Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and the Cook Islands

Name: Cook Islands
Address: CK

For one person, living is cheaper in the Cook Islands: $1,353 a month against $1,832 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,832

/mo nomad

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,832 in Italy versus $1,353 in the Cook Islands.

Italy $1,832
Cook Islands $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,809 in Italy versus $1,656 in the Cook Islands.

Italy $2,809
Cook Islands $1,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,787 in Italy versus $1,959 in the Cook Islands.

Italy $3,787
Cook Islands $1,959

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,163 to $2,537, compared to $1,117–$1,161 in the Cook Islands. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 35% more expensive than in the Cook Islands on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €18.21

$11.29 NZ$20.07

81.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 €70.2

$49.63 NZ$88.2

58.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 €10.00

$5.64 NZ$10.03

99.11%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$3.14 NZ$5.59

-35.03%

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

$3.09 €2.75

$2.42 NZ$4.30

27.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.47 NZ$4.40

-45.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.08

$6.68 NZ$11.87

-14.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 €4.83

$4.96 NZ$8.82

9.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.74 NZ$4.86

-42.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.74 NZ$4.87

-12.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

Eggs

$4.19 €3.73

$6.17 NZ$10.97

-32.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.06 €15.18

$7.17 NZ$12.75

137.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 €11.11

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.30 €18.07

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.95

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 €6.00

$11.43 NZ$20.32

-41.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.04

$11.17 NZ$19.87

-29.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$3.39 NZ$6.02

-48.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$5.18 NZ$9.20

-54.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.89 NZ$5.14

-32.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.83 €38.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.92

$20.00 NZ$35.56

-72.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.80 €30.08

$34.05 NZ$60.5

-0.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.90 NZ$3.38

9.47%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$11.2K NZ$19.9K

221.16%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

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

$231 €206

$99.9 NZ$178

131.75%

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

$11.80 €10.50

$47.07 NZ$83.7

-74.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.94 €26.64

$101 NZ$180

-70.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 €47.19

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.61 €21.01

Cinema Ticket

$10.75 €9.56

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

$566 €504

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.8 €80.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.57 €34.33

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 €738

$713 NZ$1,267

16.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 €561

$715 NZ$1,271

-11.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 €1,225

$395 NZ$702

248.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €935

$610 NZ$1,084

72.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,650 €3,248

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,306 €2,052

$959 NZ$1,705

140.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,951 €1,736

$3,941 NZ$7,006

-50.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

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

Last update for Italy: November 2, 2026

Last update for the Cook Islands: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$630 34.4%

Cook Islands

–

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 18.9%

Cook Islands

–

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.2%

Cook Islands

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$273 14.9%

Cook Islands

–

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Cook Islands

–

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

Cook Islands

–

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Cook Islands

–

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $728 in Italy, $716 in the Cook Islands. Capital cities: $1,348 in Rome vs $971 in Avarua.

National salary averages: $1,908 in Italy, $3,929 in the Cook Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 40% more in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in the Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cook Islands.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

11 h behind Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

14,222

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Cook Islands 17,600 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Cook Islands

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

Italy vs Cook Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,353 per month in the Cook Islands and $1,832 in Italy, the Cook Islands comes out about 26% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, the Cook Islands is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In the Cook Islands, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy 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, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.