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

😐 Solo nomad: Timaru is 5% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 9.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Timaru is 8.9% more expensive than Christchurch without rent, and 7.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.94 NZ$24.64

$16.56 NZ$27.32

-9.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 NZ$131

$71.4 NZ$118

11.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 NZ$16.04

$9.41 NZ$15.53

3.29%

Cappuccino

$3.51 NZ$5.79

$3.34 NZ$5.52

5.09%

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

$2.17 NZ$3.59

$2.3 NZ$3.8

-5.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 NZ$3.11

$2.03 NZ$3.34

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 NZ$9.77

$7.31 NZ$12.06

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 NZ$10.24

$7.2 NZ$11.87

-13.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 NZ$2.69

$1.91 NZ$3.16

-14.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.28

$1.94 NZ$3.2

2.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.2 NZ$1.97

$1.73 NZ$2.85

-30.64%

Eggs

$6.43 NZ$10.6

$6.26 NZ$10.33

2.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 NZ$16.26

$8.18 NZ$13.48

20.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 NZ$17.64

$9.65 NZ$15.91

10.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.6 NZ$27.39

$12.83 NZ$21.17

29.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.37

$3.06 NZ$5.04

-13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 NZ$4.16

$2.71 NZ$4.46

-7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.01

$2.95 NZ$4.87

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 NZ$9.66

$5.52 NZ$9.11

6.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NZ$4.4

$2.15 NZ$3.54

24.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 NZ$3.93

$2.21 NZ$3.64

7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 NZ$4.82

$2.98 NZ$4.91

-2.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$1.91

$1.45 NZ$2.4

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29 NZ$47.83

$23.66 NZ$39.02

22.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.28 NZ$12.01

$8.93 NZ$14.72

-18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.84 NZ$7.98

$3.82 NZ$6.29

26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 NZ$11.2

$4.85 NZ$8

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 NZ$3.53

$1.24 NZ$2.05

72.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 NZ$105

$41.94 NZ$69.2

51.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.9 NZ$4.78

$2.63 NZ$4.34

10.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 NZ$1.8

$1.64 NZ$2.7

-33.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.85 NZ$52.5

$30.26 NZ$49.91

5.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 NZ$2.63

$1.71 NZ$2.81

-7.02%

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

$30.1K NZ$49.6K

$27K NZ$44.5K

11.55%

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

$18.2K NZ$30.1K

$20K NZ$33K

-8.82%

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

$192 NZ$316

$116 NZ$191

66.00%

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

$23.72 NZ$39.12

$32.15 NZ$53

-26.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 NZ$99.7

$52.6 NZ$86.8

14.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.92 NZ$60.9

$34.61 NZ$57.1

6.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.27 NZ$20.23

$15.47 NZ$25.51

-20.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 NZ$22.03

$10.81 NZ$17.83

23.59%

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

$485 NZ$800

$653 NZ$1,077

-25.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,159 NZ$11.8K

$9,249 NZ$15.3K

-22.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 NZ$146

$64 NZ$105

38.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.39 NZ$81.5

$43.12 NZ$71.1

14.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 NZ$159

$90.8 NZ$150

5.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$276 NZ$455

$150 NZ$247

83.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$988 NZ$1,630

$1,536 NZ$2,534

-35.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 NZ$1,303

$1,158 NZ$1,911

-31.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 NZ$2,635

$2,059 NZ$3,395

-22.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 NZ$2,360

$1,488 NZ$2,453

-3.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,243 NZ$6,998

$4,194 NZ$6,918

1.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,354 NZ$5,532

$3,361 NZ$5,543

-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 Timaru: October 28, 2025

Last update for Christchurch: October 27, 2025

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