Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pago Pago and Rarotonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,099 a month against $1,456 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
Learn more

Pago Pago Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Rarotonga
Learn more

Rarotonga Living Index

Jump to prices

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,456

/mo nomad

Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pago Pago and in Rarotonga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,456 in Pago Pago versus $1,099 in Rarotonga.

Pago Pago $1,456
Rarotonga $1,099

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,262 in Pago Pago versus $1,561 in Rarotonga.

Pago Pago $2,262
Rarotonga $1,561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,068 in Pago Pago versus $2,023 in Rarotonga.

Pago Pago $3,068
Rarotonga $2,023

Living in Pago Pago is roughly 32% more expensive than in Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pago Pago is 9% above, Rarotonga is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.15 NZ$25.21

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.18 $36.18

$50.4 NZ$89.9

-28.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$5.69 NZ$10.14

76.98%

Cappuccino

$3.48 NZ$6.19

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

$2.24 NZ$4.00

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.31 NZ$4.11

-56.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 NZ$8.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.96 NZ$8.84

-21.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.87 NZ$5.11

-9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.77 NZ$4.94

1.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$6.19 NZ$11.02

-25.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 $10.03

$7.48 NZ$13.32

34.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 $9.83

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

Onion (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

$11.18 NZ$19.92

2.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$11.23 NZ$20.01

31.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$3.48 NZ$6.21

-71.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$5.08 NZ$9.06

-43.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.80 NZ$4.99

-27.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$124 $124

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$20.06 NZ$35.75

-74.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.49 $29.49

$34.02 NZ$60.6

-13.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.74 NZ$3.10

-21.84%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$11.2K NZ$20.0K

164.19%

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

$20.2K $20.2K

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

$404 $404

$100 NZ$179

301.99%

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

$30.11 $30.11

$47.47 NZ$84.6

-36.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.3 $76.3

$104 NZ$185

-26.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.35 $49.35

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 $9.22

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

$989 $989

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,838 $9,838

$1,360 NZ$2,424

623.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 $69.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 $327

$445 NZ$793

-26.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 $201

$452 NZ$806

-55.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 $884

$684 NZ$1,219

29.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$624 NZ$1,111

13.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,217 $1,217

$3,906 NZ$6,961

-68.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Pago Pago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pago Pago

$510 34.7%

Rarotonga

$251 22.6% 50.7% $259

Groceries & Markets

Pago Pago

$364 24.8%

Rarotonga

$154 * 13.8% 57.8% $210

Accommodation & Living

Pago Pago

$201 13.7%

Rarotonga

$452 40.6% 125% $251

Getting Around

Pago Pago

$147 10%

Rarotonga

$31 * 2.8% 78.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Pago Pago

$136 9.3%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Pago Pago

$68 4.6%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.9%

Rarotonga

$225 20.2% 436% $183

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 $327 in Pago Pago and $445 in Rarotonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays 221% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Pago Pago vs $50.0 in Rarotonga. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $154, with Rarotonga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

20:38 8:38 PM

1 h ahead of Pago Pago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,500 Capital

13,373

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pago Pago Rarotonga 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pago Pago
Rarotonga

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

Pago Pago vs Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Pago Pago. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rarotonga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 221% lower in Rarotonga. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $327 in Pago Pago versus $445 in Rarotonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,456 per month in Pago Pago versus $1,099 in Rarotonga – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Pago Pago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,099 in Rarotonga versus $1,456 in Pago Pago, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rarotonga but tight or insufficient in Pago Pago. The gap between the two cities makes Rarotonga 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, Pago Pago and Rarotonga 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 Rarotonga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Pago Pago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.