Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria and Rarotonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,099 a month against $2,574 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Rarotonga
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Rarotonga Living Index

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Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,574

/mo nomad

Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Victoria and in Rarotonga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,574 in Victoria versus $1,099 in Rarotonga.

Victoria $2,574
Rarotonga $1,099

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,856 in Victoria versus $1,561 in Rarotonga.

Victoria $3,856
Rarotonga $1,561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,138 in Victoria versus $2,023 in Rarotonga.

Victoria $5,138
Rarotonga $2,023

Living in Victoria is roughly 134% more expensive than in Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Victoria is 92% above, Rarotonga is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$27.06

$14.15 NZ$25.21

34.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.0 CA$99.7

$50.4 NZ$89.9

38.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 CA$15.46

$5.69 NZ$10.14

90.51%

Cappuccino

$4.21 CA$6.00

$3.48 NZ$6.19

20.98%

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

$2.21 CA$3.15

$2.24 NZ$4.00

-1.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.57

$2.31 NZ$4.11

-22.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 CA$8.11

$5.02 NZ$8.95

13.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.23

$4.96 NZ$8.84

30.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.65 CA$3.78

$2.87 NZ$5.11

-7.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.77 NZ$4.94

4.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.65

Eggs

$4.04 CA$5.76

$6.19 NZ$11.02

-34.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.77 CA$38.16

$7.48 NZ$13.32

257.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.55 CA$17.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.51 CA$20.68

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.69

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.04

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.45

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 CA$5.89

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.04

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.18

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 CA$4.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 CA$3.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.02 CA$21.41

$11.18 NZ$19.92

34.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.86 CA$25.46

$11.23 NZ$20.01

59.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 CA$5.70

$3.48 NZ$6.21

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 CA$4.89

$5.08 NZ$9.06

-32.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$2.80 NZ$4.99

-27.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.5 CA$83.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 CA$3.81

$20.06 NZ$35.75

-86.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 CA$2.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.48 CA$47.72

$34.02 NZ$60.6

-1.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 CA$1.93

$1.74 NZ$3.10

-22.41%

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

$27.7K CA$39.5K

$11.2K NZ$20.0K

146.80%

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

$18.5K CA$26.3K

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

$105 CA$150

$100 NZ$179

5.07%

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

$44.49 CA$63.4

$47.47 NZ$84.6

-6.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 CA$87.6

$104 NZ$185

-40.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 CA$60.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.27 CA$24.62

Cinema Ticket

$10.68 CA$15.22

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

$878 CA$1,251

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K CA$33.1K

$1,360 NZ$2,424

1605.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 CA$75.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 CA$63.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$128

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$155

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 CA$2,170

$445 NZ$793

241.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 CA$1,890

$452 NZ$806

193.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,683 CA$3,825

$684 NZ$1,219

292.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 CA$3,222

$624 NZ$1,111

262.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,368 CA$7,651

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 CA$6,370

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,202 CA$4,564

$3,906 NZ$6,961

-18.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

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

Last update for Victoria: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Victoria

$1.3K 51.7%

Rarotonga

$452 40.6% 65.9% $874

Groceries & Markets

Victoria

$461 18%

Rarotonga

$154 * 13.8% 66.7% $307

Eating Out

Victoria

$292 11.4%

Rarotonga

$225 20.2% 22.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Victoria

$211 8.2%

Rarotonga

$251 22.6% 18.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Victoria

$133 5.2%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Victoria

$77 3%

Rarotonga

$31 * 2.8% 59.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Victoria

$64 2.5%

Rarotonga

- * 0% 100%

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 $1,522 in Victoria and $445 in Rarotonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Victoria vs $50.0 in Rarotonga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $461 vs $154 per month, with Rarotonga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Victoria

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

3 h behind Victoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,792

13,373

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Victoria Rarotonga 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Victoria
Rarotonga

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

Victoria vs Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga wins on cost – living expenses run 134% lower than in Victoria. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rarotonga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Rarotonga. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,522 in Victoria versus $445 in Rarotonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,574 per month in Victoria versus $1,099 in Rarotonga – a 134% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 200% higher in Victoria. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,099 in Rarotonga versus $2,574 in Victoria, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rarotonga but tight or insufficient in Victoria. The gap between the two cities makes Rarotonga 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, Victoria and Rarotonga 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 Rarotonga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Victoria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.