Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings and Palikir

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,035 a month against $1,731 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hastings outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Palikir
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Palikir Living Index

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Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,731

/mo nomad

Palikir

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hastings and in Palikir

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

A single person spends $1,731 per month in Hastings vs $1,035 in Palikir, rent included.

Hastings $1,731
Palikir $1,035

A couple spends around $2,526 per month in Hastings vs $1,586 in Palikir, rent included.

Hastings $2,526
Palikir $1,586

A family of three spends $3,322 per month in Hastings vs $2,136 in Palikir, rent included.

Hastings $3,322
Palikir $2,136

Hastings costs about 67% more than Palikir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Hastings sits 28% above the global median, while Palikir is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 NZ$19.55

$29.96 $29.96

-63.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 NZ$98.5

$45.50 $45.50

22.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$6.06 $6.06

49.34%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.41

$2.99 $2.99

2.34%

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

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.13 $1.13

65.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NZ$2.41

$1.98 $1.98

-31.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 NZ$7.67

$1.02 $1.02

325.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NZ$9.75

$2.03 $2.03

171.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 NZ$2.50

$0.22 $0.22

540.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 NZ$2.28

$2.22 $2.22

-41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 NZ$3.05

$2.14 $2.14

-19.63%

Eggs

$5.45 NZ$9.64

$2.42 $2.42

125.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.11

$4.33 $4.33

32.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.30 NZ$12.90

$4.39 $4.39

66.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 NZ$20.26

$6.64 $6.64

72.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.71

$3.56 $3.56

-25.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$2.47 $2.47

-22.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.42

$2.22 $2.22

37.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$3.02 $3.02

9.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$3.30 $3.30

-45.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 NZ$1.85

$2.22 $2.22

-52.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$1.94 $1.94

-25.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NZ$1.60

$1.12 $1.12

-18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.62 NZ$31.16

$18.15 $18.15

-2.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 NZ$16.06

$6.91 $6.91

31.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 NZ$7.11

$1.41 $1.41

185.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$1.43 $1.43

103.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 NZ$4.79

$0.76 $0.76

256.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.8 NZ$145

$34.40 $34.40

137.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 NZ$6.46

$6.33 $6.33

-42.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 NZ$4.87

$1.66 $1.66

65.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.32 NZ$58.9

$4.93 $4.93

575.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.82

$3.20 $3.20

-50.00%

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

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

$3,951 $3,951

582.18%

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

$22.7K NZ$40.1K

$3,951 $3,951

473.33%

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

$190 NZ$335

$39.27 $39.27

382.96%

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

$36.05 NZ$63.8

$15.02 $15.02

140.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 NZ$105

$270 $270

-77.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.98 NZ$49.48

$40.34 $40.34

-30.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 $19.72

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 NZ$17.55

$7.09 $7.09

40.06%

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

$679 NZ$1,200

$116 $116

486.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K NZ$38.9K

$1,687 $1,687

1202.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.05 NZ$81.4

$19.69 $19.69

133.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 NZ$66.7

$24.94 $24.94

51.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 NZ$168

$68.9 $68.9

37.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 NZ$161

$54.9 $54.9

65.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 NZ$1,426

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 NZ$1,243

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 NZ$2,687

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 NZ$1,997

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,051 NZ$8,933

$852 $852

492.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,061 NZ$5,414

$704 $704

334.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,589 NZ$2,810

$246 $246

544.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

380000

-100.00%

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

Last update for Hastings: October 12, 2026

Last update for Palikir: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hastings

$703 40.6%

Palikir

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hastings

$285 16.5%

Palikir

$324 31.3% 13.6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Hastings

$266 15.4%

Palikir

$213 20.6% 19.7% $52

Eating Out

Hastings

$198 11.4%

Palikir

$315 30.5% 59.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Hastings

$121 7%

Palikir

$76 7.3% 37.5% $45

Getting Around

Hastings

$110 6.4%

Palikir

$52 5% 52.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Hastings

$48 2.8%

Palikir

$55 5.3% 14% $6.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 545% higher in Hastings, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Hastings versus $46.00 in Palikir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $213 – making Palikir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hastings

🇫🇲 Palikir

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

06:30 6:30 AM

2 h behind Hastings

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,100

6,942 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Hastings Palikir 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Hastings
Palikir

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

Hastings vs Palikir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hastings costs about 67% more than Palikir, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,596 per month in Hastings and $1,553 in Palikir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Hastings, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Hastings and $46.00 in Palikir. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palikir, where all-in costs run around $1,035, than in Hastings at $1,731. In Palikir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hastings it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palikir – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Palikir. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hastings makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.