Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palikir and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,021 a month against $2,342 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Palikir

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palikir and in Wellington

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Palikir vs $2,342 in Wellington, rent included.

Palikir $1,021
Wellington $2,342

A couple spends around $1,593 per month in Palikir vs $3,316 in Wellington, rent included.

Palikir $1,593
Wellington $3,316

A family of three spends $2,165 per month in Palikir vs $4,291 in Wellington, rent included.

Palikir $2,165
Wellington $4,291

Palikir is about 56% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Palikir sits 24% below the global median, while Wellington is 75% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.98 $29.98

$13.89 NZ$24.77

115.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.63 $45.63

$64.2 NZ$114

-28.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 $5.88

$8.95 NZ$15.97

-34.30%

Cappuccino

$2.92 $2.92

$3.29 NZ$5.86

-11.25%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$2.35 NZ$4.20

-51.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.67 NZ$2.98

20.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 $0.99

$7.24 NZ$12.91

-86.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$6.75 NZ$12.04

-69.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.22 $0.22

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-88.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.15 NZ$3.83

1.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.82 NZ$3.24

17.58%

Eggs

$2.34 $2.34

$6.73 NZ$12.00

-65.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$9.05 NZ$16.15

-52.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$9.54 NZ$17.02

-54.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.59 $6.59

$15.30 NZ$27.29

-56.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.16 NZ$5.64

12.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.23 NZ$3.98

11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.97 NZ$5.29

-26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$6.33 NZ$11.28

-51.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.06 NZ$3.67

63.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.24 NZ$2.20

80.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.99 NZ$3.55

-3.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.19 NZ$2.13

-6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.02 $18.02

$25.37 NZ$45.25

-28.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$11.37 NZ$20.28

-39.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$3.17 NZ$5.66

-54.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.76 NZ$4.92

-48.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.74 NZ$4.89

-70.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.38 $33.38

$102 NZ$182

-67.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 $6.34

$1.82 NZ$3.24

248.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.77 NZ$3.17

-3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$33.17 NZ$59.2

-85.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.83 NZ$3.27

74.86%

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

$4,053 $4,053

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

-84.19%

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

$4,073 $4,073

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

-83.98%

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

$39.98 $39.98

$199 NZ$354

-79.88%

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

$15.26 $15.26

$32.79 NZ$58.5

-53.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$261 $261

$53.5 NZ$95.4

387.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.13 $41.13

$38.58 NZ$68.8

6.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.37 $20.37

$16.40 NZ$29.25

24.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 $7.09

$12.14 NZ$21.66

-41.60%

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

$115 $115

$1,036 NZ$1,849

-88.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,664 $1,664

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

-87.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.93 $19.93

$78.4 NZ$140

-74.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.85 $24.85

$28.23 NZ$50.4

-11.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 $70.4

$103 NZ$184

-31.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 $54.8

$155 NZ$276

-64.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 NZ$2,190

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 NZ$2,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 NZ$3,873

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 NZ$2,978

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$843 $843

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

-87.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$694 $694

$3,505 NZ$6,252

-80.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$252 $252

$2,818 NZ$5,027

-91.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

380000

5.39

7049992.76%

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

Last update for Palikir: October 6, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palikir

$316 30.8%

Wellington

$285 12.1% 9.8% $31

Eating Out

Palikir

$314 30.6%

Wellington

$243 10.3% 22.6% $71

Groceries & Markets

Palikir

$213 20.7%

Wellington

$343 14.5% 61.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Palikir

$77 7.5%

Wellington

$164 7% 115% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Palikir

$55 5.4%

Wellington

$63 2.7% 13.7% $7.6

Getting Around

Palikir

$51 5%

Wellington

$124 5.2% 140% $72

Accommodation & Living

Palikir

- * 0%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 1019% higher in Wellington, 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 $64.0 in Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $343 – making Palikir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Palikir

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

2 h ahead of Palikir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,942 Capital

215,900 Capital

💱 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 Wellington 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Palikir
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,021 in Palikir, $2,342 in Wellington – roughly 129% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Palikir and $3,513 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Wellington, 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 $64.0 in Wellington. 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 $1,021, than in Wellington at $2,342. In Palikir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,021 in Palikir to $2,342 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.