Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rarotonga and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,117 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rarotonga and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Rarotonga versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rarotonga $1,117
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,581 in Rarotonga versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rarotonga $1,581
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Rarotonga versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rarotonga $2,045
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rarotonga costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rarotonga 18% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.31 NZ$25.18

$4.47 ฿151

220.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 NZ$89.8

$32.41 ฿1,094

57.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NZ$10.03

$8.81 ฿297

-35.30%

Cappuccino

$3.33 NZ$5.86

$2.83 ฿95.5

17.67%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.88

$0.87 ฿29.43

154.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NZ$3.96

$0.49 ฿16.67

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 NZ$8.88

$2.56 ฿86.4

97.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.91

$3.68 ฿124

37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NZ$4.92

$1.66 ฿56.0

68.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 NZ$5.12

$1.46 ฿49.35

99.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

Eggs

$6.22 NZ$10.94

$2.09 ฿70.5

197.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 NZ$12.67

$19.07 ฿644

-62.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 NZ$20.22

$4.20 ฿142

173.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 NZ$19.70

$18.79 ฿634

-40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.89

$1.82 ฿61.5

83.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.90

$2.84 ฿95.9

78.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 NZ$5.09

$1.45 ฿49.03

99.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.16 NZ$35.49

$3.02 ฿102

567.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.69 NZ$59.3

$3.69 ฿125

813.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.96

$1.47 ฿49.81

14.29%

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

$11.4K NZ$20.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-57.52%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

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

$101 NZ$178

$96.4 ฿3,254

4.97%

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

$48.92 NZ$86.1

$11.26 ฿380

334.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 NZ$181

$16.85 ฿569

510.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 NZ$785

$716 ฿24.2K

-37.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 NZ$801

$491 ฿16.6K

-7.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 NZ$1,202

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-64.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 NZ$1,114

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-55.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,985 NZ$7,013

$502 ฿17.0K

693.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Rarotonga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rarotonga

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Rarotonga

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rarotonga

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Rarotonga

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Rarotonga

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Rarotonga

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Rarotonga

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $446 in Rarotonga and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 7.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51 in Rarotonga vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $153 vs $266, with Rarotonga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

09:36 9:36 AM

17 h ahead of Rarotonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,373

79,308

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.51 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Rarotonga Phuket 11,550 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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Phuket

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

Rarotonga vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rarotonga is about 7.9 times higher, 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: $446 in Rarotonga versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $51 in Rarotonga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Rarotonga and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.