Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rolleston

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,156 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,156

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket 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 Phuket and in Rolleston actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,156 in Rolleston.

Phuket $1,278
Rolleston $1,156

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,200 in Rolleston.

Phuket $2,216
Rolleston $2,200

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,243 in Rolleston.

Phuket $3,154
Rolleston $3,243

Living in Phuket is roughly 11% more expensive than in Rolleston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rolleston 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.98 NZ$24.81

-68.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$69.9 NZ$124

-53.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.86 NZ$15.73

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.19 NZ$5.66

-11.29%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-59.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-73.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$7.01 NZ$12.45

-63.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.39 NZ$11.34

-42.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.71 NZ$3.03

-2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.82 NZ$3.24

-19.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.43 NZ$2.55

4.90%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.90 NZ$10.47

-64.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.59 NZ$13.47

151.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.56 NZ$16.98

-65.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.78 NZ$24.47

-20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.50 NZ$4.43

17.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-27.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.74 NZ$4.87

-17.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.28 NZ$9.37

-60.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.88 NZ$3.33

-19.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.41 NZ$2.50

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-54.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.55 NZ$0.98

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.92 NZ$42.48

-82.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.31 NZ$14.75

126.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.55 NZ$6.31

-48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.44 NZ$6.10

-17.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.17 NZ$2.08

23.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.53 NZ$4.49

19.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.71 NZ$3.04

-40.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$28.39 NZ$50.4

-87.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-15.52%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$28.3K NZ$50.2K

-5.37%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

13.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$110 NZ$196

-12.54%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.62 NZ$40.17

-50.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$45.32 NZ$80.5

-62.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-34.67%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$338 NZ$601

40.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$6,824 NZ$12.1K

65.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$59.9 NZ$106

4.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$35.18 NZ$62.5

-19.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$92.1 NZ$163

2.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$126 NZ$224

-31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$286 NZ$507

150.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$252 NZ$447

95.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,014 NZ$1,801

89.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,109 NZ$1,968

29.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,068 NZ$3,672

101.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,789 NZ$3,177

70.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$4,403 NZ$7,817

-88.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.91

-5.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rolleston: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rolleston

$252 21.8% 48.8% $239

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rolleston

$306 26.5% 14.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rolleston

$178 15.4% 43.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rolleston

$141 12.2% 15.6% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rolleston

$240 20.8% 97.6% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rolleston

$23 * 2% 72.1% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4% 77.7% $55

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 $716 in Phuket and $286 in Rolleston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolleston pays about 8.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $70 in Rolleston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $306 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rolleston 9,350 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Rolleston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rolleston is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $286 in Rolleston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $338 in Rolleston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $70 in Rolleston. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Rolleston gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Phuket and Rolleston are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.