Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Timaru

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.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington and in Timaru

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

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

Wellington $2,313
Timaru $1,992

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

Wellington $3,422
Timaru $3,048

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

Wellington $4,530
Timaru $4,104

Wellington costs about 16% more than Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.02 NZ$24.90

$14.41 NZ$25.59

-2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$61.3 NZ$109

8.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 NZ$16.38

$10.87 NZ$19.29

-15.09%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$3.29 NZ$5.84

3.65%

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

$2.43 NZ$4.32

$2.13 NZ$3.78

14.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$3.00

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 NZ$13.29

$5.70 NZ$10.11

31.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$6.12 NZ$10.86

10.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.47

$1.15 NZ$2.04

69.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$1.79 NZ$3.17

25.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.12 NZ$1.99

65.18%

Eggs

$7.10 NZ$12.61

$5.98 NZ$10.61

18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$16.94

$8.28 NZ$14.70

15.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 NZ$17.08

$9.21 NZ$16.35

4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 NZ$27.09

$16.69 NZ$29.62

-8.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 NZ$5.49

$2.93 NZ$5.21

5.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.42 NZ$4.29

-11.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 NZ$5.47

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-2.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.42 NZ$11.40

$5.25 NZ$9.32

22.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.72

$1.86 NZ$3.30

12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-33.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-13.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 NZ$2.06

$0.55 NZ$0.98

110.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.04

$21.06 NZ$37.40

20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$5.57 NZ$9.90

106.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.53

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.12

$1.26 NZ$2.23

129.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$1.94 NZ$3.45

47.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$186

$110 NZ$196

-4.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 NZ$3.34

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-15.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.79 NZ$3.17

2.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.31 NZ$60.9

$28.93 NZ$51.4

18.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.27

$1.56 NZ$2.76

17.95%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.4K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-0.32%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

$22.9K NZ$40.7K

3.71%

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

$201 NZ$357

$113 NZ$201

77.49%

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

$33.35 NZ$59.2

$22.85 NZ$40.58

45.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.3

$52.5 NZ$93.2

2.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.87 NZ$63.7

$39.92 NZ$70.9

-10.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 NZ$28.73

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 NZ$20.92

$11.39 NZ$20.22

3.42%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,890

$590 NZ$1,047

80.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$16.1K NZ$28.5K

-17.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 NZ$143

$59.4 NZ$106

35.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$35.10 NZ$62.3

-20.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$180

$91.0 NZ$162

11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NZ$274

$137 NZ$244

12.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 NZ$2,029

$1,108 NZ$1,968

3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 NZ$1,914

$921 NZ$1,635

17.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 NZ$3,651

$1,790 NZ$3,179

14.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 NZ$3,220

$1,674 NZ$2,972

8.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

$4,547 NZ$8,073

45.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,655 NZ$6,489

$2,866 NZ$5,088

27.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,945

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

7.07

-23.76%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6%

Timaru

$921 46.2% 14.6% $157

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$348 15.1%

Timaru

$302 15.1% 13.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$288 12.4%

Timaru

$188 9.5% 34.5% $99

Eating Out

Wellington

$248 10.7%

Timaru

$244 12.2% 1.8% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7.1%

Timaru

$145 7.3% 11.4% $19

Getting Around

Wellington

$127 5.5%

Timaru

$129 6.5% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$59 2.6%

Timaru

$63 3.2% 5.5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

Same time as Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

28,600

💱 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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Wellington Timaru 450 km

From you

Wellington
Timaru

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

Wellington vs Timaru: 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 $3,470 per month in Wellington and $2,987 in Timaru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,313 in Wellington and $1,992 in Timaru. 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.