Cost of living comparison

Cook Islands

compared to

Panama

Panama vs. Cook Islands Cost of Living Summary

Panama is 5.3% more expensive than Cook Islands overall.

Restaurants: pay 16.4% less in Panama
Groceries: pay 20.9% less in Panama
Transportation: pay 15.3% more in Panama
Housing: pay 42.6% more in Panama
Entertainment and Sports: pay 35.5% less in Panama

The cost of housing and transportation in Panama are more expensive than in Cook Islands. Expenses including entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants are lower in Panama.

Planning a move to Panama? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Panama vs. Cook Islands Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Panama instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 16.4% less for restaurants

	Cook Islands	Panama
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$14.01 NZ$24.77	$8.20 PAB8.20	-41.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.60 NZ$9.91	$8.90 PAB8.90	+58.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.24 NZ$3.96	$1.41 PAB1.41	-37.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.24 NZ$3.96	$1.30 PAB1.30	-41.8%
Average			-16.4%

Cook Islands vs. Panama - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 20.9% less for groceries

	Cook Islands	Panama
Bread 1 loaf	$2.80 NZ$4.95	$2.28 PAB2.28	-18.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.64 NZ$6.44	$6.18 PAB6.18	+69.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$10.60 NZ$18.75	$7.09 PAB7.09	-33.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.05 NZ$10.70	$2.56 PAB2.56	-57.7%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	??	$3.42 PAB3.42
Apples (1 lb)	??	$1.86 PAB1.86
Bananas (1 lb)	??	$0.59 PAB0.59
Oranges (1 lb)	??	$1.76 PAB1.76
Tomatoes (1 lb)	??	$1.67 PAB1.67
Potatoes (1 lb)	??	$1.09 PAB1.09
Onions (1 lb)	??	$1.14 PAB1.14
Average			-20.9%

Cook Islands vs. Panama - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 15.3% more for transportation

	Cook Islands	Panama
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.38 NZ$11.29	$4.34 PAB4.34	-32.0%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$23.00 PAB23.00
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$11,204.09 NZ$19,812.72	$23,920.67 PAB23,920.67	+113.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	??	$16.62 PAB16.62
Average			+15.3%

Cook Islands vs. Panama - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 42.6% more for housing

	Cook Islands	Panama
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$102.89 NZ$181.95	$49.81 PAB49.81	-51.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$448.16 NZ$792.51	$789.50 PAB789.50	+76.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$448.16 NZ$792.51	$614.84 PAB614.84	+37.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$74.97 NZ$132.57	$96.53 PAB96.53	+28.8%
Average			+42.6%

Cook Islands vs. Panama - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay (unknown) more for childcare

	Cook Islands	Panama
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	??	$543.33 PAB543.33
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	??	$7,213.83 PAB7,213.83

Cook Islands vs. Panama - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 35.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Cook Islands	Panama
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$5.04 NZ$8.92	$2.21 PAB2.21	-56.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.36 NZ$5.94	$3.73 PAB3.73	+10.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$11.20 NZ$19.81	$5.29 PAB5.29	-52.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	??	$50.91 PAB50.91
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	??	$6.13 PAB6.13
Average			-35.5%

Cook Islands vs. Panama - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay (unknown) more for clothing

	Cook Islands	Panama
Regular jeans Levi's brand	??	$45.56 PAB45.56
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	??	$36.71 PAB36.71
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	??	$69.81 PAB69.81
Men's business shoes (leather)	??	$88.33 PAB88.33

Cook Islands vs. Panama - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cook Islands vs. Panama

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Panama?

Quality of Life Comparison · 11 statistics

Be 12.3% more likely to have internet access in Panama

Size Comparison · See true size

Cook Islands is about 320 times smaller than Panama.

Moving from Cook Islands to Panama · Cost, visas & climate

Compare cost of living, salary and climate.

More cost comparisons

Cook Islands vs.

New Zealand

Cook Islands vs.

Australia

Cook Islands vs.

Fiji

Cook Islands vs.

Samoa

Cook Islands vs.

Dominican Republic

Cook Islands vs.

France

Cook Islands vs.

Russia

Cook Islands vs.

Ireland

Share this

Compare by city

For example, try comparing the cost of living in Avarua vs. Panama City

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Cook Islands

Add prices for Panama

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Panama or Cook Islands. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.