Cost of living comparison

compared to

Timaru vs. Rome Cost of Living Summary

Timaru is 10.8% more expensive than Rome.

Restaurants
pay 4.2% less in Timaru
Groceries
pay 5.1% more in Timaru
Transportation
pay 12.1% less in Timaru
Housing
pay 13.1% more in Timaru
Childcare
pay 27.8% less in Timaru
Entertainment and Sports
pay 60.1% more in Timaru
Clothing
pay 41.4% more in Timaru

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

Timaru vs. Rome Cost Breakdown

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

pay 4.2% less for restaurants

 
Rome
Timaru
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.52
€15.05
$14.42
NZ$24.97
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.68
€10.03
$9.23
NZ$15.98
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.50
€2.15
$2.12
NZ$3.66

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pay 5.1% more for groceries

 
Rome
Timaru
Bread
1 loaf
$2.21
€1.90
$1.84
NZ$3.19
Local cheese (8 oz) $9.54
€8.19
$4.64
NZ$8.03
Milk (1 gallon) $7.12
€6.11
$5.78
NZ$10.01

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pay 12.1% less for transportation

 
Rome
Timaru
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.66
€6.58
$5.95
NZ$10.31
Monthly public transit pass $40.88
€35.11
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $29,199.74
€25,077.06
$27,893.12
NZ$48,283.07

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pay 13.1% more for housing

 
Rome
Timaru
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$32.12
€27.58
$54.81
NZ$94.87
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,436.63
€1,233.79
$1,269.25
NZ$2,197.07
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $927.65
€796.68
$1,038.47
NZ$1,797.60

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pay 27.8% less for childcare

 
Rome
Timaru
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $568.18
€487.96
$471.16
NZ$815.58
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,951.36
€9,405.15
$6,730.85
NZ$11,651.12

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pay 60.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Rome
Timaru
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.84
€5.02
$5.77
NZ$9.99
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.01
€1.73
$3.29
NZ$5.70
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.18
€6.17
$27.69
NZ$47.94

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pay 41.4% more for clothing

 
Rome
Timaru
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$81.76
€70.22
$83.69
NZ$144.86
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$37.76
€32.43
$47.31
NZ$81.89
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$88.68
€76.16
$96.15
NZ$166.44

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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: December 2025
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