Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cook Islands and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in the Cook Islands: $1,568 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Spain
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🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,568

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Cook Islands and in Spain

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 Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in the Cook Islands versus $1,775 in Spain.

Cook Islands $1,568
Spain $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,058 in the Cook Islands versus $2,606 in Spain.

Cook Islands $2,058
Spain $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,548 in the Cook Islands versus $3,438 in Spain.

Cook Islands $2,548
Spain $3,438

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $931 to $2,610, compared to $1,117–$1,638 in the Cook Islands. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in the Cook Islands costs about 12% less than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the Cook Islands 15% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.40 NZ$20.07

$16.69 €15.00

-31.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 NZ$98.2

$55.7 €50.0

0.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 NZ$12.64

$11.37 €10.21

-36.85%

Cappuccino

$3.46 NZ$6.09

$2.42 €2.17

42.98%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.29

$2.68 €2.41

-8.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 NZ$4.29

$1.79 €1.61

36.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 NZ$10.01

$3.42 €3.08

66.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 NZ$9.23

$3.88 €3.48

35.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NZ$4.08

$1.20 €1.08

93.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 NZ$5.55

$1.48 €1.33

112.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.95

$1.67 €1.50

0.60%

Eggs

$5.56 NZ$9.79

$3.42 €3.07

62.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.18

$14.17 €12.73

-35.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NZ$13.65

$8.33 €7.48

-6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 NZ$17.86

$16.20 €14.56

-37.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.05

$2.45 €2.20

17.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$2.03 €1.83

-17.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 NZ$6.07

$2.08 €1.87

65.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.98 NZ$15.81

$2.58 €2.32

248.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$4.98

$1.83 €1.64

54.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.04

$2.00 €1.80

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NZ$3.95

$1.31 €1.18

71.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 NZ$4.97

$0.77 €0.69

267.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 NZ$19.81

$6.36 €5.72

76.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 NZ$22.35

$5.64 €5.07

125.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 NZ$5.84

$1.30 €1.17

155.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 NZ$8.23

$2.09 €1.87

123.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 NZ$5.11

$1.64 €1.48

77.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.18 NZ$35.52

$4.43 €3.98

355.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 NZ$60.0

$24.98 €22.45

36.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.30

$1.77 €1.59

6.21%

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

$11.3K NZ$20.0K

$35.5K €31.9K

-68.06%

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

$30.6K €27.5K

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

$105 NZ$184

$149 €134

-29.87%

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

$48.58 NZ$85.5

$17.67 €15.88

174.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 NZ$181

$31.88 €28.64

222.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.75

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.74

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.68

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

$544 €489

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,530

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.35

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €80.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €95.0

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 NZ$1,273

$1,056 €949

-31.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NZ$1,225

$808 €726

-13.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 NZ$691

$1,621 €1,456

-75.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$634 NZ$1,115

$1,246 €1,120

-49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,716

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$956 NZ$1,683

$2,633 €2,365

-63.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,953 NZ$6,957

$1,999 €1,796

97.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

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 Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cook Islands

–

Spain

$808 45.5%

Groceries & Markets

Cook Islands

–

Spain

$272 15.3%

Eating Out

Cook Islands

–

Spain

$239 13.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cook Islands

–

Spain

$199 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Cook Islands

–

Spain

$143 8%

Sport & Entertainment

Cook Islands

–

Spain

$64 3.6%

Getting Around

Cook Islands

–

Spain

$51 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $707 in the Cook Islands, $920 in Spain. Capital cities: $968 in Avarua vs $1,508 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $3,985 in the Cook Islands, $1,972 in Spain. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 30% higher in Spain.

Salaries are about 2 times higher in the Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cook Islands.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

11:21 11:21 AM

11 h ahead of the Cook Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,222

47,415,750

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cook Islands Spain 16,910 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cook Islands
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,568 per month in the Cook Islands and $1,775 in Spain, there’s a 13% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $920 in Spain and $707 in the Cook Islands. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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