Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Palau

Name: Palau
Address: PW

For one person, living costs are similar in New Zealand and in Palau: $2,061 and $1,976 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Palau
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Palau Living Index

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🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,061

/mo nomad

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Zealand and in Palau

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

A single person spends $2,061 per month in New Zealand vs $1,976 in Palau, rent included.

New Zealand $2,061
Palau $1,976

A couple spends around $3,035 per month in New Zealand vs $3,045 in Palau, rent included.

New Zealand $3,035
Palau $3,045

A family of three spends $4,009 per month in New Zealand vs $4,113 in Palau, rent included.

New Zealand $4,009
Palau $4,113

The regional cost range is wider in New Zealand ($844–$2,493) than in Palau ($1,821–$1,821), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in New Zealand is about 4% higher than in Palau on average.

Both New Zealand and Palau are pricier than the global median – New Zealand by 52%, Palau by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.67

$13.36 $13.36

4.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 NZ$121

$74.7 $74.7

-8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 NZ$16.45

$9.96 $9.96

-6.63%

Cappuccino

$3.39 NZ$6.00

$4.06 $4.06

-16.50%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.39 $1.39

58.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.05 $1.05

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 NZ$11.78

$1.53 $1.53

335.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.77

$2.15 $2.15

209.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.13

$2.67 $2.67

-33.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$3.08 $3.08

-41.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$0.24 $0.24

645.83%

Eggs

$6.15 NZ$10.88

$6.48 $6.48

-5.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 NZ$14.92

$9.98 $9.98

-15.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.25

$13.86 $13.86

-33.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 NZ$25.39

$19.21 $19.21

-25.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$5.22 $5.22

-45.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.68

$2.23 $2.23

-6.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 NZ$5.09

$5.52 $5.52

-47.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 NZ$8.98

$16.48 $16.48

-69.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.49

$4.70 $4.70

-57.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.66

$3.39 $3.39

-55.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NZ$3.75

$2.03 $2.03

4.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.72 $1.72

-36.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.16 NZ$42.72

$15.20 $15.20

58.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 NZ$15.85

$22.80 $22.80

-60.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$3.41 $3.41

-8.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 NZ$5.69

$3.41 $3.41

-5.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 NZ$182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 NZ$4.11

$2.43 $2.43

-4.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.39 NZ$57.3

$6.14 $6.14

427.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$1.90 $1.90

-10.00%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.3K

$17.2K $17.2K

65.72%

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

$23.2K NZ$41.1K

$15.0K $15.0K

54.92%

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

$153 NZ$271

$170 $170

-9.66%

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

$32.13 NZ$56.8

$51.6 $51.6

-37.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 NZ$88.2

$199 $199

-74.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 NZ$62.5

$81.3 $81.3

-56.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 NZ$26.30

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 NZ$19.75

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

$886 NZ$1,568

$250 $250

253.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$29.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 NZ$124

$85.4 $85.4

-18.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.70 NZ$63.1

$66.0 $66.0

-45.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$191 $191

-51.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NZ$208

$196 $196

-40.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 NZ$1,903

$719 $719

49.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 NZ$1,670

$519 $519

82.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 NZ$3,077

$2,111 $2,111

-17.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 NZ$2,625

$968 $968

53.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,609 NZ$9,920

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,704 NZ$6,550

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 NZ$5,024

$774 $774

266.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 19, 2026

Last update for Palau: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$944 45.8%

Palau

$519 26.3% 45.1% $426

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$316 15.3%

Palau

$504 25.5% 59.7% $189

Eating Out

New Zealand

$243 11.8%

Palau

$207 10.5% 14.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$235 11.4%

Palau

$420 21.3% 78.5% $185

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$142 6.9%

Palau

$242 12.3% 70.6% $100

Getting Around

New Zealand

$123 6%

Palau

$2.4 * 0.1% 98% $120

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$58 2.8%

Palau

$81 * 4.1% 40.9% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

Average salary: $2,900 in New Zealand vs $793 in Palau. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 32% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 12% more in Palau.

Salaries are 266% higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇵🇼 Palau

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

10:46 10:46 AM

4 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

21,729

💱 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 25, 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 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Zealand Palau 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

New Zealand
Palau

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 Zealand vs Palau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palau is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 4% lower on average.

Housing costs more in New Zealand: a central one-bedroom averages $946 versus $719 in Palau.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Palau, but in New Zealand it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Palau is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.