Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rarotonga and American Samoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,099 a month against $1,449 in American Samoa, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Rarotonga
🇨🇰 Cook Islands
$1,099
/mo nomad
🇦🇸 American Samoa
$1,449
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Rarotonga is 26.7% cheaper than American Samoa without rent, and 24.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rarotonga is 26.5% cheaper than American Samoa without rent, and 35.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.15 NZ$25.21
-
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.4 NZ$89.9
$36.40 $36.40
38.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.69 NZ$10.14
$10.12 $10.12
-43.77%
Cappuccino
$3.48 NZ$6.19
-
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 NZ$4.00
-
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 NZ$4.11
$0.98 $0.98
135.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.02 NZ$8.95
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.96 NZ$8.84
$4.01 $4.01
23.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.87 NZ$5.11
$2.59 $2.59
10.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 NZ$4.94
$2.84 $2.84
-2.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
-
$4.19 $4.19
-
Eggs
$6.19 NZ$11.02
$4.52 $4.52
36.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.48 NZ$13.32
$10.38 $10.38
-27.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
-
$10.07 $10.07
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$11.15 $11.15
-
Apples (1kg)
-
$5.97 $5.97
-
Banana (1kg)
-
$0.98 $0.98
-
Oranges (1kg)
-
$3.04 $3.04
-
Tomato (1kg)
-
$4.06 $4.06
-
Potato (1kg)
-
$4.05 $4.05
-
Onion (1kg)
-
$3.92 $3.92
-
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$2.05 $2.05
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.02 $2.02
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.18 NZ$19.92
$11.34 $11.34
-1.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.23 NZ$20.01
$14.71 $14.71
-23.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.48 NZ$6.21
$0.98 $0.98
255.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.08 NZ$9.06
$3.02 $3.02
68.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.80 NZ$4.99
$1.97 $1.97
42.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$125 $125
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$20.06 NZ$35.75
$5.04 $5.04
298.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.95 $1.95
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.02 NZ$60.6
$29.68 $29.68
14.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 NZ$3.10
$1.35 $1.35
28.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.2K NZ$20.0K
$30.2K $30.2K
-62.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$20.2K $20.2K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$100 NZ$179
$415 $415
-75.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$47.47 NZ$84.6
$29.64 $29.64
60.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$104 NZ$185
$76.3 $76.3
35.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$49.29 $49.29
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.81 $9.81
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$9.08 $9.08
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$1,005 $1,005
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,360 NZ$2,424
$9,950 $9,950
-86.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$70.0 $70.0
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$50.4 $50.4
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$81.6 $81.6
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$102 $102
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$445 NZ$793
$329 $329
35.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$452 NZ$806
$198 $198
128.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$684 NZ$1,219
$886 $886
-22.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 NZ$1,111
$704 $704
-11.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.0K $18.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$10.9K $10.9K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rarotonga
American Samoa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,906 NZ$6,961
$1,197 $1,197
226.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
3
-

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

Last update for Rarotonga: October 5, 2026

Last update for American Samoa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rarotonga
$452
American Samoa
$198 56.3% $255
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rarotonga
$251
American Samoa
$521 107% $269
Eating Out
Rarotonga
$225
American Samoa
$42 * 81.2% $183
Groceries & Markets
Rarotonga
$154 *
American Samoa
$365 138% $212
Getting Around
Rarotonga
$31 *
American Samoa
$148 373% $116
Sport & Entertainment
Rarotonga
- *
American Samoa
$67
Clothing & Footwear
Rarotonga
- *
American Samoa
$137

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

Good to know
🇨🇰 Rarotonga
🇦🇸 American Samoa
🕒 Local time
03:49 3:49 AM
02:49 2:49 AM
1 h behind Rarotonga
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,373
49,710
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rarotonga American Samoa 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Rarotonga
  • American Samoa

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

Rarotonga vs other spots: cost of living compared

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