Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palikir and Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,035 a month against $1,966 in Thames, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Thames outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Palikir
Learn more

Palikir Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
Learn more

Thames Living Index

Jump to prices

Palikir

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palikir and in Thames

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Palikir vs $1,966 in Thames, rent included.

Palikir $1,035
Thames $1,966

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Palikir vs $2,999 in Thames, rent included.

Palikir $1,586
Thames $2,999

A family of three spends $2,136 per month in Palikir vs $4,032 in Thames, rent included.

Palikir $2,136
Thames $4,032

Palikir is about 47% cheaper than Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Palikir sits 23% below the global median, while Thames is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.96 $29.96

$13.93 NZ$24.63

115.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.50 $45.50

$68.4 NZ$121

-33.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 $6.06

$8.89 NZ$15.72

-31.83%

Cappuccino

$2.99 $2.99

$3.42 NZ$6.06

-12.57%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$2.02 NZ$3.57

-44.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.74 NZ$3.08

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 $1.02

$6.88 NZ$12.16

-85.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$6.73 NZ$11.90

-69.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.22 $0.22

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-88.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.22 NZ$3.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.79 NZ$3.16

19.55%

Eggs

$2.42 $2.42

$6.20 NZ$10.97

-60.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$8.79 NZ$15.55

-50.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$9.68 NZ$17.11

-54.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 $6.64

$16.82 NZ$29.74

-60.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.80 NZ$4.95

27.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.16 NZ$3.82

14.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.91 NZ$5.14

-23.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$5.75 NZ$10.17

-47.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.13 NZ$3.77

54.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.52 NZ$2.69

46.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.04 NZ$1.84

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.15 $18.15

$26.57 NZ$46.99

-31.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$10.25 NZ$18.12

-32.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.84 NZ$5.02

-50.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 $1.43

$3.38 NZ$5.98

-57.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.45 NZ$2.56

-47.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.40 $34.40

$75.4 NZ$133

-54.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 $6.33

$2.30 NZ$4.06

175.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-13.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 $4.93

$32.20 NZ$56.9

-84.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.87 NZ$3.31

71.12%

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

$3,951 $3,951

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

-84.29%

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

$3,951 $3,951

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

-81.78%

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

$39.27 $39.27

$183 NZ$324

-78.60%

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

$15.02 $15.02

$26.20 NZ$46.33

-42.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$270 $270

$50.7 NZ$89.6

432.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.34 $40.34

$41.84 NZ$74.0

-3.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 $19.72

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 $7.09

$13.10 NZ$23.17

-45.88%

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

$116 $116

$1,135 NZ$2,007

-89.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,687 $1,687

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

-91.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.69 $19.69

$79.2 NZ$140

-75.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.94 $24.94

$39.93 NZ$70.6

-37.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 $68.9

$92.3 NZ$163

-25.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 $54.9

$111 NZ$197

-50.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$852 $852

$4,552 NZ$8,050

-81.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 $704

$3,773 NZ$6,673

-81.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 $246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

380000

5.37

7076250.09%

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

Last update for Palikir: October 10, 2026

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palikir

$324 31.3%

Thames

$260 13.2% 19.7% $64

Eating Out

Palikir

$315 30.5%

Thames

$242 12.3% 23.2% $73

Groceries & Markets

Palikir

$213 20.6%

Thames

$337 17.1% 57.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Palikir

$76 7.3%

Thames

$145 7.4% 91.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Palikir

$55 5.3%

Thames

$68 3.5% 24.8% $14

Getting Around

Palikir

$52 5%

Thames

$93 4.7% 78.6% $41

Accommodation & Living

Palikir

- * 0%

Thames

$821 41.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Palikir versus $68.0 in Thames. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $337 – making Palikir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Palikir

🇳🇿 Thames

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

2 h ahead of Palikir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,942 Capital

7,500

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palikir Thames 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Palikir
Thames

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 Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,035 in Palikir, $1,966 in Thames – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Palikir and $2,949 in Thames. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Thames, 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 $68.0 in Thames. 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 Thames at $1,966. In Palikir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thames 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, Thames makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.