Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cook Islands and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in the Cook Islands: $1,568 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,568

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Cook Islands and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in the Cook Islands versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Cook Islands $1,568
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,058 in the Cook Islands versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Cook Islands $2,058
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,548 in the Cook Islands versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Cook Islands $2,548
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $1,117–$1,638 in the Cook Islands. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the Cook Islands costs about 36% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the Cook Islands 15% above, the United Kingdom 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.40 NZ$20.07

$21.48 £16.15

-46.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 NZ$98.2

$85.7 £64.4

-34.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 NZ$12.64

$10.61 £7.98

-32.33%

Cappuccino

$3.46 NZ$6.09

$4.91 £3.69

-29.53%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.29

$2.66 £2.00

-8.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 NZ$4.29

$1.87 £1.40

30.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 NZ$10.01

$6.63 £4.98

-14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 NZ$9.23

$6.84 £5.14

-23.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NZ$4.08

$1.68 £1.26

38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 NZ$5.55

$1.72 £1.29

83.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.95

$2.17 £1.63

-22.58%

Eggs

$5.56 NZ$9.79

$4.00 £3.01

39.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.18

$9.42 £7.08

-2.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 NZ$13.65

$9.19 £6.90

-15.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 NZ$17.86

$14.77 £11.10

-31.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.05

$2.97 £2.23

-3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$1.62 £1.22

3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 NZ$6.07

$2.85 £2.15

21.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.98 NZ$15.81

$3.52 £2.65

155.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$4.98

$1.83 £1.38

54.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.04

$1.61 £1.21

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NZ$3.95

$1.25 £0.94

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 NZ$4.97

$1.66 £1.25

70.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 NZ$19.81

$23.65 £17.77

-52.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 NZ$22.35

$10.50 £7.89

20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 NZ$5.84

$2.98 £2.24

11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 NZ$8.23

$3.51 £2.64

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 NZ$5.11

$3.98 £2.99

-26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.18 NZ$35.52

$5.18 £3.89

289.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 NZ$60.0

$26.84 £20.17

26.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.30

$1.99 £1.49

-5.53%

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

$11.3K NZ$20.0K

$39.4K £29.6K

-71.24%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

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

$105 NZ$184

$327 £246

-68.00%

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

$48.58 NZ$85.5

$18.21 £13.69

166.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 NZ$181

$43.60 £32.77

135.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

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

$1,868 £1,404

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 NZ$1,273

$1,342 £1,009

-46.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NZ$1,225

$1,073 £807

-35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 NZ$691

$2,231 £1,677

-82.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$634 NZ$1,115

$1,742 £1,309

-63.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$956 NZ$1,683

$4,265 £3,205

-77.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,953 NZ$6,957

$3,349 £2,517

18.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

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 the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cook Islands

–

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cook Islands

–

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Eating Out

Cook Islands

–

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Groceries & Markets

Cook Islands

–

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Cook Islands

–

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Getting Around

Cook Islands

–

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Cook Islands

–

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $707 in the Cook Islands, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $968 in Avarua vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $3,985 in the Cook Islands, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 82% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 51% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 23% higher in the Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cook Islands.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

10 h ahead of the Cook Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,222

67,326,569

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cook Islands United Kingdom 16,210 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cook Islands
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,568 per month in the Cook Islands and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 57% 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $707 in the Cook Islands. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In the Cook Islands, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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