Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Timaru: $1,992 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timaru and in Wellington

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 Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,992 per month in Timaru vs $2,313 in Wellington, rent included.

Timaru $1,992
Wellington $2,313

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Timaru vs $3,422 in Wellington, rent included.

Timaru $3,048
Wellington $3,422

A family of three spends $4,104 per month in Timaru vs $4,530 in Wellington, rent included.

Timaru $4,104
Wellington $4,530

Timaru is about 14% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Timaru and Wellington sit above the global median – Timaru by 46%, Wellington by 70%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.41 NZ$25.62

$14.02 NZ$24.93

2.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 NZ$109

$66.5 NZ$118

-7.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 NZ$19.32

$9.23 NZ$16.40

17.77%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.85

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-3.52%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.78

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-12.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.69 NZ$3.01

5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 NZ$10.12

$7.48 NZ$13.30

-23.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.87

$6.74 NZ$11.99

-9.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 NZ$2.05

$1.95 NZ$3.47

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$2.25 NZ$4.01

-20.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 NZ$1.99

$1.85 NZ$3.30

-39.46%

Eggs

$5.98 NZ$10.62

$7.10 NZ$12.63

-15.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 NZ$14.72

$9.54 NZ$16.96

-13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.37

$9.62 NZ$17.10

-4.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 NZ$29.66

$15.26 NZ$27.13

9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.21

$3.09 NZ$5.50

-5.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NZ$4.29

$2.15 NZ$3.83

12.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.08 NZ$5.48

2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 NZ$9.33

$6.42 NZ$11.42

-18.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.30

$2.10 NZ$3.73

-11.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.23 NZ$2.19

50.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NZ$4.13

$2.01 NZ$3.58

15.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.98

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-52.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.44

$25.37 NZ$45.09

-16.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 NZ$9.91

$11.48 NZ$20.41

-51.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$3.12 NZ$5.54

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$2.89 NZ$5.13

-56.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

$2.86 NZ$5.09

-32.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 NZ$196

$105 NZ$186

5.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.88 NZ$3.34

18.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-2.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 NZ$51.4

$34.31 NZ$61.0

-15.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.76

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-15.22%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

0.32%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.8K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

-3.58%

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

$113 NZ$201

$201 NZ$357

-43.66%

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

$22.85 NZ$40.63

$33.35 NZ$59.3

-31.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$93.3

$53.7 NZ$95.4

-2.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.92 NZ$71.0

$35.87 NZ$63.8

11.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.77

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 NZ$20.25

$11.78 NZ$20.94

-3.31%

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

$590 NZ$1,048

$1,065 NZ$1,892

-44.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NZ$28.6K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

21.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$106

$80.4 NZ$143

-26.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.10 NZ$62.4

$28.04 NZ$49.84

25.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$162

$102 NZ$181

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 NZ$244

$154 NZ$274

-10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 NZ$1,970

$1,143 NZ$2,031

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 NZ$1,637

$1,078 NZ$1,917

-14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,790 NZ$3,182

$2,057 NZ$3,656

-12.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 NZ$2,975

$1,814 NZ$3,224

-7.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,547 NZ$8,083

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-31.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 NZ$5,094

$3,655 NZ$6,497

-21.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,951

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.39

31.17%

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

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timaru

$921 46.2%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 17.1% $157

Groceries & Markets

Timaru

$302 15.1%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 15.5% $47

Eating Out

Timaru

$244 12.2%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 1.8% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timaru

$188 9.5%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 52.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Timaru

$145 7.3%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 12.8% $19

Getting Around

Timaru

$129 6.5%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Timaru

$63 3.2%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 5.2% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,108 in Timaru versus $1,143 in Wellington. 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 $61 in Timaru versus $66 in Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $348 – making Timaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Timaru

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

Same time as Timaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,600

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Timaru Wellington 450 km

From you

Timaru
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 16% more than Timaru, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,987 per month in Timaru and $3,470 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,108 in Timaru and $1,143 in Wellington. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Timaru and $66 in Wellington. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,992 in Timaru and $2,313 in Wellington. That makes Timaru about 14% cheaper.

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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.