Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolleston and Austin, TX

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.

56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index
130

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

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Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,142

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Rolleston costs roughly 57% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.22 NZ$25.14

$20.77 $20.77

-31.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 NZ$120

$84.6 $84.6

-19.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 NZ$15.54

$12.32 $12.32

-28.65%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.81

$5.63 $5.63

-41.74%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$3.72 $3.72

-42.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$2.50 $2.50

-29.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 NZ$11.70

$8.05 $8.05

-17.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 NZ$10.93

$9.01 $9.01

-31.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.12 $1.12

47.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 NZ$3.19

$3.75 $3.75

-51.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.66

$3.26 $3.26

-53.99%

Eggs

$5.66 NZ$10.02

$4.17 $4.17

35.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 NZ$12.53

$12.90 $12.90

-45.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 NZ$16.58

$14.16 $14.16

-33.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 NZ$24.25

$16.22 $16.22

-15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 NZ$4.55

$4.33 $4.33

-40.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 NZ$4.11

$1.46 $1.46

58.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$4.51 $4.51

-39.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 NZ$9.01

$4.34 $4.34

17.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$2.58 $2.58

-30.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 NZ$2.57

$2.35 $2.35

-38.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 NZ$4.05

$1.78 $1.78

28.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.05

$2.22 $2.22

-73.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.39 NZ$41.36

$9.88 $9.88

136.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 NZ$14.43

$15.08 $15.08

-45.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 NZ$5.89

$2.92 $2.92

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 NZ$5.83

$3.46 $3.46

-4.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$1.49 $1.49

-23.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 NZ$4.32

$2.73 $2.73

-10.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$1.66 $1.66

3.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.51 NZ$48.65

$35.30 $35.30

-22.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.07

$0.95 $0.95

83.16%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

$36.0K $36.0K

-31.24%

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

$24.0K NZ$42.5K

$27.1K $27.1K

-11.33%

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

$108 NZ$191

$229 $229

-52.80%

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

$22.38 NZ$39.58

$59.4 $59.4

-62.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.15 NZ$79.9

$69.9 $69.9

-35.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 NZ$17.82

$14.28 $14.28

-29.41%

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

$341 NZ$602

$1,506 $1,506

-77.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,755 NZ$11.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-68.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$102

$52.8 $52.8

8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.21 NZ$62.3

$43.82 $43.82

-19.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 NZ$158

$84.8 $84.8

5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 NZ$215

$103 $103

18.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 NZ$491

$1,907 $1,907

-85.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NZ$449

$1,274 $1,274

-80.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 NZ$1,813

$3,664 $3,664

-72.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 NZ$1,914

$2,538 $2,538

-57.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 NZ$3,576

$7,614 $7,614

-73.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,805 NZ$3,192

$3,157 $3,157

-42.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,358 NZ$7,707

$5,121 $5,121

-14.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

6.79

-12.96%

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

Last update for Rolleston: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rolleston

$300 26.3%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 34.9% $105

Accommodation & Living

Rolleston

$254 22.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 402% $1K

Eating Out

Rolleston

$241 21.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 47.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rolleston

$176 15.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 104% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Rolleston

$137 12%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 6.4% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rolleston

$20 * 1.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 326% $66

Getting Around

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 277% $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 $278 in Rolleston and $1,907 in Austin, TX. 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: $68.0 in Rolleston vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $405 per month, with Rolleston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

23:09 11:09 PM

18 h behind Rolleston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,000

974,447

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

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).

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

USD to NZD in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Rolleston
Austin, TX

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

Rolleston vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Austin, TX. 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: $278 in Rolleston versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $341 in Rolleston versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. 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, Rolleston and Austin, TX 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.