Cost of living comparison
compared to
Northern Mariana Islands vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Northern Mariana Islands is 14.8% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 25.5% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 23.5% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 32.2% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Housing
-
pay 18.6% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 74.1% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.7% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 29.1% less in Northern Mariana Islands
The cost of transportation and groceries in Northern Mariana Islands are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, clothing, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Northern Mariana Islands.
Northern Mariana Islands vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Northern Mariana Islands instead of United States, you would:
pay 25.5% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$11.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$1.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.32
|
|
United States vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.5% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$8.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$6.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.03
|
|
United States vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 32.2% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$5.49
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$36,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$21.41
|
|
United States vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 18.6% less for housing
|
United States
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$625.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$450.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$254.42
|
|
United States vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of housing
pay 74.1% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$6,000.00
|
|
United States vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 11.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$47.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$8.00
|
|
United States vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 29.1% less for clothing
|
United States
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$55.00
|
|
United States 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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