$6.79 NZ$11.2

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 NZ$2.05

$2.14 NZ$3.53

-42.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.94 NZ$69.2

$63.5 NZ$105

-33.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 NZ$4.34

$2.9 NZ$4.78

-9.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NZ$2.7

$1.09 NZ$1.8

50.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.26 NZ$49.91

$31.85 NZ$52.5

-4.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$2.81

$1.59 NZ$2.63

7.55%

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

$27K NZ$44.5K

$30.1K NZ$49.6K

-10.36%

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

$20K NZ$33K

$18.2K NZ$30.1K

9.67%

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

$116 NZ$191

$192 NZ$316

-39.76%

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

$32.15 NZ$53

$23.72 NZ$39.12

35.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 NZ$86.8

$60.5 NZ$99.7

-12.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.61 NZ$57.1

$36.92 NZ$60.9

-6.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.47 NZ$25.51

$12.27 NZ$20.23

26.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 NZ$17.83

$13.36 NZ$22.03

-19.09%

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

$653 NZ$1,077

$485 NZ$800

34.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,249 NZ$15.3K

$7,159 NZ$11.8K

29.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64 NZ$105

$88.3 NZ$146

-27.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 NZ$71.1

$49.39 NZ$81.5

-12.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 NZ$150

$96.2 NZ$159

-5.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 NZ$247

$276 NZ$455

-45.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 NZ$2,534

$988 NZ$1,630

55.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 NZ$1,911

$790 NZ$1,303

46.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 NZ$3,395

$1,598 NZ$2,635

28.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 NZ$2,453

$1,431 NZ$2,360

3.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,194 NZ$6,918

$4,243 NZ$6,998

-1.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,361 NZ$5,543

$3,354 NZ$5,532

0.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,736 NZ$4,512

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

Last update for Timaru: October 28, 2025

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