Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohnpei and Hamilton

For one person, living costs are similar in Pohnpei and in Hamilton: $1,667 and $1,647 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Pohnpei
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Pohnpei Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,667

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohnpei and in Hamilton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,667 in Pohnpei versus $1,647 in Hamilton.

Pohnpei $1,667
Hamilton $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,527 in Pohnpei versus $2,571 in Hamilton.

Pohnpei $2,527
Hamilton $2,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,388 in Pohnpei versus $3,496 in Hamilton.

Pohnpei $3,388
Hamilton $3,496

Living in Pohnpei is roughly 1% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pohnpei 23% above, Hamilton 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.38 $11.38

$11.78 NZ$20.83

-3.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 $44.31

$73.6 NZ$130

-39.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 $7.36

$8.47 NZ$14.98

-13.11%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$3.32 NZ$5.86

-11.45%

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

$1.26 $1.26

$2.26 NZ$3.99

-44.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.38 NZ$4.20

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 NZ$11.04

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$5.44 NZ$9.63

-44.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.25 $0.25

$1.46 NZ$2.59

-82.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.25 NZ$2.20

172.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.96 NZ$3.46

58.16%

Eggs

$7.27 $7.27

$5.25 NZ$9.29

38.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$5.56 NZ$9.84

24.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$7.32 NZ$12.95

-33.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 $11.31

$11.83 NZ$20.92

-4.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.64 NZ$4.68

120.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.29 NZ$4.05

57.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.22 NZ$5.70

69.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.30 NZ$11.14

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.97 NZ$3.48

158.88%

Onion (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.39 NZ$2.46

256.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.56 NZ$4.52

47.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.96 NZ$1.70

2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$24.97 NZ$44.16

-64.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$10.71 NZ$18.95

-72.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.88 NZ$6.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-38.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.42 NZ$2.52

-28.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.33 NZ$71.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.52 NZ$6.22

43.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.70 NZ$3.01

124.12%

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

$26.4K NZ$46.6K

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

$23.1K NZ$40.9K

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

$134 $134

$56.1 NZ$99.2

138.76%

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

$39.58 $39.58

$35.89 NZ$63.5

10.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$200 $200

$54.2 NZ$95.8

269.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.18 $20.18

$25.00 NZ$44.21

-19.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.10 $49.10

$28.03 NZ$49.58

75.17%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 NZ$24.52

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

$168 $168

$666 NZ$1,178

-74.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 $78.4

$60.8 NZ$108

29.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 $69.2

$37.29 NZ$65.9

85.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$92.0 NZ$163

19.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 $97.9

$104 NZ$183

-5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 $907

$1,082 NZ$1,913

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 $630

$751 NZ$1,327

-16.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,488 NZ$2,632

6.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 $1,208

$1,309 NZ$2,314

-7.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,890 NZ$6,880

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,506 NZ$7,969

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 $349

$2,634 NZ$4,658

-86.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

360000

6.83

5270763.84%

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

Last update for Pohnpei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohnpei

$630 37.8%

Hamilton

$751 45.6% 19.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohnpei

$373 22.4%

Hamilton

$146 8.9% 60.9% $227

Groceries & Markets

Pohnpei

$292 * 17.5%

Hamilton

$295 17.9% 1% $2.9

Eating Out

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6%

Hamilton

$220 13.4% 25.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Pohnpei

$160 9.6%

Hamilton

$132 8% 17.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2%

Hamilton

$53 3.2% 161% $33

Getting Around

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9%

Hamilton

$50 * 3% 226% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $907 in Pohnpei and $1,082 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 654% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Pohnpei vs $74.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $295 per month, with Pohnpei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

2 h ahead of Pohnpei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,486

169,500

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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 →

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Between locations

Pohnpei Hamilton 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohnpei
Hamilton

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 Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 654% lower in Hamilton. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $907 in Pohnpei versus $1,082 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Pohnpei versus $666 in Hamilton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamilton – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $44.00 in Pohnpei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,647 in Hamilton versus $1,667 in Pohnpei, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Pohnpei. The gap between the two cities makes Hamilton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Pohnpei and Hamilton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Pohnpei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.