Northern Mariana Islands, All Areas

Country Full Name: The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Location: The Northern Mariana Islands are in Oceania. They consist of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.

Country Climate: Tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October.

Country Terrain: Southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic.

Major Languages: English, Chamarro, Carolinian.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Population: 0.054 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands benefits from substantial subsidies and development assistance from the United States. The economy also relies on tourism, especially from Japan, and up until recently on the garment manufacturing sector.

Currency: US Dollar (USD).

Inflation: 2% (2011 est.).

The cost of living in All Areas in the Northern Mariana Islands is low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. All Areas in the Northern Mariana Islands is currently ranked 623 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are average compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 338 places that are more expensive, and 441 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 517 places that are more expensive, and 262 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are average compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 435 places that are more expensive, and 344 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 613 places that are more expensive, and 166 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are low compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 491 places that are more expensive, and 288 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are low compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 586 places that are more expensive, and 193 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 661 places that are more expensive, and 118 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are average compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 454 places that are more expensive, and 325 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 673 places that are more expensive, and 106 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 685 places that are more expensive, and 94 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 441 places that are more expensive, and 338 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 555 places that are more expensive, and 224 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are low compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 579 places that are more expensive, and 200 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for All Areas in the Northern Mariana Islands are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, All Areas in the Northern Mariana Islands is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for All Areas in the Northern Mariana Islands are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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