Cost of Living Comparison Between Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea Cost of Living Comparison Between Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea

🙂 Solo nomad: Cook Islands is 2.7% cheaper than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 13% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cook Islands is 5.6% cheaper than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 5.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.89 NZ$20.22
$7.68 PGK 33.01
54.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.4 NZ$103
$48.05 PGK 207
25.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 NZ$15.71
$6.01 PGK 25.85
53.74%
Cappuccino
$4.22 NZ$7.18
$2.39 PGK 10.27
76.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 NZ$4.47
$0.86 PGK 3.70
205.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 NZ$4.19
$0.75 PGK 3.22
228.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.64 NZ$11.29
$2.95 PGK 12.69
125.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.38 NZ$9.14
$4.60 PGK 19.76
16.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 NZ$3.53
$1.90 PGK 8.18
9.47%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 NZ$5.20
$1.54 PGK 6.62
98.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.71 NZ$2.91
$1.48 PGK 6.35
15.54%
Eggs
$5.98 NZ$10.17
$3.87 PGK 16.64
54.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.00 NZ$17.00
$6.10 PGK 26.25
63.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 NZ$13.57
$6.68 PGK 28.71
19.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.06 NZ$15.40
$9.12 PGK 39.21
-0.66%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 NZ$5.14
$4.06 PGK 17.46
-25.62%
Banana (1kg)
$2.45 NZ$4.16
$2.81 PGK 12.06
-12.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.50 NZ$5.95
$4.66 PGK 20.02
-24.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.38 NZ$10.84
$3.90 PGK 16.75
63.59%
Potato (1kg)
$2.38 NZ$4.05
$3.26 PGK 14.02
-26.99%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 NZ$3.30
$2.51 PGK 10.78
-22.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 NZ$3.62
$2.86 PGK 12.30
-25.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.29 NZ$5.59
$1.06 PGK 4.55
210.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.24 NZ$25.91
$6.58 PGK 28.28
131.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.27 NZ$22.55
$11.56 PGK 49.69
14.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.59 NZ$6.10
$2.63 PGK 11.32
36.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 NZ$8.24
$3.57 PGK 15.33
35.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.93 NZ$4.99
$0.46 PGK 1.97
536.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.19 PGK 121
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$21.06 NZ$35.81
$5.37 PGK 23.09
292.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.49 PGK 10.72
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.34 NZ$61.8
$17.09 PGK 73.5
112.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.85 NZ$3.15
$1.08 PGK 4.66
71.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.2K NZ$20.7K
$24.3K PGK 104.4K
-49.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$31.3K PGK 134.5K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 NZ$176
$101 PGK 435
2.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.37 NZ$51.6
$49.31 PGK 212
-38.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$103 NZ$175
$212 PGK 910
-51.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.83 NZ$42.21
$63.9 PGK 275
-61.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.27 NZ$41.26
$12.20 PGK 52.5
98.93%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 NZ$11.53
$9.87 PGK 42.44
-31.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$441 PGK 1,895
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,473 NZ$2,504
$4,036 PGK 17.4K
-63.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.0 NZ$114
$35.90 PGK 154
86.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$36.17 PGK 156
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$66.8 PGK 287
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.4 NZ$126
$66.0 PGK 284
12.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$320 NZ$544
$3,146 PGK 13.5K
-89.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$322 NZ$547
$471 PGK 2,025
-31.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$354 NZ$601
$3,173 PGK 13.6K
-88.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$481 NZ$817
$723 PGK 3,111
-33.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,107 NZ$8,681
$2,645 PGK 11.4K
93.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$740 NZ$1,258
$3,986 PGK 17.1K
-81.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,102 NZ$6,974
$402 PGK 1,730
919.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8
12.75
-37.25%

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

Last update for Cook Islands: March 1, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

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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