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

🙂 Solo nomad: Timaru is 2.8% cheaper than Christchurch without rent, and 10.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Timaru is 23.2% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.32 NZ$26.66

$17.03 NZ$29.64

-10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 NZ$135

$72.4 NZ$126

7.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.61 NZ$16.72

$9.63 NZ$16.75

-0.21%

Cappuccino

$3.46 NZ$6.02

$3.34 NZ$5.80

3.59%

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

$2.25 NZ$3.91

$2.38 NZ$4.14

-5.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 NZ$3.28

$1.97 NZ$3.42

-4.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 NZ$10.69

$7.13 NZ$12.41

-13.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 NZ$10.19

$7.16 NZ$12.45

-18.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 NZ$2.74

$1.91 NZ$3.32

-17.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 NZ$3.31

$2.00 NZ$3.48

-5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NZ$2.07

$1.74 NZ$3.03

-31.61%

Eggs

$6.35 NZ$11.04

$6.48 NZ$11.28

-2.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 NZ$17.01

$8.13 NZ$14.14

20.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 NZ$18.54

$9.20 NZ$16.01

15.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.57 NZ$28.83

$13.01 NZ$22.64

27.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.56

$3.07 NZ$5.35

-14.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 NZ$4.46

$2.66 NZ$4.63

-3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.16

$2.93 NZ$5.10

1.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 NZ$10.39

$5.80 NZ$10.10

2.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 NZ$4.50

$2.14 NZ$3.72

21.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 NZ$4.14

$2.32 NZ$4.04

2.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NZ$5.05

$3.08 NZ$5.35

-5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.00

$1.47 NZ$2.55

-21.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$28.75 NZ$50.0

$24.17 NZ$42.06

18.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 NZ$12.51

$8.70 NZ$15.13

-17.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.66 NZ$8.12

$3.70 NZ$6.45

25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 NZ$12.50

$5.06 NZ$8.80

41.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 NZ$3.58

$1.23 NZ$2.14

67.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 NZ$112

$41.89 NZ$72.9

53.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 NZ$4.98

$2.77 NZ$4.83

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 NZ$1.97

$1.70 NZ$2.96

-33.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.53 NZ$54.9

$30.00 NZ$52.2

5.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 NZ$2.89

$1.72 NZ$2.98

-3.49%

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

$29.4K NZ$51.1K

$27.3K NZ$47.6K

7.42%

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

$17.8K NZ$30.9K

$19.7K NZ$34.3K

-9.90%

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

$192 NZ$334

$117 NZ$204

63.97%

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

$24.43 NZ$42.51

$32.10 NZ$55.9

-23.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 NZ$102

$53.0 NZ$92.2

10.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.36 NZ$63.3

$35.20 NZ$61.3

3.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.14 NZ$21.12

$15.15 NZ$26.36

-19.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 NZ$23.46

$11.11 NZ$19.32

21.33%

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

$493 NZ$857

$643 NZ$1,120

-23.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,967 NZ$12.1K

$9,240 NZ$16.1K

-24.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 NZ$151

$64.3 NZ$112

34.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.76 NZ$86.6

$43.28 NZ$75.3

14.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 NZ$169

$93.0 NZ$162

4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$276 NZ$480

$152 NZ$264

81.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$971 NZ$1,690

$1,511 NZ$2,630

-35.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$787 NZ$1,370

$1,158 NZ$2,014

-31.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,761

$2,114 NZ$3,678

-24.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 NZ$2,506

$1,448 NZ$2,520

-0.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,898 NZ$8,523

$4,962 NZ$8,634

-1.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 NZ$5,814

$2,674 NZ$4,653

24.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,666 NZ$4,640

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 Timaru: January 11, 2026

Last update for Christchurch: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

Prague

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

Leipzig

🇩🇪 Germany