Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Timaru: $1,980 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne 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 Melbourne and in Timaru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,980 in Timaru.

Melbourne $2,821
Timaru $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $2,925 in Timaru.

Melbourne $4,235
Timaru $2,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $3,870 in Timaru.

Melbourne $5,650
Timaru $3,870

Living in Melbourne is roughly 42% more expensive than in Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Timaru 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$13.80 NZ$24.41

26.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$62.1 NZ$110

36.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$10.70 NZ$18.93

16.45%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.37 NZ$5.95

21.96%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$2.03 NZ$3.59

50.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.81 NZ$3.20

39.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$5.72 NZ$10.11

71.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$6.12 NZ$10.81

40.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.11 NZ$1.96

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.82 NZ$3.22

61.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.09 NZ$1.93

144.04%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$5.69 NZ$10.06

-2.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.24 NZ$14.57

27.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.13 NZ$16.15

5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$16.33 NZ$28.89

-6.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.92 NZ$5.17

36.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.33 NZ$4.12

29.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.24 NZ$5.72

-4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$5.19 NZ$9.18

-7.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.87 NZ$3.30

62.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.78 NZ$3.14

37.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.25 NZ$3.98

9.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.55 NZ$0.97

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$20.75 NZ$36.70

112.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$5.63 NZ$9.96

125.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$3.07 NZ$5.42

80.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.18 NZ$2.09

343.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.65 NZ$2.91

126.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$92.4 NZ$163

48.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.29 NZ$4.04

96.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$2.08 NZ$3.68

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$27.65 NZ$48.90

10.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.48 NZ$2.61

-0.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

16.72%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

6.14%

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

$234 A$336

$110 NZ$194

112.92%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$22.70 NZ$40.15

23.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$51.4 NZ$90.9

8.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$38.87 NZ$68.7

27.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$10.17 NZ$17.98

48.38%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$579 NZ$1,025

309.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

76.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$59.1 NZ$105

35.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$34.65 NZ$61.3

46.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$91.0 NZ$161

32.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$132 NZ$234

-1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$877 NZ$1,550

100.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$946 NZ$1,674

46.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,616 NZ$2,857

116.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$1,510 NZ$2,670

65.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,303 NZ$7,610

60.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$3,018 NZ$5,337

113.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.07

-16.55%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Timaru

$946 47.8% 31.9% $443

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Timaru

$297 15% 22.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Timaru

$184 9.3% 42.1% $134

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Timaru

$239 12.1% 24% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Timaru

$143 7.2% 16.9% $29

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Timaru

$112 5.6% 31.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Timaru

$59 3% 25.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $877 in Timaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $62.0 in Timaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $297 per month, with Timaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

2 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

28,600

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Timaru 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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

Melbourne vs Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Timaru differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,980 including rent). Timaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $877 in Timaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $579 in Timaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,980 in Timaru versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timaru but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. 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, Melbourne 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 42% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.