Cost of living comparison

French Polynesia

compared to

New Zealand

Timaru vs. Papeete Cost of Living Summary

Timaru is 2.7% cheaper than Papeete.

Restaurants: pay 32.4% less in Timaru
Groceries: pay 14.9% less in Timaru
Transportation: pay 16.4% less in Timaru
Housing: pay 6.6% less in Timaru
Childcare: pay 17.4% less in Timaru
Entertainment and Sports: pay 22.6% more in Timaru
Clothing: pay 46.5% more in Timaru

The cost of clothing and entertainment and sports in Timaru are more expensive than in Papeete. Expenses including restaurants, childcare, transportation, groceries, and housing are lower in Timaru.

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Timaru vs. Papeete Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Timaru instead of Papeete, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 32.4% less for restaurants

	Papeete	Timaru
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$19.58 CFPF2,025	$14.42 NZ$24.54	-26.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$14.68 CFPF1,519	$9.23 NZ$15.71	-37.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.13 CFPF324	$2.12 NZ$3.60	-32.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.77 CFPF287	$1.84 NZ$3.12	-33.8%
Average			-32.4%

Papeete vs. Timaru - Cost of restaurants

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pay 14.9% less for groceries

	Papeete	Timaru
Bread 1 loaf	$0.78 CFPF81	$1.84 NZ$3.14	+135.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.05 CFPF1,350	$4.64 NZ$7.89	-64.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.30 CFPF652	$5.78 NZ$9.84	-8.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.48 CFPF670	$6.23 NZ$10.60	-3.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$7.66 CFPF792	$4.63 NZ$7.89	-39.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.37 CFPF245	$1.12 NZ$1.91	-52.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.22 CFPF126	$1.07 NZ$1.81	-12.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.66 CFPF276	$1.31 NZ$2.23	-50.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.55 CFPF367	$2.52 NZ$4.28	-29.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.37 CFPF141	$1.13 NZ$1.93	-17.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.22 CFPF126	$0.97 NZ$1.65	-20.6%
Average			-14.9%

Papeete vs. Timaru - Cost of groceries

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pay 16.4% less for transportation

	Papeete	Timaru
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.99 CFPF620	$5.95 NZ$10.13	-0.6%
Monthly public transit pass	??	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,575.51 CFPF2M	$27,893.12 NZ$47,461.50	+42.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$205.54 CFPF21,261	$17.99 NZ$30.61	-91.2%
Average			-16.4%

Papeete vs. Timaru - Cost of transportation

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pay 6.6% less for housing

	Papeete	Timaru
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$68.84 CFPF7,121	$54.81 NZ$93.26	-20.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,394.76 CFPF144K	$1,269.25 NZ$2,159.68	-9.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$978.78 CFPF101K	$1,038.47 NZ$1,767.01	+6.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$144.08 CFPF14,904	$139.71 NZ$237.72	-3.0%
Average			-6.6%

Papeete vs. Timaru - Cost of housing

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pay 17.4% less for childcare

	Papeete	Timaru
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$489.39 CFPF50,622	$471.16 NZ$801.70	-3.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,787.76 CFPF1M	$6,730.85 NZ$11,452.87	-31.2%
Average			-17.4%

Papeete vs. Timaru - Cost of childcare

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pay 22.6% more for entertainment and sports

	Papeete	Timaru
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.18 CFPF329	$5.77 NZ$9.82	+81.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.04 CFPF418	$3.29 NZ$5.60	-18.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$12.14 CFPF1,255	$27.69 NZ$47.12	+128.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$88.09 CFPF9,112	$34.62 NZ$58.90	-60.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$14.68 CFPF1,519	$12.12 NZ$20.62	-17.5%
Average			+22.6%

Papeete vs. Timaru - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 46.5% more for clothing

	Papeete	Timaru
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$71.74 CFPF7,421	$83.69 NZ$142.40	+16.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$75.01 CFPF7,759	$47.31 NZ$80.50	-36.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$81.53 CFPF8,434	$96.15 NZ$163.61	+17.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$92.98 CFPF9,618	$268.27 NZ$456.48	+188.5%
Average			+46.5%

Papeete vs. Timaru - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: August 2026

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