Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohnpei and Paihia

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohnpei: $1,667 a month against $1,878 in Paihia, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
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Paihia Living Index

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Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,667

/mo nomad

Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,878

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohnpei and in Paihia

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

A single person spends $1,667 per month in Pohnpei vs $1,878 in Paihia, rent included.

Pohnpei $1,667
Paihia $1,878

A couple spends around $2,527 per month in Pohnpei vs $2,919 in Paihia, rent included.

Pohnpei $2,527
Paihia $2,919

A family of three spends $3,388 per month in Pohnpei vs $3,960 in Paihia, rent included.

Pohnpei $3,388
Paihia $3,960

Pohnpei is about 11% cheaper than Paihia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Pohnpei and Paihia sit above the global median – Pohnpei by 23%, Paihia by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.38 $11.38

$13.79 NZ$24.39

-17.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 $44.31

$33.24 NZ$58.8

33.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 $7.36

$8.35 NZ$14.77

-11.86%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$3.31 NZ$5.86

-11.18%

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

$1.26 $1.26

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-34.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.80 NZ$3.18

126.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$6.63 NZ$11.72

-54.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.25 $0.25

$1.86 NZ$3.29

-86.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.24 NZ$3.96

51.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.89 NZ$3.34

64.02%

Eggs

$7.27 $7.27

$6.39 NZ$11.29

13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$8.42 NZ$14.89

-17.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$9.68 NZ$17.13

-49.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 $11.31

$17.32 NZ$30.63

-34.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.83 NZ$5.00

105.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.11 NZ$3.74

70.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.01 NZ$5.33

81.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 NZ$10.05

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.08 NZ$3.67

145.19%

Onion (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.53 NZ$2.70

223.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.99 NZ$3.52

89.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.04 NZ$1.83

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$27.24 NZ$48.17

-67.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$10.39 NZ$18.37

-71.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.30 NZ$5.84

-26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.60 NZ$2.82

-36.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.1 NZ$145

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$1.70 NZ$3.01

197.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.00 NZ$3.54

-39.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$31.30 NZ$55.4

-87.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.87 NZ$3.30

103.74%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

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

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

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

$134 $134

$184 NZ$325

-27.05%

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

$39.58 $39.58

$26.10 NZ$46.16

51.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$200 $200

$50.5 NZ$89.4

295.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.18 $20.18

$33.25 NZ$58.8

-39.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.10 $49.10

Cinema Ticket

$12.74 NZ$22.53

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

$168 $168

$1,097 NZ$1,939

-84.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 $78.4

$77.9 NZ$138

0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 $69.2

$39.32 NZ$69.5

76.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$91.0 NZ$161

21.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 $97.9

$108 NZ$192

-9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 $907

$939 NZ$1,660

-3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 $630

$742 NZ$1,311

-15.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,802 NZ$3,187

-12.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 $1,208

$1,607 NZ$2,843

-24.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 NZ$7,359

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,605 NZ$6,376

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 $349

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

360000

5.37

6703810.61%

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

Last update for Pohnpei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Paihia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohnpei

$630 37.8%

Paihia

$742 39.5% 17.8% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohnpei

$373 22.4%

Paihia

$260 13.9% 30.3% $113

Groceries & Markets

Pohnpei

$292 * 17.5%

Paihia

$338 18% 15.5% $45

Eating Out

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6%

Paihia

$237 12.6% 34.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Pohnpei

$160 9.6%

Paihia

$143 7.6% 11% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2%

Paihia

$59 3.1% 191% $39

Getting Around

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9%

Paihia

$100 5.3% 559% $85

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 $939 in Paihia. 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 $33.00 in Paihia. Groceries tell a different story – $292 in Pohnpei vs $338 in Paihia – so Pohnpei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🇳🇿 Paihia

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

10:37 10:37 AM

2 h ahead of Pohnpei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,486

1,800

💱 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 Paihia 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohnpei
Paihia

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 Paihia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,667 in Pohnpei, $1,878 in Paihia – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,500 per month in Pohnpei and $2,816 in Paihia. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,667 in Pohnpei and $1,878 in Paihia. That's a gap of about 13%.

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Pohnpei and $1,097 in Paihia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Pohnpei, where all-in costs run around $1,667, than in Paihia at $1,878. In Pohnpei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paihia 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, Paihia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.