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Cost of living in The Cook Islands

Compare the cost of your home country to the actual living costs in The Cook Islands, simply select your home currency and see the difference!

All data is kept up to date by local members and actual students. Our latest update was on: 30th of June 2020

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Food Price in $
12 eggs dozen, large 12.50 NZD
1 beer pint in local shops, markets 7 NZD
1 kg of tomatoes 8.50 NZD
Full chicken 2kg 38.75 NZD
1litre 100% fruit juice 8.50 NZD
1 package of cigarettes imported brands 25 NZD
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples 7.50 NZD
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality 48.95 NZD
2.5 liters of Coca-Cola 0.95 NZD
1 Bread loaf standard 9.50 NZD
Whole fat Yogurt. 500ml 12 NZD
1x6 pack Dardanelle tuna 18.50 NZD
Heinz baked beans 1 tin 8 NZD
1.5 kg Sugar 10 NZD
2 liter cooking oil 20 NZD
Yum-yum noodles per pack 2.00 NZD
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes 5.50 NZD
1 liter milk 8.50 NZD
Fast food restaurant large serving/ take away 25 NZD
Housing
Utilities per month (water, electricity, gas) for 2 people in flat 165 NZD
Wi-Fi monthly fee 8 Mbps (1 month) 145 NZD
Laundry detergent (bleach, sunlight liquid, washing surf… altogether) 58.50 NZD
House Cleaning fee per day 105 NZD
Large Gas heater price range upwards. 200 NZD
Original branded Electric Fans 200 NZD
Original branded Electric kettle. 120 NZD
40 inches Beko flat screen HD TV set 2000 NZD
Single bed Blankets 120 NZD
Personal Care
Avon for women and men cologne 100 NZD
Ladies hair plaiting. 60 NZD
Ladies Sanitaryware (Pads and Tampoons) 18 NZD
Men's haircut 40 NZD
Ibuprofen, Panadol, Grandpa Pain killers box of 12 dosses 24.50 NZD
Mobile package local network providers’ talk-time, data and messages 65 NZD
1 month of gym subscription. 105 NZD
Earphones original (Samsung. iPhone) 90 NZD
Unisex Loris perfume 30 NZD
Gadgets maintenance and repairs (cellphone, laptops, tablets...) starting price. 100 NZD
Smart phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, HTC, IPhone) price range upwards 1000 NZD
Laptops (Samsung, Lenovo, Hp, Monster, Dell etc.) price range upwards 3000 NZD
Entertainment
Boat cruise with refreshments and finger snacks 120 NZD
Go carting 30mins 120 NZD
Movie House 3d cinema 30 NZD
Summer Festivals (jet, bumper cars, lucky deep ...(per ticket) 15 NZD
Photo shoot 120 NZD
Cappuccino / expresso/ coffee 12.50 NZD
3 course dinner local restaurant two people 96.50 NZD
3 course dinner classy, exotic restaurant two people 150 NZD
Play station 4 console without games. 2000 NZD
Spalding Basketball 200 NZD
Original branded Racket and Wilson’s tennis balls 500 NZD
Transportation
Taxi fare on average 5-10km 45 NZD
Public transport per trip one way maximum fare 30 NZD
1 liter petrol/diesel 6.50 NZD
1 day rent a car cost 140 NZD
Driver’s license 2300 NZD
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (Denim or similar) 150 NZD
1 pair of men’s formal shoes 215 NZD
1 pair original sport/casual shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) 280 NZD
1 classy summer dress (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) 135.79 NZD
Ladies formal shoes original and durable 120 NZD
Back-pack, gym bag (Nike, Adidas, New balance) 150 NZD

It is somewhat exorbitant to live in The Cook Islands and in recent years, it got even more expensive. However, there are still ways to study there and not spend too much money; you can still rent for a few hundred dollars and buy your food from low-cost shops. The costs are fair to most foreigner than compared to the local perspective. Apply today and be sure to explore this gem by yourself!

Restaurants

The Cook Islands is braced with luxurious restaurants and gorgeous food, and if you have money, they can be expensive. However, there are also many mainstream restaurants, but they do offer good value for the money. However, you should be ready to pay for your drinks as the price of a beer can reach up to USD 5 or USD 6 at pubs and clubs.

Markets

You can save a lot of money if you decide to make food at home, and with the prices in The Cook Islands, you will probably want to save some money. Practice going to supermarkets and open markets that often pop up in major cities, and if your diet includes a lot of veggies and fruits you can truly save plenty of your dollars. Expect the cost to stagger around USD 300 in a month for markets!

Utilities

Utilities aren’t as costly as you would expect here where expenses keep on increasing and rising. All the basic ones, including electricity, garbage services, heating, cooling and gas, for an apartment of a larger constitution would cost around USD 140 or less. The Internet, however, is a bit more pricey.

Sports and leisure

As in most cities and countries, sports is an expensive pleasure. If you want a membership in a gym or a fitness club, be ready to spill out around whopping USD 70. Since fitness and gym membership is this expensive, you wouldn’t expect cinema tickets to be cheapwould you? One will cost you around USD 10excluding the popcorn.

Clothing and shoes

You can buy clothing and shoes here, just beware of the prices, as they aren’t low. You can buy quality jeans like Levi’s for about USD 70, which is along the lines of the European norm. Quality running sneakers of brands like Nike costs more than USD 100 which is really expensive. Even the light pieces of clothing, like a regular shirt, cost around USD 50.

Transportation
The Cook Islands is a small country. You only need three hours to cut through it. Buses connect Beirut to other major cities, but their consistency is lower in comparison to that of taxis. The bus is the most popular means of transportation here. Taxi services are common more so. They can carry up to five passengers, each of them having to pay one-fifth of the total amount of the journey. It is best to negotiate the fare prior to departure. Transportation is relatively affordable in The Cook Islands. A one way ticket costs a lot more than in some inexpensive countries it’s around USD 1.50 while a monthly ticket costs around USD 50 which is reasonable, considering the standard of the country

Rent per month

Rent is pretty expensive in The Cook Islands if you’re looking to rent an apartment in the city or even close to one. Rent in rural areas and in villages, on the other side, is not much expensive. You can get a good four-room, two-bathroom flat for only USD 200 a month. In turn, a one-bedroom apartment in the city center costs around USD 800.