Cost of Living Comparison Between Rarotonga and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Rarotonga and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Rarotonga is 3.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Rarotonga is 5.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 20.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.98 NZ$20.37
$4.65 ฿148
157.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.8 NZ$103
$46.11 ฿1,470
31.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.47 NZ$12.70
$8.74 ฿279
-14.53%
Cappuccino
$4.23 NZ$7.19
$3.04 ฿96.9
39.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 NZ$5.60
$0.72 ฿22.96
356.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 NZ$4.89
$0.39 ฿12.47
635.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.78 NZ$11.53
$2.44 ฿77.8
177.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.38 NZ$9.14
$3.79 ฿121
41.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 NZ$3.73
$2.14 ฿68.4
2.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.87 NZ$4.87
$1.86 ฿59.3
54.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 NZ$2.51
$2.19 ฿69.7
-32.88%
Eggs
$6.47 NZ$11.00
$2.25 ฿71.6
187.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.83 NZ$15.02
$19.73 ฿629
-55.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.41 NZ$12.60
$3.79 ฿121
95.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.14 NZ$12.13
$13.55 ฿432
-47.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 NZ$5.19
$3.25 ฿104
-6.15%
Banana (1kg)
$3.04 NZ$5.16
$1.67 ฿53.3
82.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.68 NZ$6.26
$2.39 ฿76.3
53.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.20
$2.09 ฿66.7
46.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 NZ$3.00
$1.53 ฿48.74
15.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 NZ$2.31
$1.51 ฿48.13
-9.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.79 NZ$3.05
$0.99 ฿31.53
80.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.54 NZ$6.01
$0.51 ฿16.41
594.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.79 NZ$25.14
$4.27 ฿136
246.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.06 NZ$20.51
$20.31 ฿647
-40.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.57 NZ$6.06
$1.79 ฿57.1
99.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 NZ$8.96
$2.77 ฿88.2
90.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.92 NZ$4.97
$1.40 ฿44.77
108.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.70 ฿373
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$21.06 NZ$35.81
$3.11 ฿99.1
577.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.99 ฿31.71
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.37 NZ$61.8
$13.73 ฿438
164.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 NZ$3.10
$1.32 ฿42.05
37.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.3K NZ$20.8K
$27.2K ฿868.3K
-55.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.9 NZ$153
$120 ฿3,838
-25.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.75 NZ$50.6
$13.93 ฿444
113.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$103 NZ$176
$18.31 ฿584
464.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.36 NZ$43.11
$60.9 ฿1,942
-58.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.79 NZ$40.45
$17.23 ฿549
38.07%
Cinema Ticket
$7.13 NZ$12.12
$8.71 ฿278
-18.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$698 ฿22.2K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,474 NZ$2,505
$15.7K ฿501.6K
-90.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$57.6 ฿1,838
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$34.24 ฿1,092
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$113 ฿3,608
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$84.8 ฿2,704
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$476 NZ$809
$604 ฿19.3K
-21.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 NZ$820
$436 ฿13.9K
10.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$731 NZ$1,242
$2,057 ฿65.6K
-64.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$717 NZ$1,218
$1,498 ฿47.8K
-52.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,252 ฿135.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,988 ฿95.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rarotonga
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,177 NZ$7,101
$529 ฿16.9K
689.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8
5.33
50.09%

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

Last update for Rarotonga: February 28, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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