Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohnpei and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $1,667 in Pohnpei, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index

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Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,667

/mo nomad

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohnpei and in Masterton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,667 in Pohnpei versus $832 in Masterton.

Pohnpei $1,667
Masterton $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,527 in Pohnpei versus $1,432 in Masterton.

Pohnpei $2,527
Masterton $1,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,388 in Pohnpei versus $2,032 in Masterton.

Pohnpei $3,388
Masterton $2,032

Living in Pohnpei is roughly 100% more expensive than in Masterton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pohnpei is 23% above, Masterton is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.38 $11.38

$9.54 NZ$16.88

19.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 $44.31

$64.9 NZ$115

-31.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 $7.36

$8.56 NZ$15.14

-14.02%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$3.18 NZ$5.62

-7.55%

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

$1.26 $1.26

$2.02 NZ$3.57

-37.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.09 NZ$1.93

274.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 NZ$6.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.28 NZ$5.79

-7.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.25 $0.25

$1.42 NZ$2.51

-82.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.21 NZ$3.91

53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.03 NZ$1.82

200.97%

Eggs

$7.27 $7.27

$6.32 NZ$11.17

15.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$8.29 NZ$14.65

-16.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$9.48 NZ$16.76

-48.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 $11.31

$15.18 NZ$26.85

-25.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.18 NZ$3.85

166.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.71 NZ$3.02

110.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.98 NZ$5.27

83.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 NZ$8.11

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.53 NZ$2.71

233.33%

Onion (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.08 NZ$1.90

358.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.70 NZ$3.00

121.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.52 NZ$0.92

88.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$19.51 NZ$34.50

-53.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$11.21 NZ$19.83

-73.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NZ$1.50

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.14 NZ$2.02

111.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-54.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$1.81 NZ$3.20

179.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.75 NZ$3.09

-30.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$34.16 NZ$60.4

-88.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.77 NZ$3.12

115.25%

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

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

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

$134 $134

$55.0 NZ$97.3

143.27%

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

$39.58 $39.58

$29.34 NZ$51.9

34.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$200 $200

$52.8 NZ$93.3

279.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.18 $20.18

$41.79 NZ$73.9

-51.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.10 $49.10

$8.51 NZ$15.06

476.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NZ$17.12

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

$168 $168

$1,056 NZ$1,868

-84.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 $78.4

$55.6 NZ$98.3

41.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 $69.2

$27.59 NZ$48.79

150.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$102 NZ$181

7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 $97.9

$142 NZ$251

-31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 $907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 $630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,002 NZ$1,773

57.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 $1,208

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 $349

$2,327 NZ$4,115

-84.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

360000

5.39

6678935.25%

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

Last update for Pohnpei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohnpei

$630 37.8%

Masterton

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohnpei

$373 22.4%

Masterton

$137 16.5% 63.3% $236

Groceries & Markets

Pohnpei

$292 * 17.5%

Masterton

$288 34.7% 1.4% $4.1

Eating Out

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6%

Masterton

$179 21.5% 1.6% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Pohnpei

$160 9.6%

Masterton

$147 17.7% 7.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2%

Masterton

$61 7.4% 203% $41

Getting Around

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9%

Masterton

$19 * 2.3% 28% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays 566% 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 $65.0 in Masterton. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $288, with Masterton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🇳🇿 Masterton

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

2 h ahead of Pohnpei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,486

26,800

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohnpei Masterton 5,610 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohnpei
Masterton

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 Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 566% lower in Masterton. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Pohnpei. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,667 per month in Pohnpei versus $832 in Masterton – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $832 in Masterton versus $1,667 in Pohnpei, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Pohnpei. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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 Masterton 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 Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Pohnpei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.