Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and the Cook Islands

Name: Cook Islands
Address: CK

For one person, living is cheaper in the Cook Islands: $1,568 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

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🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,568

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in the Cook Islands

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in the Cook Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,568 in the Cook Islands.

United Kingdom $2,462
Cook Islands $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $2,058 in the Cook Islands.

United Kingdom $3,600
Cook Islands $2,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,548 in the Cook Islands.

United Kingdom $4,738
Cook Islands $2,548

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $1,117–$1,638 in the Cook Islands. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 57% more expensive than in the Cook Islands on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United Kingdom 81% above, the Cook Islands 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.15

$11.40 NZ$20.07

88.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$55.8 NZ$98.2

53.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.98

$7.18 NZ$12.64

47.77%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$3.46 NZ$6.09

41.91%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$2.44 NZ$4.29

9.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.44 NZ$4.29

-23.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

$5.69 NZ$10.01

16.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$5.25 NZ$9.23

30.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.32 NZ$4.08

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$3.15 NZ$5.55

-45.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.68 NZ$2.95

29.17%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$5.56 NZ$9.79

-28.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.08

$9.19 NZ$16.18

2.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$7.76 NZ$13.65

18.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.10

$10.14 NZ$17.86

45.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$2.87 NZ$5.05

3.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$3.45 NZ$6.07

-17.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$8.98 NZ$15.81

-60.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$2.83 NZ$4.98

-35.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.30 NZ$4.04

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$2.25 NZ$3.95

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$2.83 NZ$4.97

-41.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.77

$11.25 NZ$19.81

110.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

$12.70 NZ$22.35

-17.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$3.32 NZ$5.84

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$4.68 NZ$8.23

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$2.91 NZ$5.11

36.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$20.18 NZ$35.52

-74.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.17

$34.06 NZ$60.0

-21.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.88 NZ$3.30

5.85%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$11.3K NZ$20.0K

247.69%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

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

$327 £246

$105 NZ$184

212.52%

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

$18.21 £13.69

$48.58 NZ$85.5

-62.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.77

$103 NZ$181

-57.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

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

$1,868 £1,404

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,009

$723 NZ$1,273

85.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £807

$696 NZ$1,225

54.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,677

$393 NZ$691

468.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,309

$634 NZ$1,115

174.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,205

$956 NZ$1,683

346.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,517

$3,953 NZ$6,957

-15.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Cook Islands: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Cook Islands

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Cook Islands

–

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Cook Islands

–

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Cook Islands

–

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Cook Islands

–

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Cook Islands

–

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Cook Islands

–

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $707 in the Cook Islands. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $968 in Avarua.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $3,985 in the Cook Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 82% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 51% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 23% higher in the Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cook Islands.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

03:20 3:20 AM

10 h behind the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

14,222

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Cook Islands 16,210 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Cook Islands

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

United Kingdom vs Cook Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,568 per month in the Cook Islands and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 57% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $707 in the Cook Islands. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In the Cook Islands, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: the Cook Islands wins on affordability; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.