How 'bout:
var start = new Date().getTime();
$.ajax({
  type: "GET",
  url: "http://localhost/thescript.php",
  success: function(data){
    $("#container").html(data);
  },
  complete: function(jqXHR, textStatus){
    var duration = (new Date().getTime() - start) / 1000;
    alert("http://localhost/thescript.php took '" + duration + "' second(s) to load");
  }
});