Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Apia vs Avarua

Apia vs Avarua

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Apia 25% cheaper N/A / N/A

Apia

Wilson Stratton/Unsplash

Avarua

Adele Erolsky/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$2,439

Apia

$3,242

Avarua

Internet

Mbps

Safety

N/A

Apia

N/A

Avarua

Air Quality

5/5

Apia

5/5

Avarua

Healthcare

N/A

Apia

N/A

Avarua

Population

35.7k

Apia

5.4k

Avarua

Apia (Samoa) and Avarua (Cook Islands) are both in Oceania, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

Budget-conscious nomads take note: Apia costs $2439/mo, saving 25% compared to Avarua's $3242/mo — that's $9636 per year.

For families, Apia costs $2242.332589285714/mo compared to Avarua's $3161.18023406659/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

Remote workers will appreciate Apia's 6 Mbps (global #0) — considerably faster than Avarua's 1 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Apia and Avarua share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Apia and Avarua.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Apia is July (around 29 degrees, 1mm rain, score 345), while Avarua peaks in November (25 degrees, 0mm rain, score 349). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

ApiaAvarua

Nomad$2,439/mo$3,242/mo

Expat$1,392/mo$1,518/mo

Local$641/mo$903/mo

Family$2,242/mo$3,161/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

ApiaAvarua

City Speed

6 Mbps

1 Mbps

Country Speed0 Mbps0 Mbps

Environment & Health

ApiaAvarua

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionN/AN/A

ClimateN/AN/A

Humidity7677

Quality of Life

ApiaAvarua

SafetyN/AN/A

HealthcareN/AN/A

Monthly Weather Comparison

Apia

Avarua

Jan

33°

6mm171

29°

1mm270

Feb

34°

9mm140

31°

1mm290

Mar

34°

3mm258

32°

1mm323

Apr

33°

3mm340

29°

2mm342

May

32°

3mm140

29°

1mm270

Jun

30°

1mm258

24°

0mm342

Jul

29°

1mm345

24°

0mm308

Aug

28°

0mm335

23°

0mm317

Sep

30°

1mm340

25°

1mm303

Oct

30°

2mm258

23°

0mm319

Nov

31°

8mm109

25°

0mm349

Dec

32°

3mm171

29°

2mm249

Who Should Choose Apia?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $2242.332589285714/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 35.7k residents
Peak season in July — 29 degrees, score 345

Who Should Choose Avarua?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $3161.18023406659/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 5.4k residents
Peak season in November — 25 degrees, score 349

Overall Verdict

For the typical digital nomad, Apia is the stronger pick. At $2439/mo it beats Avarua's $3242/mo by 25%, and the 6 Mbps internet handles video calls without issues.

Granular Price Comparison

Apia Avarua

ItemApiaAvaruaDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$4.63$9.62

52%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$32.46$51.31

37%

McMeal or equivalent combo$10.6$9.62

Cappuccino (regular)$3.26$3.85

15%

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$3.71$3.69

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.97$4.33

31%

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$1.46$2.41

39%

Water (0.33L)$1.1$1.6

31%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.11$1.92

42%

White bread (500g)$1.23$3.78

67%

White rice (1kg)$1.11$1.92

42%

Eggs (12)$2.74$5.45

50%

Chicken fillets (1kg)$5.94$8.98

34%

Beef round (1kg)$9.81$11.55

15%

Local cheese (1kg)$16.35$12.83

22%

Apples (1kg)$2.45$3.21

24%

Bananas (1kg)$2.45$1.92

22%

Oranges (1kg)$2.45$3.85

36%

Tomatoes (1kg)$9.28$10.26

10%

Potatoes (1kg)$1.71$3.21

47%

Onions (1kg)$1.85$2.57

28%

Lettuce (1 head)—$2.57

—

Water (1.5L bottle)$1.48$3.21

54%

Wine, mid-range bottle$9.27$16.03

42%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$2.13—

—

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.59$4.81

46%

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$5.56—

—

🚌Transport4 items

One-way local transport ticket$2.22—

—

Taxi start (normal tariff)$1.85—

—

Taxi per 1km$1.38—

—

Gasoline (1L)$1.04—

—

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$556.06$128.28

77%

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$110.84—

—

Mobile prepaid per minute—$0.64

—

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$50.05—

—

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$5.56—

—

Cinema, 1 ticket$5.56—

—

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$77.23—

—

International primary school/yr$2,224.24—

—

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$51.79$71.84

28%

Summer dress (chain store)$50.37—

—

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$77.68—

—

Men's leather business shoes$103.57$78.89

24%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$1,112.12$166.76

85%

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$315.1$166.76

47%

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$926.77$243.73

74%

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$667.27$243.73

63%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre—$5,523.18

—

Price per m², outside centre—$545.19

—

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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