Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Timaru: $1,980 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
Learn more

Timaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $1,980 in Timaru, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Timaru $1,980

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $2,925 in Timaru, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Timaru $2,925

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $3,870 in Timaru, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Timaru $3,870

Sydney costs about 59% more than Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sydney and Timaru sit above the global median – Sydney by 133%, Timaru by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$13.80 NZ$24.41

27.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$62.1 NZ$110

47.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$10.70 NZ$18.93

11.78%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.37 NZ$5.95

20.77%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.03 NZ$3.59

40.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.81 NZ$3.20

24.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$5.72 NZ$10.11

32.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$6.12 NZ$10.81

21.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.11 NZ$1.96

49.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.82 NZ$3.22

52.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.09 NZ$1.93

122.02%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$5.69 NZ$10.06

-0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$8.24 NZ$14.57

42.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$9.13 NZ$16.15

5.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$16.33 NZ$28.89

2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.92 NZ$5.17

39.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.33 NZ$4.12

39.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$3.24 NZ$5.72

6.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$5.19 NZ$9.18

-17.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$1.87 NZ$3.30

75.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.78 NZ$3.14

29.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$2.25 NZ$3.98

2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.55 NZ$0.97

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$20.75 NZ$36.70

110.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$5.63 NZ$9.96

146.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$3.07 NZ$5.42

27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.18 NZ$2.09

231.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.65 NZ$2.91

84.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$92.4 NZ$163

62.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$2.29 NZ$4.04

47.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$2.08 NZ$3.68

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$27.65 NZ$48.90

44.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.48 NZ$2.61

-5.41%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

17.21%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

20.79%

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

$223 A$320

$110 NZ$194

102.82%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$22.70 NZ$40.15

19.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$51.4 NZ$90.9

8.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$38.87 NZ$68.7

91.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$10.17 NZ$17.98

72.66%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$579 NZ$1,025

279.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

64.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$59.1 NZ$105

32.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$34.65 NZ$61.3

97.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$91.0 NZ$161

22.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$132 NZ$234

1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$877 NZ$1,550

185.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$946 NZ$1,674

80.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$1,616 NZ$2,857

206.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$1,510 NZ$2,670

100.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$4,303 NZ$7,610

206.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,018 NZ$5,337

177.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

7.07

-17.40%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Timaru

$946 47.8% 44.6% $763

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Timaru

$297 15% 21.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Timaru

$184 9.3% 39.8% $122

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Timaru

$239 12.1% 19.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Timaru

$143 7.2% 19.2% $34

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Timaru

$112 5.6% 35.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Timaru

$59 3% 46.1% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $877 in Timaru. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $62.0 in Timaru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $297 – making Timaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

2 h ahead of Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Timaru 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

Sydney vs Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $1,980 in Timaru – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $2,970 in Timaru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Timaru, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $62.0 in Timaru. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $1,980 in Timaru. That's a gap of about 59%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Timaru, where all-in costs run around $1,980, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Timaru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Timaru – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Timaru. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.