Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palikir and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,021 a month against $1,821 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Palikir
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Palikir Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Palikir

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palikir and in Dunedin

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 Dunedin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Palikir versus $1,821 in Dunedin.

Palikir $1,021
Dunedin $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Palikir versus $2,717 in Dunedin.

Palikir $1,593
Dunedin $2,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,165 in Palikir versus $3,613 in Dunedin.

Palikir $2,165
Dunedin $3,613

Living in Palikir costs roughly 44% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palikir is 24% below, Dunedin is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.98 $29.98

$13.73 NZ$24.50

118.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.63 $45.63

$61.8 NZ$110

-26.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 $5.88

$11.42 NZ$20.37

-48.51%

Cappuccino

$2.92 $2.92

$3.23 NZ$5.75

-9.60%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$2.08 NZ$3.71

-45.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.09 NZ$3.72

-3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 $0.99

$6.85 NZ$12.22

-85.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$6.02 NZ$10.73

-65.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.22 $0.22

$2.18 NZ$3.88

-89.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.94 NZ$3.46

12.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.75 NZ$3.12

22.29%

Eggs

$2.34 $2.34

$5.83 NZ$10.40

-59.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$8.15 NZ$14.54

-47.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$9.43 NZ$16.81

-54.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.59 $6.59

$16.55 NZ$29.52

-60.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.87 NZ$5.13

24.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.34 NZ$4.17

5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.10 NZ$5.52

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$5.04 NZ$9.00

-39.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.83 NZ$3.26

84.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.84 NZ$3.29

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.38 NZ$4.25

-19.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.55 NZ$0.99

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.02 $18.02

$20.93 NZ$37.33

-13.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$8.87 NZ$15.82

-22.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$3.17 NZ$5.65

-54.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.24 NZ$2.22

15.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.09 NZ$1.94

-25.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.38 $33.38

$68.1 NZ$121

-50.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 $6.34

$5.65 NZ$10.08

12.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$27.97 NZ$49.88

-82.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.71 NZ$3.05

87.13%

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

$4,053 $4,053

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

-83.87%

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

$4,073 $4,073

$25.0K NZ$44.7K

-83.73%

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

$39.98 $39.98

$111 NZ$197

-63.87%

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

$15.26 $15.26

$28.28 NZ$50.4

-46.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$261 $261

$51.1 NZ$91.1

410.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.13 $41.13

$48.05 NZ$85.7

-14.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.37 $20.37

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 $7.09

$10.43 NZ$18.60

-32.02%

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

$115 $115

$591 NZ$1,054

-80.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,664 $1,664

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.93 $19.93

$57.5 NZ$103

-65.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.85 $24.85

$34.52 NZ$61.6

-28.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 $70.4

$92.9 NZ$166

-24.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 $54.8

$132 NZ$236

-58.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,562

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,339

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,630

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,051

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$843 $843

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$694 $694

$2,256 NZ$4,023

-69.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$252 $252

$2,455 NZ$4,379

-89.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

380000

7.07

5374723.20%

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

Last update for Palikir: October 6, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palikir

$316 30.8%

Dunedin

$190 10.6% 39.9% $126

Eating Out

Palikir

$314 30.6%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 21.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Palikir

$213 20.7%

Dunedin

$320 17.8% 50.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Palikir

$77 7.5%

Dunedin

$143 7.9% 86.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Palikir

$55 5.4%

Dunedin

$69 3.8% 24.6% $14

Getting Around

Palikir

$51 5%

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4% 51.8% $27

Accommodation & Living

Palikir

- * 0%

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dunedin pays 875% 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 $62.0 in Dunedin 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

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

2 h ahead of Palikir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,942 Capital

105,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Palikir Dunedin 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Palikir
Dunedin

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 Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palikir and Dunedin differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,021 vs $1,821 including rent). Palikir is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 875% lower in Dunedin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

A monthly transit pass in Palikir runs roughly 104% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $115 in Palikir versus $591 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,021 in Palikir versus $1,821 in Dunedin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palikir but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. 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 Dunedin 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 78% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.