Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohnpei and Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohnpei: $1,667 a month against $1,966 in Thames, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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 Thames
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Thames Living Index

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Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,667

/mo nomad

Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohnpei and in Thames

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,667 in Pohnpei versus $1,966 in Thames.

Pohnpei $1,667
Thames $1,966

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,527 in Pohnpei versus $2,999 in Thames.

Pohnpei $2,527
Thames $2,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,388 in Pohnpei versus $4,032 in Thames.

Pohnpei $3,388
Thames $4,032

Living in Pohnpei costs roughly 15% less than in Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pohnpei 23% above, Thames 46% above.

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

$68.4 NZ$121

-35.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 $7.36

$8.89 NZ$15.72

-17.21%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$3.42 NZ$6.06

-14.04%

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

$1.74 NZ$3.08

134.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$6.73 NZ$11.90

-55.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.25 $0.25

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-86.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.22 NZ$3.93

53.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.79 NZ$3.16

73.18%

Eggs

$7.27 $7.27

$6.20 NZ$10.97

17.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$8.79 NZ$15.55

-21.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$9.68 NZ$17.11

-49.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 $11.31

$16.82 NZ$29.74

-32.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$2.80 NZ$4.95

107.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.16 NZ$3.82

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.91 NZ$5.14

87.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.13 NZ$3.77

139.44%

Onion (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.52 NZ$2.69

225.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.98 NZ$3.50

90.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.04 NZ$1.84

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$26.57 NZ$46.99

-66.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$10.25 NZ$18.12

-71.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.38 NZ$5.98

-28.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.45 NZ$2.56

-29.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.30 NZ$4.06

119.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-36.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$32.20 NZ$56.9

-87.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.87 NZ$3.31

103.74%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

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

$134 $134

$183 NZ$324

-27.04%

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

$39.58 $39.58

$26.20 NZ$46.33

51.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$200 $200

$50.7 NZ$89.6

294.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.18 $20.18

$41.84 NZ$74.0

-51.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.10 $49.10

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

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

$168 $168

$1,135 NZ$2,007

-85.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 $78.4

$79.2 NZ$140

-0.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.2 $69.2

$39.93 NZ$70.6

73.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$92.3 NZ$163

19.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 $97.9

$111 NZ$197

-12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 $907

$930 NZ$1,645

-2.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 $630

$821 NZ$1,451

-23.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,484 NZ$2,624

6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 $1,208

$1,486 NZ$2,629

-18.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

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 Thames: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohnpei

$630 37.8%

Thames

$821 41.7% 30.4% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohnpei

$373 22.4%

Thames

$260 13.2% 30.3% $113

Groceries & Markets

Pohnpei

$292 * 17.5%

Thames

$337 17.1% 15.2% $44

Eating Out

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6%

Thames

$242 12.3% 37.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Pohnpei

$160 9.6%

Thames

$145 7.4% 9.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2%

Thames

$68 3.5% 237% $48

Getting Around

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9%

Thames

$93 4.7% 512% $78

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 $930 in Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Pohnpei vs $68.0 in Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $337 per month, with Pohnpei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🇳🇿 Thames

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

2 h ahead of Pohnpei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,486

7,500

💱 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 Thames 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohnpei
Thames

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 Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pohnpei is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,500 in Pohnpei and $2,949 in Thames to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $907 in Pohnpei versus $930 in Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Thames. 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 $1,966 in Thames – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,667 in Pohnpei versus $1,966 in Thames, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pohnpei but tight or insufficient in Thames. The gap between the two cities makes Pohnpei 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 Thames 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 Pohnpei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.