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

🙂 Solo nomad: Wellington is 1.2% cheaper than Timaru without rent, and 16.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 15.8% more expensive than Timaru without rent, and 15.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.83 NZ$30.49

$15.17 NZ$25.95

17.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.2 NZ$144

$79.8 NZ$136

5.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 NZ$16.18

$9.85 NZ$16.85

-3.96%

Cappuccino

$3.65 NZ$6.24

$3.39 NZ$5.80

7.67%

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

$2.57 NZ$4.40

$2.18 NZ$3.73

17.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 NZ$3.76

$1.87 NZ$3.19

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 NZ$12.32

$5.89 NZ$10.08

22.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 NZ$12.72

$5.85 NZ$10.01

27.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.11

$1.61 NZ$2.75

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 NZ$3.50

$1.96 NZ$3.35

4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.37

$1.18 NZ$2.01

66.95%

Eggs

$7.24 NZ$12.38

$6.33 NZ$10.82

14.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 NZ$13.96

$9.67 NZ$16.54

-15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 NZ$18.65

$10.76 NZ$18.40

1.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 NZ$22.55

$16.95 NZ$28.99

-22.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.24

$2.65 NZ$4.53

15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.03

$2.57 NZ$4.40

-8.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.10

$2.97 NZ$5.08

0.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 NZ$8.26

$5.90 NZ$10.09

-18.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.46

$2.59 NZ$4.43

-22.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 NZ$2.70

$2.39 NZ$4.08

-33.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$3.93

$2.84 NZ$4.86

-19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 NZ$2.21

$1.14 NZ$1.95

13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.71 NZ$45.68

$28.48 NZ$48.71

-6.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 NZ$18.63

$7.27 NZ$12.43

49.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 NZ$6.00

$4.61 NZ$7.89

-23.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 NZ$5.57

$7.05 NZ$12.05

-53.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 NZ$4.57

$2.07 NZ$3.54

28.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 NZ$183

$64.9 NZ$111

65.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 NZ$4.73

$2.88 NZ$4.93

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.07

$1.09 NZ$1.87

64.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.9 NZ$104

$32.23 NZ$55.1

88.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.86

$1.63 NZ$2.79

2.45%

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

$33.0K NZ$56.5K

$29.2K NZ$50.0K

13.06%

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

$24.9K NZ$42.6K

$17.8K NZ$30.4K

40.17%

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

$155 NZ$265

$193 NZ$330

-19.71%

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

$33.64 NZ$57.5

$23.71 NZ$40.54

41.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$87.3

$58.3 NZ$99.6

-12.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.54 NZ$62.5

$36.92 NZ$63.1

-1.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.82 NZ$35.60

$12.24 NZ$20.93

70.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.26 NZ$20.96

$13.04 NZ$22.30

-5.98%

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

$818 NZ$1,398

$501 NZ$858

63.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$21.9K

$7,129 NZ$12.2K

80.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 NZ$121

$86.2 NZ$147

-17.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 NZ$91.0

$49.05 NZ$83.9

8.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NZ$205

$94.8 NZ$162

26.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 NZ$249

$281 NZ$481

-48.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 NZ$2,218

$979 NZ$1,674

32.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 NZ$1,870

$783 NZ$1,338

39.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 NZ$3,637

$1,543 NZ$2,638

37.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 NZ$3,277

$1,433 NZ$2,450

33.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 NZ$11.6K

$5,134 NZ$8,779

32.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,067 NZ$6,955

$3,424 NZ$5,855

18.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,107 NZ$5,313

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

6.74

2.97%

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

Last update for Wellington: March 2, 2026

Last update for Timaru: February 28, 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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