Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gisborne and Majuro

For one person, living is cheaper in Gisborne: $1,943 a month against $2,149 in Majuro, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Majuro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gisborne
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Gisborne Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Majuro
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Majuro Living Index

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Gisborne

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,943

/mo nomad

Majuro

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gisborne and in Majuro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,943 in Gisborne versus $2,149 in Majuro.

Gisborne $1,943
Majuro $2,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,973 in Gisborne versus $3,009 in Majuro.

Gisborne $2,973
Majuro $3,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,003 in Gisborne versus $3,870 in Majuro.

Gisborne $4,003
Majuro $3,870

Living in Gisborne costs roughly 10% less than in Majuro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gisborne 43% above, Majuro 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.26 NZ$49.97

$10.03 $10.03

181.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.7 NZ$94.9

$30.56 $30.56

75.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 NZ$15.96

$10.54 $10.54

-14.33%

Cappuccino

$3.44 NZ$6.09

$4.22 $4.22

-18.48%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$1.85 $1.85

11.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$1.96 $1.96

-1.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.22 NZ$11.01

$4.62 $4.62

34.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 NZ$10.18

$4.96 $4.96

16.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$2.31 $2.31

-23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$3.32 $3.32

-38.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.76 $1.76

-0.57%

Eggs

$5.93 NZ$10.49

$5.34 $5.34

11.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 NZ$14.40

$31.05 $31.05

-73.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 NZ$17.13

$11.17 $11.17

-13.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 NZ$25.09

$18.19 $18.19

-21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.68

$4.51 $4.51

-41.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$7.28 $7.28

-70.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.25

$8.92 $8.92

-66.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 NZ$9.69

$12.91 $12.91

-57.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NZ$3.53

$5.38 $5.38

-62.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$5.65 $5.65

-73.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$3.73 $3.73

-40.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$1.87 $1.87

-40.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$5.93 $5.93

319.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 NZ$16.85

$9.86 $9.86

-3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NZ$6.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 NZ$5.21

$2.47 $2.47

19.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 NZ$2.77

$3.03 $3.03

-48.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 NZ$134

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 NZ$4.32

$2.74 $2.74

-10.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 NZ$2.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.09 NZ$49.68

$5.13 $5.13

447.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NZ$3.88

$1.85 $1.85

18.38%

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

$30.9K NZ$54.6K

$24.6K $24.6K

25.33%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$35.4K $35.4K

-28.71%

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

$103 NZ$182

$249 $249

-58.80%

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

$24.95 NZ$44.12

$37.01 $37.01

-32.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.54 NZ$85.8

$79.9 $79.9

-39.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.81 NZ$61.6

$37.36 $37.36

-6.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 NZ$20.12

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

$664 NZ$1,174

$150 $150

343.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

$2,642 $2,642

638.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 NZ$105

$69.8 $69.8

-15.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.00 NZ$61.9

$39.51 $39.51

-11.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 NZ$155

$29.94 $29.94

192.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 NZ$169

$50.3 $50.3

89.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 NZ$1,854

$769 $769

36.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 NZ$1,440

$890 $890

-8.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 NZ$3,310

$1,371 $1,371

36.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 NZ$2,599

$1,292 $1,292

13.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,477 NZ$9,685

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,709 NZ$6,560

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,004 $1,004

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Gisborne: October 18, 2026

Last update for Majuro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gisborne

$814 41.9%

Majuro

$890 41.4% 9.3% $76

Eating Out

Gisborne

$353 18.2%

Majuro

$211 9.8% 40.3% $142

Groceries & Markets

Gisborne

$323 16.6%

Majuro

$544 * 25.3% 68.3% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gisborne

$176 9.1%

Majuro

$366 17% 108% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Gisborne

$125 6.4%

Majuro

$85 4% 31.7% $40

Getting Around

Gisborne

$93 4.8%

Majuro

$15 * 0.7% 84.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Gisborne

$58 3%

Majuro

$37 * 1.7% 35.1% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,048 in Gisborne and $769 in Majuro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Gisborne vs $31.00 in Majuro. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $544, with Gisborne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Gisborne

🇲🇭 Majuro

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

03:14 3:14 AM

1 h behind Gisborne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,300

26,000 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gisborne Majuro 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Gisborne
Majuro

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

Gisborne vs Majuro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gisborne is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,914 in Gisborne and $3,224 in Majuro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,048 in Gisborne versus $769 in Majuro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $664 in Gisborne versus $150 in Majuro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gisborne – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $31.00 in Majuro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,943 in Gisborne versus $2,149 in Majuro, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gisborne but tight or insufficient in Majuro. The gap between the two cities makes Gisborne the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Gisborne and Majuro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gisborne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Majuro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.