Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Pohnpei

For one person, living costs are similar in Hamilton and in Pohnpei: $1,647 and $1,667 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Pohnpei
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Pohnpei Living Index

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Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,647

/mo nomad

Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton and in Pohnpei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Hamilton versus $1,667 in Pohnpei.

Hamilton $1,647
Pohnpei $1,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,571 in Hamilton versus $2,527 in Pohnpei.

Hamilton $2,571
Pohnpei $2,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,496 in Hamilton versus $3,388 in Pohnpei.

Hamilton $3,496
Pohnpei $3,388

Living in Hamilton costs roughly 1% less than in Pohnpei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamilton 22% above, Pohnpei 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 NZ$20.83

$11.38 $11.38

3.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 NZ$130

$44.31 $44.31

65.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 NZ$14.98

$7.36 $7.36

15.08%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.86

$2.94 $2.94

12.93%

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

$2.26 NZ$3.99

$1.26 $1.26

79.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 NZ$4.20

$4.08 $4.08

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 NZ$11.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 NZ$9.63

$3.02 $3.02

80.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$0.25 $0.25

484.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.20

$3.40 $3.40

-63.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.46

$3.10 $3.10

-36.77%

Eggs

$5.25 NZ$9.29

$7.27 $7.27

-27.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.56 NZ$9.84

$6.94 $6.94

-19.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.32 NZ$12.95

$4.87 $4.87

50.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.83 NZ$20.92

$11.31 $11.31

4.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 NZ$4.68

$5.82 $5.82

-54.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.05

$3.60 $3.60

-36.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 NZ$5.70

$5.47 $5.47

-41.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.30 NZ$11.14

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.48

$5.10 $5.10

-61.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 NZ$2.46

$4.95 $4.95

-71.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 NZ$4.52

$3.77 $3.77

-32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 NZ$1.70

$0.98 $0.98

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.97 NZ$44.16

$8.98 $8.98

178.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 NZ$18.95

$2.92 $2.92

266.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.88 NZ$6.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$2.41 $2.41

63.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 NZ$2.52

$1.02 $1.02

39.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.33 NZ$71.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 NZ$6.22

$5.05 $5.05

-30.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 NZ$3.01

$3.81 $3.81

-55.38%

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

$26.4K NZ$46.6K

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

$23.1K NZ$40.9K

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

$56.1 NZ$99.2

$134 $134

-58.12%

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

$35.89 NZ$63.5

$39.58 $39.58

-9.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 NZ$95.8

$200 $200

-72.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.00 NZ$44.21

$20.18 $20.18

23.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 NZ$49.58

$49.10 $49.10

-42.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 NZ$24.52

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

$666 NZ$1,178

$168 $168

295.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 NZ$108

$78.4 $78.4

-22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.29 NZ$65.9

$69.2 $69.2

-46.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 NZ$163

$110 $110

-16.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NZ$183

$97.9 $97.9

6.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 NZ$1,913

$907 $907

19.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,327

$630 $630

19.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 NZ$2,632

$1,580 $1,580

-5.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 NZ$2,314

$1,208 $1,208

8.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,890 NZ$6,880

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,506 NZ$7,969

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,634 NZ$4,658

$349 $349

653.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

360000

-100.00%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pohnpei: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$751 45.6%

Pohnpei

$630 37.8% 16.1% $121

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$295 17.9%

Pohnpei

$292 * 17.5% 1% $2.9

Eating Out

Hamilton

$220 13.4%

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6% 20.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$146 8.9%

Pohnpei

$373 22.4% 156% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$132 8%

Pohnpei

$160 9.6% 21.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$53 3.2%

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2% 61.7% $33

Getting Around

Hamilton

$50 * 3%

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9% 69.3% $34

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 $1,082 in Hamilton and $907 in Pohnpei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 654% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Hamilton vs $44.00 in Pohnpei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $292 per month, with Pohnpei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

2 h behind Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,500

34,486

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Between locations

Hamilton Pohnpei 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
Pohnpei

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

Hamilton vs Pohnpei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 654% higher in Hamilton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,082 in Hamilton versus $907 in Pohnpei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $666 in Hamilton versus $168 in Pohnpei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamilton – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $44.00 in Pohnpei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,647 in Hamilton versus $1,667 in Pohnpei, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Pohnpei. The gap between the two cities makes Hamilton 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, Hamilton and Pohnpei 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 Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Pohnpei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.