Cost of living comparison

New Zealand

compared to

United States

United States vs. Palmerston North Cost of Living Summary

United States is 58.3% more expensive than Palmerston North.

Restaurants: pay 13.8% more in United States
Groceries: pay 42.6% more in United States
Transportation: pay 3.0% less in United States
Housing: pay 2.0 times more in United States
Childcare: pay 3.1 times more in United States
Entertainment and Sports: pay 37.1% more in United States
Clothing: pay 5.1% more in United States

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing in United States are more expensive than in Palmerston North. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in United States.

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United States vs. Palmerston North Cost Breakdown

If you lived in United States instead of Palmerston North, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 13.8% more for restaurants

	Palmerston North	United States
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$14.42 NZ$25.03	$19.45	+34.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.91 NZ$17.20	$11.12	+12.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.36 NZ$4.09	$2.56	+8.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.01 NZ$3.49	$2.00	-0.4%
Average			+13.8%

Palmerston North vs. United States - Cost of restaurants

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pay 42.6% more for groceries

	Palmerston North	United States
Bread 1 loaf	$1.99 NZ$3.46	$3.56	+78.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.89 NZ$6.76	$6.50	+67.0%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.12 NZ$12.35	$3.97	-44.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.13 NZ$8.91	$4.27	-16.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.99 NZ$6.92	$5.41	+35.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.07 NZ$1.86	$2.37	+120.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 NZ$1.39	$0.78	-2.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.08 NZ$1.87	$2.04	+88.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.48 NZ$2.56	$2.21	+49.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.91 NZ$1.59	$1.34	+47.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.95 NZ$1.66	$1.38	+45.1%
Average			+42.6%

Palmerston North vs. United States - Cost of groceries

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pay 3.0% less for transportation

	Palmerston North	United States
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.11 NZ$10.59	$3.41	-44.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$70.50 NZ$122.34	$65.85	-6.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$22,211.80 NZ$38,545.42	$32,336.38	+45.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$18.92 NZ$32.84	$17.61	-6.9%
Average			-3.0%

Palmerston North vs. United States - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.0 times more for housing

	Palmerston North	United States
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$45.43 NZ$78.84	$68.97	+51.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$807.70 NZ$1,401.65	$1,664.59	+106.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$663.47 NZ$1,151.36	$1,416.15	+113.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$64.71 NZ$112.29	$150.19	+132.1%
Average			+100.8%

Palmerston North vs. United States - Cost of housing

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pay 3.1 times more for childcare

	Palmerston North	United States
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$961.55 NZ$1,668.63	$1,387.27	+44.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$4,843.04 NZ$8,404.40	$23,196.46	+379.0%
Average			+211.7%

Palmerston North vs. United States - Cost of childcare

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pay 37.1% more for entertainment and sports

	Palmerston North	United States
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.44 NZ$11.17	$5.84	-9.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.32 NZ$5.76	$5.15	+55.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$17.88 NZ$31.04	$9.90	-44.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$22.69 NZ$39.38	$51.45	+126.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$8.65 NZ$15.02	$13.64	+57.6%
Average			+37.1%

Palmerston North vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 5.1% more for clothing

	Palmerston North	United States
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$66.35 NZ$115.14	$51.08	-23.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$36.06 NZ$62.57	$41.81	+15.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.26 NZ$151.43	$87.56	+0.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.98 NZ$152.68	$112.04	+27.3%
Average			+5.1%

Palmerston North vs. United States - Cost of clothing

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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: July 2026

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