Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Palikir

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,035 a month against $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Palmerston North outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Palikir
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Palikir Living Index

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Palikir

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palmerston North and in Palikir

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

A single person spends $1,562 per month in Palmerston North vs $1,035 in Palikir, rent included.

Palmerston North $1,562
Palikir $1,035

A couple spends around $2,537 per month in Palmerston North vs $1,586 in Palikir, rent included.

Palmerston North $2,537
Palikir $1,586

A family of three spends $3,511 per month in Palmerston North vs $2,136 in Palikir, rent included.

Palmerston North $3,511
Palikir $2,136

Palmerston North costs about 51% more than Palikir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Palmerston North sits 16% above the global median, while Palikir is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

$29.96 $29.96

-54.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$45.50 $45.50

39.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$6.06 $6.06

45.21%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$2.99 $2.99

4.68%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$1.13 $1.13

108.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

$1.98 $1.98

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

$1.02 $1.02

530.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

$2.03 $2.03

221.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$0.22 $0.22

736.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$2.22 $2.22

-3.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$2.14 $2.14

-35.98%

Eggs

$4.85 NZ$8.58

$2.42 $2.42

100.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.34

$4.33 $4.33

48.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 NZ$16.80

$4.39 $4.39

116.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 NZ$19.06

$6.64 $6.64

62.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.48

$3.56 $3.56

-28.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$2.47 $2.47

-9.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$2.22 $2.22

3.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$3.02 $3.02

83.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$3.30 $3.30

-57.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NZ$1.53

$2.22 $2.22

-61.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.94 $1.94

-11.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 NZ$1.33

$1.12 $1.12

-33.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 NZ$39.00

$18.15 $18.15

21.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 NZ$13.99

$6.91 $6.91

14.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

$1.41 $1.41

87.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$1.43 $1.43

94.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$0.76 $0.76

417.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

$34.40 $34.40

139.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$6.33 $6.33

-70.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.66 $1.66

7.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

$4.93 $4.93

237.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$3.20 $3.20

-48.75%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

$3,951 $3,951

445.82%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$3,951 $3,951

505.47%

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

$68.2 NZ$121

$39.27 $39.27

73.72%

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

$32.09 NZ$56.8

$15.02 $15.02

113.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$270 $270

-87.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

$40.34 $40.34

-45.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$19.72 $19.72

-28.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$7.09 $7.09

63.61%

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

$116 $116

794.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

$1,687 $1,687

406.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

$19.69 $19.69

253.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

$24.94 $24.94

11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

$68.9 $68.9

20.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

$54.9 $54.9

50.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

$852 $852

137.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

$704 $704

160.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

$246 $246

912.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

380000

-100.00%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Last update for Palikir: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Palikir

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Palikir

$213 20.6% 24.7% $70

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Palikir

$315 30.5% 35.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Palikir

$324 31.3% 140% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Palikir

$76 7.3% 35.9% $42

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Palikir

$52 5% 52.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Palikir

$55 5.3% 21.1% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 912% higher in Palmerston North, 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 $64.0 in Palmerston North versus $46.00 in Palikir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $213 – making Palikir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇫🇲 Palikir

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

2 h behind Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

6,942 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palmerston North Palikir 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
Palikir

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

Palmerston North vs Palikir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,562 in Palmerston North, $1,035 in Palikir – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,343 per month in Palmerston North and $1,553 in Palikir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Palmerston North, 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 $64.0 in Palmerston North and $46.00 in Palikir. 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 Palmerston North at $1,562. In Palikir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Palmerston North 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, Palmerston North makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.