Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Rolleston

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,142 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Rolleston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,142 in Rolleston.

Austin, TX $2,663
Rolleston $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,160 in Rolleston.

Austin, TX $4,133
Rolleston $2,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,178 in Rolleston.

Austin, TX $5,603
Rolleston $3,178

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 133% more expensive than in Rolleston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Rolleston is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$14.22 NZ$25.14

46.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$68.1 NZ$120

24.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.79 NZ$15.54

40.16%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.28 NZ$5.81

71.65%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.13 NZ$3.77

74.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.76 NZ$3.12

42.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.62 NZ$11.70

21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.18 NZ$10.93

45.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-32.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.81 NZ$3.19

107.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.50 NZ$2.66

117.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.66 NZ$10.02

-26.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.09 NZ$12.53

81.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.38 NZ$16.58

50.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.71 NZ$24.25

18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.57 NZ$4.55

68.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.32 NZ$4.11

-37.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.73 NZ$4.82

65.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.10 NZ$9.01

-14.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.79 NZ$3.16

44.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.45 NZ$2.57

62.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.29 NZ$4.05

-22.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.59 NZ$1.05

276.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$23.39 NZ$41.36

-57.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.16 NZ$14.43

84.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.33 NZ$5.89

-12.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.30 NZ$5.83

4.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.14 NZ$2.02

30.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.44 NZ$4.32

11.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.71 NZ$3.02

-2.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$27.51 NZ$48.65

28.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-45.40%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

45.43%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.0K NZ$42.5K

12.78%

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

$229 $229

$108 NZ$191

111.87%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$22.38 NZ$39.58

165.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$45.15 NZ$79.9

54.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.08 NZ$17.82

41.67%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$341 NZ$602

342.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,755 NZ$11.9K

217.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$57.5 NZ$102

-8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.21 NZ$62.3

24.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$89.5 NZ$158

-5.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$122 NZ$215

-15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$278 NZ$491

587.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$254 NZ$449

402.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,025 NZ$1,813

257.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,082 NZ$1,914

134.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,022 NZ$3,576

276.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,805 NZ$3,192

74.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$4,358 NZ$7,707

17.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.91

14.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rolleston: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Rolleston

$254 22.2% 80.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Rolleston

$300 26.3% 25.9% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Rolleston

$176 15.4% 51% $183

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Rolleston

$241 21.1% 32% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Rolleston

$137 12% 6.8% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Rolleston

$20 * 1.8% 76.5% $66

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4% 73.5% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $278 in Rolleston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $68.0 in Rolleston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $300 per month, with Rolleston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

28,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Rolleston 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Rolleston

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

Austin, TX vs Rolleston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rolleston wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rolleston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $278 in Rolleston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $341 in Rolleston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rolleston – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,142 in Rolleston versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rolleston but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Rolleston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Rolleston are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rolleston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.