Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Agana Heights and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Agana Heights: $1,006 a month against $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Agana Heights

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,006

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Agana Heights and in Palmerston North

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Agana Heights versus $1,562 in Palmerston North.

Agana Heights $1,006
Palmerston North $1,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,356 in Agana Heights versus $2,537 in Palmerston North.

Agana Heights $1,356
Palmerston North $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,707 in Agana Heights versus $3,511 in Palmerston North.

Agana Heights $1,707
Palmerston North $3,511

Living in Agana Heights costs roughly 36% less than in Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Agana Heights is 25% below, Palmerston North is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-7.61%

White Bread (500g)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.14 NZ$3.78

117.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.37 NZ$2.42

24.09%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-15.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.94 $25.94

$6.41 NZ$11.34

304.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 $6.60

$9.50 NZ$16.80

-30.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 $17.90

$10.78 NZ$19.06

66.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.54 NZ$4.48

57.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-46.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-16.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$5.53 NZ$9.78

21.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.41 NZ$2.49

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.86 NZ$1.53

231.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.72 NZ$3.04

136.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.75 NZ$1.33

169.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-55.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 $12.18

$7.91 NZ$13.99

53.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-30.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.78 NZ$4.91

-44.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-24.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$82.3 NZ$146

-26.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 $10.08

$1.87 NZ$3.30

439.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

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

$38.9K $38.9K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

80.20%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

49.39%

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

$339 $339

$68.2 NZ$121

397.58%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$32.09 NZ$56.8

136.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.4 $97.4

$34.64 NZ$61.3

181.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Agana Heights: October 10, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Agana Heights

–

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Groceries & Markets

Agana Heights

–

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Eating Out

Agana Heights

–

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Agana Heights

–

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Agana Heights

–

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Getting Around

Agana Heights

–

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Sport & Entertainment

Agana Heights

–

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Good to know

🇬🇺 Agana Heights

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

3 h ahead of Agana Heights

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,940

90,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Agana Heights Palmerston North 6,780 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Agana Heights
Palmerston North

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

Agana Heights vs Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Agana Heights wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Palmerston North. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Agana Heights the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,509 in Agana Heights and $2,343 in Palmerston North to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you'll spend $1,006 per month in Agana Heights versus $1,562 in Palmerston North – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Palmerston North pay roughly 45% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,006 in Agana Heights versus $1,562 in Palmerston North, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Agana Heights but tight or insufficient in Palmerston North. The gap between the two cities makes Agana Heights 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, Agana Heights and Palmerston North 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 Agana Heights gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Palmerston North. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.