Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands

Name: Cook Islands
Address: CK

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $1,568 in the Cook Islands, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Cook Islands outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Papua New Guinea and in the Cook Islands

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Papua New Guinea versus $1,568 in the Cook Islands.

Papua New Guinea $1,375
Cook Islands $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,177 in Papua New Guinea versus $2,058 in the Cook Islands.

Papua New Guinea $2,177
Cook Islands $2,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,979 in Papua New Guinea versus $2,548 in the Cook Islands.

Papua New Guinea $2,979
Cook Islands $2,548

Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427) and the Cook Islands ($1,117–$1,638) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Papua New Guinea costs about 12% less than in the Cook Islands on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.79

$11.40 NZ$20.25

-37.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 PGK 193

$55.8 NZ$99.0

-20.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 PGK 23.85

$7.18 NZ$12.75

-23.54%

Cappuccino

$2.29 PGK 9.97

$3.46 NZ$6.14

-33.82%

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

$0.78 PGK 3.38

$2.44 NZ$4.33

-68.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PGK 2.85

$2.44 NZ$4.33

-72.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.25

$5.69 NZ$10.10

-54.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 PGK 17.56

$5.25 NZ$9.31

-23.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 PGK 8.08

$2.32 NZ$4.11

-19.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.42

$3.15 NZ$5.60

-53.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 PGK 5.93

$1.68 NZ$2.98

-18.45%

Eggs

$3.72 PGK 16.15

$5.56 NZ$9.88

-33.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.21

$9.19 NZ$16.32

-31.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 PGK 24.87

$7.76 NZ$13.77

-26.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 PGK 38.58

$10.14 NZ$18.01

-12.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.37

$2.87 NZ$5.09

39.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 PGK 14.48

$1.67 NZ$2.97

99.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 PGK 26.44

$3.45 NZ$6.12

76.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 PGK 22.75

$8.98 NZ$15.95

-41.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 PGK 13.80

$2.83 NZ$5.02

12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 PGK 11.87

$2.30 NZ$4.08

18.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.74

$2.25 NZ$3.99

-10.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 PGK 5.12

$2.83 NZ$5.02

-58.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 PGK 27.48

$11.25 NZ$19.98

-43.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 PGK 47.02

$12.70 NZ$22.54

-14.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.56

$3.32 NZ$5.89

-26.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 PGK 15.76

$4.68 NZ$8.30

-22.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.85

$2.91 NZ$5.16

-85.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 PGK 21.92

$20.18 NZ$35.83

-75.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.1

$34.06 NZ$60.5

-64.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 PGK 4.45

$1.88 NZ$3.33

-45.74%

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

$28.1K PGK 122.3K

$11.3K NZ$20.1K

148.00%

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

$22.2K PGK 96.6K

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

$94.0 PGK 408

$105 NZ$186

-10.24%

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

$24.78 PGK 108

$48.58 NZ$86.3

-48.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 PGK 460

$103 NZ$183

2.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 PGK 281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.47

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

$503 PGK 2,187

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.04 PGK 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 PGK 145

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 PGK 268

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 PGK 371

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 PGK 5,942

$723 NZ$1,284

89.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 PGK 2,185

$696 NZ$1,236

-27.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

$393 NZ$697

584.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 PGK 4,649

$634 NZ$1,125

68.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,847

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

$956 NZ$1,698

282.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$415 PGK 1,803

$3,953 NZ$7,018

-89.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

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

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Cook Islands: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

Cook Islands

–

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

Cook Islands

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

Cook Islands

–

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Cook Islands

–

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

Cook Islands

–

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

Cook Islands

–

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

Cook Islands

–

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,741 in Papua New Guinea, $707 in the Cook Islands. Capital cities: $1,451 in Port Moresby vs $968 in Avarua.

National salary averages: $312 in Papua New Guinea, $3,985 in the Cook Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 146% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 31% more in the Cook Islands.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in the Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cook Islands.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

01:56 1:56 AM

20 h behind Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

14,222

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.35 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Papua New Guinea Cook Islands 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
Cook Islands

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

Papua New Guinea vs Cook Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,568 per month in the Cook Islands and $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea comes out about 12% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Papua New Guinea wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.