Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohnpei and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohnpei: $1,667 a month against $1,806 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Pohnpei
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Pohnpei Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index

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Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,667

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohnpei and in Ashburton

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

A single person spends $1,667 per month in Pohnpei vs $1,806 in Ashburton, rent included.

Pohnpei $1,667
Ashburton $1,806

A couple spends around $2,527 per month in Pohnpei vs $2,897 in Ashburton, rent included.

Pohnpei $2,527
Ashburton $2,897

A family of three spends $3,388 per month in Pohnpei vs $3,987 in Ashburton, rent included.

Pohnpei $3,388
Ashburton $3,987

Pohnpei is about 8% cheaper than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Pohnpei and Ashburton sit above the global median – Pohnpei by 23%, Ashburton by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.38 $11.38

$13.93 NZ$24.63

-18.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 $44.31

$67.8 NZ$120

-34.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 $7.36

$8.85 NZ$15.65

-16.84%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$3.26 NZ$5.77

-9.82%

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

$1.26 $1.26

$2.32 NZ$4.10

-45.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.81 NZ$3.21

125.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 NZ$12.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$6.77 NZ$11.97

-55.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.25 $0.25

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-85.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.88 NZ$3.32

80.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.50 NZ$2.64

106.67%

Eggs

$7.27 $7.27

$5.80 NZ$10.26

25.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$7.48 NZ$13.23

-7.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$9.35 NZ$16.53

-47.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 $11.31

$13.55 NZ$23.96

-16.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.46 NZ$4.35

136.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.98 NZ$3.51

81.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.73 NZ$4.82

100.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.37

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.50 NZ$2.65

240.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.46 NZ$2.59

239.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.17 NZ$3.83

73.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.32 NZ$2.33

-25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$24.15 NZ$42.70

-62.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$8.45 NZ$14.94

-65.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$4.26 NZ$7.53

-43.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.62 NZ$2.86

-37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 NZ$132

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.48 NZ$4.38

103.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.66 NZ$2.93

-26.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$27.91 NZ$49.35

-85.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.93 NZ$3.41

97.41%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

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

$134 $134

$156 NZ$276

-14.08%

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

$39.58 $39.58

$22.75 NZ$40.23

73.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$200 $200

$44.32 NZ$78.4

351.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.18 $20.18

$40.15 NZ$71.0

-49.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.10 $49.10

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 NZ$19.66

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

$168 $168

$659 NZ$1,165

-74.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 $78.4

$57.9 NZ$102

35.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 $69.2

$39.80 NZ$70.4

73.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$99.6 NZ$176

10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 $97.9

$121 NZ$214

-19.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 $907

$1,013 NZ$1,792

-10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 $630

$745 NZ$1,317

-15.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,417 NZ$2,506

11.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 $1,208

$1,600 NZ$2,830

-24.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,546 NZ$8,039

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 NZ$5,479

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 $349

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

360000

5.91

6091270.56%

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

Last update for Pohnpei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohnpei

$630 37.8%

Ashburton

$745 41.2% 18.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohnpei

$373 22.4%

Ashburton

$223 12.3% 40.3% $151

Groceries & Markets

Pohnpei

$292 * 17.5%

Ashburton

$300 16.6% 2.5% $7.4

Eating Out

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6%

Ashburton

$242 13.4% 37.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Pohnpei

$160 9.6%

Ashburton

$143 7.9% 10.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2%

Ashburton

$62 3.5% 209% $42

Getting Around

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9%

Ashburton

$92 5.1% 503% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $907 in Pohnpei versus $1,013 in Ashburton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Pohnpei versus $68.0 in Ashburton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $300 – making Pohnpei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

2 h ahead of Pohnpei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,486

20,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohnpei Ashburton 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohnpei
Ashburton

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

Pohnpei vs Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,667 in Pohnpei, $1,806 in Ashburton – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,500 per month in Pohnpei and $2,710 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pohnpei, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Pohnpei and $68.0 in Ashburton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Ashburton, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Pohnpei, where all-in costs run around $1,667, than in Ashburton at $1,806. In Pohnpei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashburton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pohnpei – 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 Pohnpei. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ashburton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.