Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan

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

Country 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.

Country Major Languages: English, Chamarro, Carolinian.

Country Major Religions: Christianity.

Location Population: 0.048 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.

Country Currency: US Dollar (USD).

Country Inflation: 2% (2012 est.).

Saipan is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Commonwealth's centre of government is located in the village of Capital Hill on the island. Saipan is often referred to as the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Tourism has long been a vital source of the island's revenue. In years past, the main economic driving force in Saipan was garment manufacturing, however there are no garment manufacturers left on the island.

The cost of living in Saipan is average compared to other places. This is based on a comparison of locally collected prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to USD. Sources include local service providers in each location, international service providers, official governmental statistics and global agency data. The data is quality assured and manually checked by Xpatulator Analysts. The prices of similar related items have been grouped together into 13 basket groups and the cost of living index calculated for each basket in each location. The 13 basket groups are the result of extensive research of actual spending habits ensuring the cost of living indexes reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern. The cost of living index for each basket for Saipan is only available using our online calculators.

The current overall cost of living rank (using all 13 baskets) for Saipan is 344 out of 780 international locations covering every country in the world (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The current cost of living rank for each basket is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very high compared to other places for items such as beer, spirits, wine and cigarettes. There are 132 places that are more expensive, and 647 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are average compared to other places for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. There are 371 places that are more expensive, and 408 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very low compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile tariff and data costs. There are 626 places that are more expensive, and 153 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very 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 629 places that are more expensive, and 150 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are high compared to other places for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofa. There are 310 places that are more expensive, and 469 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are high compared to other places for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. There are 223 places that are more expensive, and 556 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are low compared to other places for doctor visit, hospital stay, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. There are 573 places that are more expensive, and 206 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are high compared to other places for items such as apartment purchase, mortgage rate, rental, and utilities. There are 255 places that are more expensive, and 524 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are average compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. There are 421 places that are more expensive, and 358 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are average compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. There are 433 places that are more expensive, and 346 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are high compared to other places for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. There are 231 places that are more expensive, and 548 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are average compared to other places for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in restaurants, and take away food and beverages. There are 313 places that are more expensive, and 466 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are low compared to other places for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. There are 533 places that are more expensive, and 246 places that are less expensive for transport.

Hardship
Hardship in the context of an expatriate and their family refers to the degree of hardship they are likely to experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle in a host location. The degree of hardship correlates to the degree of difference between the home and host location. Hardship pay is compensation for the hardship likely to be endured during an international assignment in order to encourage people to move, in particular to less desirable locations.

Hardship factors include-:
Economic Factors: Such as poverty levels and level of service provision
Political Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different points of view / lifestyle
Religious Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different religions
Public Service Factors: Such as provision of water, electricity, sanitation, work permits etc
Environment/Climate Factors: Such as extreme weather
Personal Safety Factors: Such as personal safety / level of crime
Health Factors: Such as prevalence of disease and health standards
Education Factors: Such as education standards, prevalence of international schools
Transportation Factors: Such as prevalence of public transport, fuel and road safety.

The ratings for hardship are classified into four main groups and can be described as follows:
1) Minimal Hardship (10% Hardship Premium)
2) Some Hardship (20% Hardship Premium)
3) High degree of Hardship (30% Hardship Premium)
4) Extreme Hardship (40% Hardship Premium).

Saipan is ranked as extreme hardship with a typical hardship premium of 40%.

Reference
The above information is updated quarterly using data collected over the previous 12 months. The international cost of living & hardship indexes are only available using our online expatriate calculators to enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 April 2013.

To link to this article: http://www.xpatulator.com/cost-of-living-review/Northern-Mariana-Islands-Saipan_310.cfm