Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palikir and Cromwell

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,035 a month against $1,877 in Cromwell, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cromwell outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Palikir
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Palikir Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Cromwell
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Cromwell Living Index

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Palikir

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Cromwell

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palikir and in Cromwell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Palikir versus $1,877 in Cromwell.

Palikir $1,035
Cromwell $1,877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,586 in Palikir versus $2,785 in Cromwell.

Palikir $1,586
Cromwell $2,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,136 in Palikir versus $3,692 in Cromwell.

Palikir $2,136
Cromwell $3,692

Living in Palikir costs roughly 45% less than in Cromwell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palikir is 23% below, Cromwell is 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.96 $29.96

$13.76 NZ$24.33

117.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.50 $45.50

$60.5 NZ$107

-24.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 $6.06

$11.14 NZ$19.70

-45.60%

Cappuccino

$2.99 $2.99

$3.35 NZ$5.92

-10.75%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$2.12 NZ$3.74

-46.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.09 NZ$3.70

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 $1.02

$6.81 NZ$12.04

-85.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$6.05 NZ$10.69

-66.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.22 $0.22

$2.08 NZ$3.68

-89.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.01 NZ$3.55

10.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.69 NZ$2.98

26.63%

Eggs

$2.42 $2.42

$5.70 NZ$10.08

-57.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$8.54 NZ$15.10

-49.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$9.35 NZ$16.54

-53.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$16.22 NZ$28.69

-59.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.98 NZ$5.28

19.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.34 NZ$4.13

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.11 NZ$5.51

-28.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$5.10 NZ$9.02

-40.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.87 NZ$3.31

76.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.85 NZ$3.28

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.35 NZ$4.15

-17.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.58 NZ$1.03

93.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.15 $18.15

$21.18 NZ$37.45

-14.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$8.89 NZ$15.73

-22.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$3.21 NZ$5.68

-56.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.19 NZ$2.10

20.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.73 NZ$3.07

-56.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.40 $34.40

$93.9 NZ$166

-63.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 $6.33

$2.17 NZ$3.85

191.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-11.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 $4.93

$28.41 NZ$50.2

-82.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.74 NZ$3.07

83.91%

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

$3,951 $3,951

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

-84.15%

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

$3,951 $3,951

$25.1K NZ$44.3K

-84.24%

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

$39.27 $39.27

$110 NZ$194

-64.22%

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

$15.02 $15.02

$28.00 NZ$49.52

-46.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$270 $270

$51.0 NZ$90.2

429.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.34 $40.34

$38.81 NZ$68.6

3.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 $19.72

$6.76 NZ$11.95

191.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 $7.09

$8.16 NZ$14.44

-13.11%

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

$116 $116

$786 NZ$1,389

-85.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,687 $1,687

$12.4K NZ$21.9K

-86.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.69 $19.69

$59.2 NZ$105

-66.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.94 $24.94

$35.50 NZ$62.8

-29.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 $68.9

$92.1 NZ$163

-25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 $54.9

$132 NZ$233

-58.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 NZ$1,690

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 NZ$1,434

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 NZ$2,834

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 NZ$2,244

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$852 $852

$4,811 NZ$8,509

-82.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 $704

$3,361 NZ$5,944

-79.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 $246

$2,917 NZ$5,159

-91.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

380000

6.6

5757475.76%

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

Last update for Palikir: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cromwell: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palikir

$324 31.3%

Cromwell

$189 10.1% 41.8% $136

Eating Out

Palikir

$315 30.5%

Cromwell

$247 13.1% 21.8% $69

Groceries & Markets

Palikir

$213 20.6%

Cromwell

$320 17.1% 50.2% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Palikir

$76 7.3%

Cromwell

$143 7.6% 89.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Palikir

$55 5.3%

Cromwell

$55 2.9% 1.2% $0.6

Getting Around

Palikir

$52 5%

Cromwell

$112 6% 116% $60

Accommodation & Living

Palikir

- * 0%

Cromwell

$811 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Cromwell pays 1084% 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: $46.00 in Palikir vs $61.0 in Cromwell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $320 per month, with Palikir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Palikir

🇳🇿 Cromwell

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

2 h ahead of Palikir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,942 Capital

5,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palikir Cromwell 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Palikir
Cromwell

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

Palikir vs Cromwell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palikir is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1084% lower in Cromwell. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Cromwell. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Palikir – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $61.0 in Cromwell. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Palikir versus $1,877 in Cromwell, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palikir but tight or insufficient in Cromwell. The gap between the two cities makes Palikir 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, Palikir and Cromwell 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 Palikir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Cromwell. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.