Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palau and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

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

96

Cost of Living Index in Palau
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Palau Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,976

/mo nomad

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Palau $1,976
New Zealand $2,061

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

Palau $3,045
New Zealand $3,035

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

Palau $4,113
New Zealand $4,009

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

The cost of living in Palau is roughly 4% lower than in New Zealand on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 $13.36

$13.95 NZ$24.67

-4.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$68.5 NZ$121

8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$9.30 NZ$16.45

7.10%

Cappuccino

$4.06 $4.06

$3.39 NZ$6.00

19.76%

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

$1.39 $1.39

$2.21 NZ$3.91

-37.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.89 NZ$3.35

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 $1.53

$6.66 NZ$11.78

-77.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$6.65 NZ$11.77

-67.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.77 NZ$3.13

50.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.79 NZ$3.16

72.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.79 NZ$3.17

-86.59%

Eggs

$6.48 $6.48

$6.15 NZ$10.88

5.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 $9.98

$8.44 NZ$14.92

18.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$9.19 NZ$16.25

50.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$14.36 NZ$25.39

33.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$2.83 NZ$5.00

84.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.08 NZ$3.68

7.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.88 NZ$5.09

91.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$16.48 $16.48

$5.08 NZ$8.98

224.41%

Potato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.98 NZ$3.49

137.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.50 NZ$2.66

126.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.12 NZ$3.75

-4.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.10 NZ$1.95

56.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.20 $15.20

$24.16 NZ$42.72

-37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.80 $22.80

$8.96 NZ$15.85

154.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.13 NZ$5.54

8.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.22 NZ$5.69

5.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 NZ$182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.32 NZ$4.11

4.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$32.39 NZ$57.3

-81.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.71 NZ$3.03

11.11%

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

$17.2K $17.2K

$28.5K NZ$50.3K

-39.66%

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

$15.0K $15.0K

$23.2K NZ$41.1K

-35.45%

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

$170 $170

$153 NZ$271

10.70%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$32.13 NZ$56.8

60.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$199 $199

$49.87 NZ$88.2

298.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 $81.3

$35.33 NZ$62.5

130.00%

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)

$250 $250

$886 NZ$1,568

-71.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$29.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 $85.4

$69.9 NZ$124

22.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 $66.0

$35.70 NZ$63.1

84.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$191 $191

$92.5 NZ$164

106.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 $196

$117 NZ$208

66.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 $719

$1,076 NZ$1,903

-33.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 $519

$944 NZ$1,670

-45.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,740 NZ$3,077

21.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 $968

$1,485 NZ$2,625

-34.80%

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)

$774 $774

$2,841 NZ$5,024

-72.75%

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 Palau: October 19, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palau

$519 26.3%

New Zealand

$944 45.8% 82.1% $426

Groceries & Markets

Palau

$504 25.5%

New Zealand

$316 15.3% 37.4% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palau

$420 21.3%

New Zealand

$235 11.4% 44% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Palau

$242 12.3%

New Zealand

$142 6.9% 41.4% $100

Eating Out

Palau

$207 10.5%

New Zealand

$243 11.8% 17.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Palau

$81 * 4.1%

New Zealand

$58 2.8% 29% $24

Getting Around

Palau

$2.4 * 0.1%

New Zealand

$123 6% 4953% $120

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

Cost Breakdown

Average salary: $793 in Palau vs $2,900 in New Zealand. 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

🇵🇼 Palau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

14:08 2:08 PM

4 h ahead of Palau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,729

5,118,700

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

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).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Palau
New Zealand

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

Palau vs New Zealand: 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.