Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolleston and Phuket

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.

56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,156

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Rolleston $1,156
Phuket $1,278

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

Rolleston $2,200
Phuket $2,216

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

Rolleston $3,243
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rolleston costs roughly 10% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.98 NZ$24.81

$4.47 ฿151

212.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 NZ$124

$32.41 ฿1,093

115.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 NZ$15.73

$8.81 ฿297

0.57%

Cappuccino

$3.19 NZ$5.66

$2.83 ฿95.4

12.72%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$0.87 ฿29.41

144.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$0.49 ฿16.65

281.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.01 NZ$12.45

$2.56 ฿86.3

173.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 NZ$11.34

$3.68 ฿124

73.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$1.66 ฿55.9

3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.46 ฿49.31

24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.55

$1.50 ฿50.5

-4.67%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.47

$2.09 ฿70.5

182.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.59 NZ$13.47

$19.07 ฿643

-60.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 NZ$16.98

$3.30 ฿111

189.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 NZ$24.47

$10.91 ฿368

26.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 NZ$4.43

$2.93 ฿98.9

-14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.69 ฿57.0

37.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.87

$2.25 ฿75.8

21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 NZ$9.37

$2.08 ฿70.0

153.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$1.51 ฿51.0

24.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.50

$1.38 ฿46.52

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.07 ฿35.96

117.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.98

$0.52 ฿17.51

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 NZ$42.48

$4.20 ฿142

469.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 NZ$14.75

$18.79 ฿634

-55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 NZ$6.31

$1.82 ฿61.5

95.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 NZ$6.10

$2.84 ฿95.8

21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 NZ$2.08

$1.45 ฿48.98

-19.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NZ$4.49

$3.02 ฿102

-16.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$1.02 ฿34.33

67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.39 NZ$50.4

$3.69 ฿125

669.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.47 ฿49.76

18.37%

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

$28.3K NZ$50.2K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

5.67%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-12.07%

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

$110 NZ$196

$96.4 ฿3,251

14.34%

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

$22.62 NZ$40.17

$11.26 ฿380

100.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.32 NZ$80.5

$16.85 ฿568

168.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$7.50 ฿253

53.07%

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

$338 NZ$601

$476 ฿16.1K

-28.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,824 NZ$12.1K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-39.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$106

$62.4 ฿2,104

-4.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 NZ$62.5

$28.41 ฿958

23.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 NZ$163

$94.3 ฿3,181

-2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 NZ$224

$85.8 ฿2,895

46.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 NZ$507

$716 ฿24.2K

-60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 NZ$447

$491 ฿16.6K

-48.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 NZ$1,801

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-47.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NZ$1,968

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-22.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,068 NZ$3,672

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-50.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,789 NZ$3,177

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-41.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,403 NZ$7,817

$502 ฿16.9K

776.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.57

6.10%

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

Last update for Rolleston: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rolleston

$306 26.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 13% $40

Accommodation & Living

Rolleston

$252 21.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 95.1% $239

Eating Out

Rolleston

$240 20.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rolleston

$178 15.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 30.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Rolleston

$141 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rolleston

$23 * 2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 258% $59

Getting Around

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 348% $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 $286 in Rolleston and $716 in Phuket. 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: $70 in Rolleston vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

6 h behind Rolleston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,000

79,308

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rolleston Phuket 9,350 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rolleston
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

Rolleston vs Phuket: 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.

Average pay in Rolleston is about 8.8 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: $286 in Rolleston versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $338 in Rolleston versus $476 in Phuket. 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, Rolleston and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.