Cost of living comparison
compared to
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau Cost of Living Summary
Northern Mariana Islands is 41.6% more expensive than Palau overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.3% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 7.3% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 46.4% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Housing
-
pay 29.5% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.0 times more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 50.0% less in Northern Mariana Islands
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants in Northern Mariana Islands are more expensive than in Palau. Expenses including clothing, housing, and groceries are lower in Northern Mariana Islands. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Northern Mariana Islands.
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Palau Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Northern Mariana Islands instead of Palau, you would:
pay 15.3% more for restaurants
|
Palau
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.00
|
$11.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.37
|
$1.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.07
|
$1.32
|
|
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.3% less for groceries
|
Palau
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$3.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.00
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$9.97
|
$8.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.97
|
$6.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.30
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.40
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$2.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$7.50
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.03
|
|
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 46.4% more for transportation
|
Palau
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.75
|
$5.49
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | ?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$17,500.00
|
$36,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$21.41
|
|
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 29.5% less for housing
|
Palau
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$129.50
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$750.00
|
$625.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$550.00
|
$450.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
?? |
$254.42
|
|
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of housing
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
Palau
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$200.00
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,920.00
|
$6,000.00
|
|
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Palau
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.50
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.08
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.25
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.00
|
$47.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$8.00
|
|
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 50.0% less for clothing
|
Palau
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.50
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$52.50
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$147.50
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$195.00
|
$55.00
|
|
Palau vs. Northern Mariana Islands - 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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