Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Majuro and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,562 a month against $2,116 in Majuro, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Majuro
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Majuro Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Majuro

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,116

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Majuro and in Palmerston North

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

A single person spends $2,116 per month in Majuro vs $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Majuro $2,116
Palmerston North $1,562

A couple spends around $2,980 per month in Majuro vs $2,537 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Majuro $2,980
Palmerston North $2,537

A family of three spends $3,845 per month in Majuro vs $3,511 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Majuro $3,845
Palmerston North $3,511

Majuro costs about 35% more than Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Majuro and Palmerston North sit above the global median – Majuro by 57%, Palmerston North by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.14 $10.14

$13.50 NZ$23.87

-24.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.73 $29.73

$63.7 NZ$113

-53.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 $10.35

$8.80 NZ$15.56

17.61%

Cappuccino

$4.21 $4.21

$3.13 NZ$5.54

34.50%

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

$1.85 $1.85

$2.36 NZ$4.18

-21.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.68 NZ$2.97

19.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 $4.43

$6.43 NZ$11.38

-31.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 $4.88

$6.52 NZ$11.53

-25.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.84 NZ$3.26

19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.14 NZ$3.78

60.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.37 NZ$2.42

29.20%

Eggs

$5.13 $5.13

$4.85 NZ$8.58

5.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.62 $30.62

$6.41 NZ$11.34

377.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$9.50 NZ$16.80

16.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.52 $18.52

$10.78 NZ$19.06

71.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.54 NZ$4.48

75.98%

Banana (1kg)

$7.44 $7.44

$2.23 NZ$3.94

233.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.73 $8.73

$2.30 NZ$4.07

279.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.59 $12.59

$5.53 NZ$9.78

127.67%

Potato (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$1.41 NZ$2.49

270.92%

Onion (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$0.86 NZ$1.53

540.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.72 NZ$3.04

114.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.75 NZ$1.33

141.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 $5.83

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-73.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.16 $10.16

$7.91 NZ$13.99

28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.78 NZ$4.91

-9.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-25.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.87 NZ$3.30

48.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 $4.86

$16.63 NZ$29.40

-70.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.64 NZ$2.90

7.32%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

15.87%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

45.55%

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

$250 $250

$68.2 NZ$121

266.64%

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

$37.28 $37.28

$32.09 NZ$56.8

16.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 $79.5

$34.64 NZ$61.3

129.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.84 $37.84

$21.79 NZ$38.54

73.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

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

$148 $148

$1,034 NZ$1,829

-85.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,607 $2,607

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

-69.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 $70.6

$69.5 NZ$123

1.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.42 $39.42

$27.70 NZ$48.98

42.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.98 $29.98

$83.1 NZ$147

-63.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.3 $50.3

$82.5 NZ$146

-39.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 $778

$906 NZ$1,602

-14.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$861 $861

$639 NZ$1,129

34.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 $1,331

$1,587 NZ$2,807

-16.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$1,311 NZ$2,318

-2.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$995 $995

$2,494 NZ$4,411

-60.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Majuro: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Majuro

$861 40.7%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 25.8% $222

Groceries & Markets

Majuro

$540 * 25.5%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 47.6% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Majuro

$367 17.3%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 63.2% $232

Eating Out

Majuro

$210 9.9%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 11.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Majuro

$86 4.1%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 38.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Majuro

$38 * 1.8%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 18.9% $7.2

Getting Around

Majuro

$14 * 0.7%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 651% $94

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $778 in Majuro versus $906 in Palmerston North. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 151% higher in Palmerston North, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Majuro versus $64.0 in Palmerston North. Groceries tell a different story – $540 in Majuro vs $283 in Palmerston North – so Palmerston North wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇭 Majuro

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

1 h ahead of Majuro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,000 Capital

90,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Majuro Palmerston North 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Majuro
Palmerston North

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

Majuro vs Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Majuro is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,174 per month in Majuro and $2,343 in Palmerston North. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palmerston North, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,116 in Majuro and $1,562 in Palmerston North. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $148 per month in Majuro and $1,034 in Palmerston North. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmerston North, where all-in costs run around $1,562, than in Majuro at $2,116. In Palmerston North it covers expenses comfortably, while in Majuro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palmerston North – 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 Palmerston North. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Majuro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.