Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Sydney

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.

90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timaru and in Sydney

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Timaru and in Sydney actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Timaru $1,980
Sydney $3,152

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

Timaru $2,925
Sydney $4,710

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

Timaru $3,870
Sydney $6,268

Timaru is about 37% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 NZ$24.41

$17.57 A$25.29

-21.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 NZ$110

$91.5 A$132

-32.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 NZ$18.93

$11.96 A$17.21

-10.54%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NZ$5.95

$4.07 A$5.85

-17.20%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.59

$2.85 A$4.10

-28.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$2.25 A$3.24

-19.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 NZ$10.11

$7.60 A$10.94

-24.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.81

$7.43 A$10.69

-17.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$1.66 A$2.38

-33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$2.78 A$4.00

-34.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$2.42 A$3.49

-54.96%

Eggs

$5.69 NZ$10.06

$5.64 A$8.12

0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 NZ$14.57

$11.71 A$16.85

-29.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 NZ$16.15

$9.66 A$13.89

-5.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 NZ$28.89

$16.75 A$24.10

-2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.17

$4.07 A$5.85

-28.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.12

$3.25 A$4.68

-28.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NZ$5.72

$3.44 A$4.96

-5.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.18

$4.28 A$6.16

21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$3.28 A$4.72

-42.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$2.30 A$3.30

-22.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NZ$3.98

$2.30 A$3.31

-2.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.97

$1.21 A$1.74

-54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.75 NZ$36.70

$43.71 A$62.9

-52.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 NZ$9.96

$13.88 A$19.97

-59.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 NZ$5.42

$3.90 A$5.62

-21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.09

$3.91 A$5.63

-69.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 NZ$2.91

$3.04 A$4.38

-45.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 NZ$163

$150 A$216

-38.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.04

$3.38 A$4.86

-32.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 NZ$3.68

$1.56 A$2.24

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.65 NZ$48.90

$40.01 A$57.6

-30.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 NZ$2.61

$1.40 A$2.01

5.71%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$29.1K A$41.9K

-14.68%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

$30.1K A$43.4K

-17.21%

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

$110 NZ$194

$223 A$320

-50.70%

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

$22.70 NZ$40.15

$27.16 A$39.08

-16.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.9

$55.8 A$80.3

-7.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.87 NZ$68.7

$74.6 A$107

-47.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 NZ$17.98

$17.56 A$25.27

-42.08%

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

$579 NZ$1,025

$2,196 A$3,160

-73.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

$28.2K A$40.6K

-39.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 NZ$105

$78.4 A$113

-24.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.65 NZ$61.3

$68.4 A$98.5

-49.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$161

$111 A$160

-18.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$134 A$193

-1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 NZ$1,550

$2,500 A$3,598

-64.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 NZ$1,674

$1,709 A$2,460

-44.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 NZ$2,857

$4,946 A$7,117

-67.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 NZ$2,670

$3,022 A$4,349

-50.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,303 NZ$7,610

$13.2K A$18.9K

-67.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,018 NZ$5,337

$8,370 A$12.0K

-63.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.84

21.06%

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

Last update for Timaru: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timaru

$946 47.8%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 80.6% $763

Groceries & Markets

Timaru

$297 15%

Sydney

$379 12% 27.5% $82

Eating Out

Timaru

$239 12.1%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 24.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timaru

$184 9.3%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 66.2% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Timaru

$143 7.2%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 23.8% $34

Getting Around

Timaru

$112 5.6%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 55.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Timaru

$59 3%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 85.4% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $877 in Timaru versus $2,500 in Sydney. 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 $62.0 in Timaru versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $379 – making Timaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Timaru

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

2 h behind Timaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,600

4,840,600

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Timaru Sydney 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Timaru
Sydney

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

Timaru vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,970 per month in Timaru and $4,728 in Sydney. 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 $62.0 in Timaru and $91.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,980 in Timaru and $3,152 in Sydney. 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.