Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palikir and Hastings

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,035 a month against $1,731 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hastings outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Palikir
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Palikir Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index

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Palikir

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palikir and in Hastings

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Palikir vs $1,731 in Hastings, rent included.

Palikir $1,035
Hastings $1,731

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Palikir vs $2,526 in Hastings, rent included.

Palikir $1,586
Hastings $2,526

A family of three spends $2,136 per month in Palikir vs $3,322 in Hastings, rent included.

Palikir $2,136
Hastings $3,322

Palikir is about 40% cheaper than Hastings, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Palikir sits 23% below the global median, while Hastings is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.96 $29.96

$11.05 NZ$19.55

171.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.50 $45.50

$55.7 NZ$98.5

-18.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 $6.06

$9.05 NZ$16.00

-33.04%

Cappuccino

$2.99 $2.99

$3.06 NZ$5.41

-2.29%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-39.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.36 NZ$2.41

45.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 $1.02

$4.34 NZ$7.67

-76.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$5.51 NZ$9.75

-63.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.22 $0.22

$1.41 NZ$2.50

-84.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.29 NZ$2.28

72.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.72 NZ$3.05

24.42%

Eggs

$2.42 $2.42

$5.45 NZ$9.64

-55.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.72 NZ$10.11

-24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$7.30 NZ$12.90

-39.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$11.45 NZ$20.26

-42.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.66 NZ$4.71

33.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.92 NZ$3.40

28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.06 NZ$5.42

-27.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.30 NZ$5.84

-8.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.81 NZ$3.21

82.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.05 NZ$1.85

111.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.45 NZ$2.56

33.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.91 NZ$1.60

23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.15 $18.15

$17.62 NZ$31.16

3.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$9.08 NZ$16.06

-23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$4.02 NZ$7.11

-64.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.91 NZ$5.14

-50.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 $0.76

$2.71 NZ$4.79

-71.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.40 $34.40

$81.8 NZ$145

-57.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 $6.33

$3.65 NZ$6.46

73.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.75 NZ$4.87

-39.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 $4.93

$33.32 NZ$58.9

-85.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.60 NZ$2.82

100.00%

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

$3,951 $3,951

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

-85.34%

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

$3,951 $3,951

$22.7K NZ$40.1K

-82.56%

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

$39.27 $39.27

$190 NZ$335

-79.29%

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

$15.02 $15.02

$36.05 NZ$63.8

-58.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$270 $270

$59.6 NZ$105

352.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.34 $40.34

$27.98 NZ$49.48

44.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 $19.72

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 $7.09

$9.93 NZ$17.55

-28.60%

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

$116 $116

$679 NZ$1,200

-82.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,687 $1,687

$22.0K NZ$38.9K

-92.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.69 $19.69

$46.05 NZ$81.4

-57.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.94 $24.94

$37.74 NZ$66.7

-33.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 $68.9

$94.8 NZ$168

-27.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 $54.9

$90.8 NZ$161

-39.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 NZ$1,426

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 NZ$1,243

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 NZ$2,687

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 NZ$1,997

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$852 $852

$5,051 NZ$8,933

-83.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 $704

$3,061 NZ$5,414

-77.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 $246

$1,589 NZ$2,810

-84.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

380000

6.83

5563589.60%

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

Last update for Palikir: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hastings: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palikir

$324 31.3%

Hastings

$285 16.5% 12% $39

Eating Out

Palikir

$315 30.5%

Hastings

$198 11.4% 37.2% $117

Groceries & Markets

Palikir

$213 20.6%

Hastings

$266 15.4% 24.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Palikir

$76 7.3%

Hastings

$121 7% 59.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Palikir

$55 5.3%

Hastings

$48 2.8% 12.3% $6.7

Getting Around

Palikir

$52 5%

Hastings

$110 6.4% 111% $58

Accommodation & Living

Palikir

- * 0%

Hastings

$703 40.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 545% higher in Hastings, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Palikir versus $56.0 in Hastings. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $266 – making Palikir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Palikir

🇳🇿 Hastings

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

2 h ahead of Palikir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,942 Capital

50,100

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Palikir Hastings 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Palikir
Hastings

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 Hastings: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hastings costs about 67% more than Palikir, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Palikir and $2,596 in Hastings. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Hastings, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Palikir and $56.0 in Hastings. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palikir, where all-in costs run around $1,035, than in Hastings at $1,731. In Palikir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hastings it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palikir – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Palikir. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hastings makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.