Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Wellington Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Wellington

🙂 Solo nomad: Timaru is 9.9% cheaper than Wellington without rent, and 11% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Timaru is 11% more expensive than Wellington without rent, and 10.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.32 NZ$26.66

$17.57 NZ$30.57

-12.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 NZ$135

$82.9 NZ$144

-6.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.61 NZ$16.72

$9.59 NZ$16.69

0.21%

Cappuccino

$3.46 NZ$6.02

$3.61 NZ$6.28

-4.16%

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

$2.25 NZ$3.91

$2.62 NZ$4.55

-14.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 NZ$3.28

$2.14 NZ$3.72

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 NZ$10.69

$7.10 NZ$12.36

-13.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 NZ$10.19

$7.13 NZ$12.41

-17.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 NZ$2.74

$1.83 NZ$3.19

-14.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 NZ$3.31

$2.05 NZ$3.56

-7.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NZ$2.07

$1.88 NZ$3.26

-36.70%

Eggs

$6.35 NZ$11.04

$6.96 NZ$12.10

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 NZ$17.01

$8.05 NZ$14.01

21.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 NZ$18.54

$11.06 NZ$19.24

-3.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.57 NZ$28.83

$13.02 NZ$22.65

27.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.56

$3.03 NZ$5.27

-13.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 NZ$4.46

$2.33 NZ$4.06

10.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.16

$2.97 NZ$5.17

-0.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 NZ$10.39

$4.81 NZ$8.37

24.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 NZ$4.50

$2.09 NZ$3.64

23.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 NZ$4.14

$1.59 NZ$2.77

49.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NZ$5.05

$2.20 NZ$3.83

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.00

$1.30 NZ$2.26

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$28.75 NZ$50.0

$26.98 NZ$46.94

6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 NZ$12.51

$10.58 NZ$18.41

-32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.66 NZ$8.12

$3.51 NZ$6.10

32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 NZ$12.50

$3.23 NZ$5.62

122.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 NZ$3.58

$2.63 NZ$4.58

-21.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 NZ$112

$107 NZ$186

-39.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 NZ$4.98

$2.77 NZ$4.81

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 NZ$1.97

$1.77 NZ$3.09

-36.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.53 NZ$54.9

$61.1 NZ$106

-48.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 NZ$2.89

$1.67 NZ$2.90

-0.60%

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

$29.4K NZ$51.1K

$33.2K NZ$57.8K

-11.64%

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

$17.8K NZ$30.9K

$24.7K NZ$43.0K

-28.21%

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

$192 NZ$334

$157 NZ$273

22.35%

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

$24.43 NZ$42.51

$32.98 NZ$57.4

-25.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 NZ$102

$52.5 NZ$91.4

11.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.36 NZ$63.3

$36.82 NZ$64.1

-1.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.14 NZ$21.12

$20.35 NZ$35.42

-40.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.48 NZ$23.46

$11.85 NZ$20.62

13.76%

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

$493 NZ$857

$814 NZ$1,416

-39.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,967 NZ$12.1K

$12.8K NZ$22.2K

-45.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 NZ$151

$72.7 NZ$126

19.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.76 NZ$86.6

$53.0 NZ$92.1

-6.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 NZ$169

$121 NZ$210

-19.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$276 NZ$480

$141 NZ$245

95.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$971 NZ$1,690

$1,297 NZ$2,257

-25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$787 NZ$1,370

$1,106 NZ$1,924

-28.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,761

$2,115 NZ$3,680

-24.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 NZ$2,506

$1,906 NZ$3,317

-24.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,898 NZ$8,523

$6,842 NZ$11.9K

-28.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,342 NZ$5,814

$3,920 NZ$6,821

-14.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,973 NZ$5,173

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

6.94

-2.88%

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

Last update for Timaru: January 11, 2026

Last update for Wellington: January 10, 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

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