Off-street one-hour parking costs an average 60c more in the North than the South - with Hobart's average being cut significantly because of free parking for the first 90 minutes at three of its council-owned car parks.

However, while Launceston's hourly off-street parking rate is more expensive, its off-street all-day parking is half the price: $7.30 in Launceston compared to $15.50 in Hobart.

Many Hobart residents are also given the option to rent a parking space on a monthly basis from the council, which works out to an average $10.30 a day, based on a 22-day working month.

Launceston City Council owns and operates 2156 off-street spaces (mainly in car parks) and 997 on-street metered spaces.

The spaces are spread across the city, including at 15 car parks.

The Hobart City Council owns and operates more than 2000 short-term parking spaces, and also offer many long-term monthly permits for car parks located in and around the city centre.

Yet while Launceston's CBD is slowly expanding with national retailer Forever New about to move into the former Payless Shoes store and the Country Road Group announcing last week it was searching for locations for its brands Witchery, Mimco, Trenery and the original Country Road, the Launceston City Council has no plans to increase the number of parking spaces in the city.

Launceston City Council general manager Robert Dobrzynski said instead the council would be encouraging the use of public transport, cycling and ``better pedestrian access''.

``We have also instituted initiatives like the free Tiger bus,'' he said.

The bus, which is funded by parking revenue, operates a 15-minute commuter run at the beginning and end of each working day.

It encourages people to park in the council's cheapest car park at Inveresk for $3 a day and then travel to town by bus.

``This was introduced to reduce the amount of traffic and free up more short-term parking spaces in the city centre,'' the council states on its website.