Cost of living comparison
compared to
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost of Living Summary
Palau is 10.9% more expensive than Northern Mariana Islands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.3% less in Palau
- Groceries
-
pay 18.8% more in Palau
- Transportation
-
pay 14.8% less in Palau
- Housing
-
pay 52.7% more in Palau
- Childcare
-
pay 68.0% less in Palau
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 26.5% less in Palau
- Clothing
-
pay 2.3 times more in Palau
The cost of clothing, housing, and groceries in Palau are more expensive than in Northern Mariana Islands. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Palau. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Palau.
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Palau instead of Northern Mariana Islands, you would:
pay 12.3% less for restaurants
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.50
|
$12.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
|
$1.37
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.32
|
$1.07
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.8% more for groceries
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.33
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$5.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.44
|
$9.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.33
|
$5.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
|
$6.30
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$2.50
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$7.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.03
|
$1.50
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau - Cost of groceries
pay 14.8% less for transportation
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
|
$6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | ?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,999.00
|
$17,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.41
|
?? | |
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau - Cost of transportation
pay 52.7% more for housing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.00
|
$129.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$625.00
|
$750.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$450.00
|
$550.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$254.42
|
?? | |
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau - Cost of housing
pay 68.0% less for childcare
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$200.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,000.00
|
$1,920.00
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau - Cost of childcare
pay 26.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$1.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.12
|
$4.08
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$11.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.50
|
$55.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.00
|
?? | |
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.3 times more for clothing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$30.00
|
$62.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$52.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.00
|
$147.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$55.00
|
$195.00
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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