Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Pohnpei

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohnpei: $1,667 a month against $1,821 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in New Plymouth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Pohnpei
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Pohnpei Living Index

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New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth and in Pohnpei actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $1,667 in Pohnpei.

New Plymouth $1,821
Pohnpei $1,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,787 in New Plymouth versus $2,527 in Pohnpei.

New Plymouth $2,787
Pohnpei $2,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in New Plymouth versus $3,388 in Pohnpei.

New Plymouth $3,753
Pohnpei $3,388

Living in New Plymouth is roughly 9% more expensive than in Pohnpei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Plymouth 35% above, Pohnpei 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.79 NZ$20.86

$11.38 $11.38

3.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$44.31 $44.31

50.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 NZ$14.89

$7.36 $7.36

14.40%

Cappuccino

$3.31 NZ$5.85

$2.94 $2.94

12.59%

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

$2.10 NZ$3.71

$1.26 $1.26

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 NZ$3.25

$4.08 $4.08

-54.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 NZ$9.28

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NZ$9.75

$3.02 $3.02

82.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.58

$0.25 $0.25

484.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.21

$3.40 $3.40

-63.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$3.10 $3.10

-47.74%

Eggs

$5.35 NZ$9.47

$7.27 $7.27

-26.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.48 NZ$9.69

$6.94 $6.94

-21.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.23 NZ$12.79

$4.87 $4.87

48.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$11.31 $11.31

2.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 NZ$4.33

$5.82 $5.82

-57.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.36

$3.60 $3.60

-47.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NZ$5.22

$5.47 $5.47

-46.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.26 NZ$11.08

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$5.10 $5.10

-60.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$4.95 $4.95

-71.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$3.77 $3.77

-53.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.22

$0.98 $0.98

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.05 NZ$39.00

$8.98 $8.98

145.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 NZ$14.88

$2.92 $2.92

188.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 NZ$6.65

$2.41 $2.41

56.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.02 $1.02

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 NZ$131

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 NZ$6.39

$5.05 $5.05

-28.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$3.81 $3.81

-56.69%

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

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

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

$22.6K NZ$39.9K

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

$127 NZ$225

$134 $134

-5.04%

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

$27.63 NZ$48.87

$39.58 $39.58

-30.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.97 NZ$84.8

$200 $200

-76.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.55 NZ$75.3

$20.18 $20.18

110.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.10 $49.10

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 NZ$14.14

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

$669 NZ$1,183

$168 $168

297.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K NZ$40.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 NZ$109

$78.4 $78.4

-21.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.35 NZ$67.8

$69.2 $69.2

-44.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 NZ$155

$110 $110

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NZ$182

$97.9 $97.9

4.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 NZ$1,612

$907 $907

0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$853 NZ$1,508

$630 $630

35.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 NZ$3,040

$1,580 $1,580

8.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 NZ$2,727

$1,208 $1,208

27.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 NZ$5,547

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,566 NZ$4,539

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,766 NZ$4,891

$349 $349

691.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

360000

-100.00%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pohnpei: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Plymouth

$853 46.8%

Pohnpei

$630 37.8% 26.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

New Plymouth

$279 15.3%

Pohnpei

$292 * 17.5% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

New Plymouth

$212 11.7%

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6% 17.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Plymouth

$203 11.1%

Pohnpei

$373 22.4% 84.2% $171

Clothing & Footwear

New Plymouth

$131 7.2%

Pohnpei

$160 9.6% 22.5% $29

Getting Around

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7%

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9% 82.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

New Plymouth

$59 3.2%

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2% 65.5% $38

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 $911 in New Plymouth and $907 in Pohnpei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Plymouth pays 691% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in New Plymouth vs $44.00 in Pohnpei. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $292, with New Plymouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

2 h behind New Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

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 = 0.89 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Between locations

New Plymouth Pohnpei 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

New Plymouth
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

New Plymouth vs Pohnpei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth and Pohnpei differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $1,667 including rent). Pohnpei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 691% higher in New Plymouth, 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: $911 in New Plymouth versus $907 in Pohnpei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $669 in New Plymouth 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 Pohnpei – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $67.0 in New Plymouth. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,667 in Pohnpei versus $1,821 in New Plymouth, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pohnpei but tight or insufficient in New Plymouth. The gap between the two cities makes Pohnpei 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, New Plymouth 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 Pohnpei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in New Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.