Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $1,568 in the Cook Islands, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Cook Islands outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index

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🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,568

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Cook Islands and in Papua New Guinea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in the Cook Islands versus $1,375 in Papua New Guinea.

Cook Islands $1,568
Papua New Guinea $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,058 in the Cook Islands versus $2,177 in Papua New Guinea.

Cook Islands $2,058
Papua New Guinea $2,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,548 in the Cook Islands versus $2,979 in Papua New Guinea.

Cook Islands $2,548
Papua New Guinea $2,979

The Cook Islands ($1,117–$1,638) and Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in the Cook Islands is roughly 14% more expensive than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.40 NZ$20.07

$7.09 PGK 30.77

60.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 NZ$98.2

$44.44 PGK 193

25.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 NZ$12.64

$5.49 PGK 23.84

30.78%

Cappuccino

$3.46 NZ$6.09

$2.29 PGK 9.97

51.09%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.29

$0.78 PGK 3.38

212.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 NZ$4.29

$0.66 PGK 2.85

269.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 NZ$10.01

$2.59 PGK 11.24

119.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 NZ$9.23

$4.04 PGK 17.55

29.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NZ$4.08

$1.86 PGK 8.07

24.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 NZ$5.55

$1.48 PGK 6.42

112.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.95

$1.37 PGK 5.93

22.63%

Eggs

$5.56 NZ$9.79

$3.72 PGK 16.14

49.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.18

$6.26 PGK 27.20

46.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NZ$13.65

$5.72 PGK 24.86

35.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 NZ$17.86

$8.88 PGK 38.57

14.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.05

$4.00 PGK 17.37

-28.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$3.33 PGK 14.47

-49.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 NZ$6.07

$6.08 PGK 26.42

-43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.98 NZ$15.81

$5.24 PGK 22.74

71.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$4.98

$3.18 PGK 13.79

-11.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.04

$2.73 PGK 11.86

-15.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NZ$3.95

$2.01 PGK 8.74

11.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 NZ$4.97

$1.18 PGK 5.12

139.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 NZ$19.81

$6.33 PGK 27.47

77.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 NZ$22.35

$10.82 PGK 47.00

17.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 NZ$5.84

$2.43 PGK 10.55

36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 NZ$8.23

$3.63 PGK 15.75

28.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 NZ$5.11

$0.42 PGK 1.84

592.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.18 NZ$35.52

$5.04 PGK 21.91

300.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.39

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 NZ$60.0

$12.21 PGK 53.0

178.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.30

$1.02 PGK 4.45

84.31%

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

$11.3K NZ$20.0K

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

-59.68%

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

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

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

$105 NZ$184

$94.0 PGK 408

11.41%

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

$48.58 NZ$85.5

$24.78 PGK 108

96.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 NZ$181

$106 PGK 460

-2.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 PGK 281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.45

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

$503 PGK 2,186

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.04 PGK 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 PGK 145

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 PGK 268

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 PGK 370

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 NZ$1,273

$1,367 PGK 5,939

-47.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NZ$1,225

$503 PGK 2,184

38.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 NZ$691

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

-85.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$634 NZ$1,115

$1,070 PGK 4,647

-40.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,843

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$956 NZ$1,683

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

-73.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,953 NZ$6,957

$415 PGK 1,803

852.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

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

Last update for the Cook Islands: October 26, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cook Islands

–

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

Groceries & Markets

Cook Islands

–

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cook Islands

–

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

Eating Out

Cook Islands

–

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Cook Islands

–

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Cook Islands

–

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

Getting Around

Cook Islands

–

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $707 in the Cook Islands, $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $968 in Avarua vs $1,451 in Port Moresby.

National salary averages: $3,985 in the Cook Islands, $312 in Papua New Guinea. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 146% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 31% more in the Cook Islands.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in the Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cook Islands.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

20 h ahead of the Cook Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,222

8,935,000

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cook Islands Papua New Guinea 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cook Islands
Papua New Guinea

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

Cook Islands vs Papua New Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,568 per month in the Cook Islands and $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, there’s a 14% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Papua New Guinea wins on affordability; the Cook Islands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.