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 15.1% cheaper than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 13.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cook Islands is 3.5% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 4.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.84 NZ$19.53
$7.74 PGK 31.61
52.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 NZ$101
$48.51 PGK 198
26.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.86 NZ$14.61
$5.95 PGK 24.28
48.91%
Cappuccino
$4.18 NZ$6.89
$2.41 PGK 9.85
73.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 NZ$4.18
$0.92 PGK 3.77
175.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 NZ$3.86
$0.74 PGK 3.02
216.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.62 NZ$10.91
$2.85 PGK 11.64
132.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 NZ$8.92
$4.48 PGK 18.27
20.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 NZ$3.53
$1.92 PGK 7.82
11.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.21 NZ$5.3
$1.6 PGK 6.55
100.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.71 NZ$2.81
$1.46 PGK 5.96
17.12%
Eggs
$5.95 NZ$9.81
$3.84 PGK 15.67
54.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.02 NZ$16.52
$6 PGK 24.49
67.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.74 NZ$12.77
$6.48 PGK 26.44
19.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.98 NZ$14.8
$8.82 PGK 36.01
1.81%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.05
$4.03 PGK 16.44
-24.07%
Banana (1kg)
$2.48 NZ$4.09
$2.86 PGK 11.66
-13.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.62 NZ$5.97
$4.77 PGK 19.47
-24.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.43 NZ$10.61
$3.94 PGK 16.1
63.20%
Potato (1kg)
$2.34 NZ$3.86
$3.43 PGK 14.02
-31.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.95 NZ$3.21
$2.43 PGK 9.93
-19.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.09 NZ$3.45
$2.86 PGK 11.69
-26.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$3.27 NZ$5.4
$1.06 PGK 4.33
208.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.25 NZ$25.14
$6.47 PGK 26.4
135.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.48 NZ$18.93
$11.51 PGK 46.99
-0.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.72 NZ$6.14
$2.55 PGK 10.42
45.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 NZ$8.15
$3.49 PGK 14.25
41.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.03 NZ$4.99
$0.5 PGK 2.03
506.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.44 PGK 116
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$20.78 NZ$34.26
$5.29 PGK 21.61
292.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$2.47 PGK 10.09
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.89 NZ$60.8
$16.57 PGK 67.6
122.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 NZ$3.02
$1.08 PGK 4.41
69.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.9K NZ$19.5K
$24.4K PGK 99.5K
-51.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$31.1K PGK 127.1K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$107 NZ$176
$104 PGK 425
2.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.4 NZ$50.2
$49.18 PGK 201
-38.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$103 NZ$170
$214 PGK 874
-51.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.93 NZ$41.12
$63.9 PGK 261
-61.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.75 NZ$39.17
$12.47 PGK 50.9
90.46%
Cinema Ticket
$6.78 NZ$11.18
$9.64 PGK 39.34
-29.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$443 PGK 1,809
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,463 NZ$2,413
$4,146 PGK 16.9K
-64.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.1 NZ$112
$35.37 PGK 144
92.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$35.57 PGK 145
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$67.9 PGK 277
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.4 NZ$123
$65.3 PGK 267
13.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$315 NZ$520
$3,032 PGK 12.4K
-89.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$317 NZ$522
$487 PGK 1,990
-35.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$358 NZ$591
$3,232 PGK 13.2K
-88.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$472 NZ$778
$732 PGK 2,986
-35.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,920 NZ$8,115
$1,592 PGK 6,498
209.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$737 NZ$1,215
$4,419 PGK 18K
-83.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$396 PGK 1,616
-
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 29, 2025

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