Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between American Samoa and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $1,470 in American Samoa, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in American Samoa
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American Samoa Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index

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🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,470

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in American Samoa and in Papua New Guinea

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in American Samoa and in Papua New Guinea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,470 per month in American Samoa vs $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

American Samoa $1,470
Papua New Guinea $1,375

A couple spends around $2,274 per month in American Samoa vs $2,177 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

American Samoa $2,274
Papua New Guinea $2,177

A family of three spends $3,079 per month in American Samoa vs $2,979 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

American Samoa $3,079
Papua New Guinea $2,979

The regional cost range is wider in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427) than in American Samoa ($1,477–$1,477), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in American Samoa is about 7% higher than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.77

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.28 $35.28

$44.44 PGK 193

-20.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 $10.03

$5.49 PGK 23.84

82.70%

Cappuccino

$2.29 PGK 9.97

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 PGK 3.38

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.66 PGK 2.85

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$4.04 PGK 17.55

-2.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.86 PGK 8.07

40.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.48 PGK 6.42

91.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.37 PGK 5.93

210.22%

Eggs

$4.51 $4.51

$3.72 PGK 16.14

21.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 $10.30

$6.26 PGK 27.20

64.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 $9.95

$5.72 PGK 24.86

73.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$8.88 PGK 38.57

29.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.00 PGK 17.37

48.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$3.33 PGK 14.47

-70.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$6.08 PGK 26.42

-49.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$5.24 PGK 22.74

-23.28%

Potato (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.18 PGK 13.79

27.04%

Onion (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.73 PGK 11.86

48.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.01 PGK 8.74

1.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.18 PGK 5.12

72.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.31 $11.31

$6.33 PGK 27.47

78.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$10.82 PGK 47.00

41.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.43 PGK 10.55

-58.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.63 PGK 15.75

-17.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.42 PGK 1.84

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$26.21 PGK 114

366.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 $4.99

$5.04 PGK 21.91

-0.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.16 PGK 9.39

-6.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.26 $30.26

$12.21 PGK 53.0

147.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.02 PGK 4.45

27.45%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.6K $29.6K

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

5.16%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.7K $19.7K

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

-11.39%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$410 $410

$94.0 PGK 408

336.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.48 $29.48

$24.78 PGK 108

18.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$106 PGK 460

-28.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$64.7 PGK 281

-22.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

$23.49 PGK 102

-57.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.79 $8.79

$8.85 PGK 38.45

-0.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,002 $1,002

$503 PGK 2,186

99.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,850 $9,850

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

77.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.6 $69.6

$36.04 PGK 157

93.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.84 $49.84

$33.40 PGK 145

49.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 $80.1

$61.8 PGK 268

29.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$85.3 PGK 370

17.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 $324

$1,367 PGK 5,939

-76.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 $198

$503 PGK 2,184

-60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 $906

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

-66.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 $700

$1,070 PGK 4,647

-34.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$2,036 PGK 8,843

790.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

188.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,199 $1,199

$415 PGK 1,803

188.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

-78.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for American Samoa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

American Samoa

$515 35.1%

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3% 56.4% $291

Groceries & Markets

American Samoa

$367 25%

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6% 19.2% $70

Accommodation & Living

American Samoa

$198 13.5%

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6% 154% $305

Getting Around

American Samoa

$145 9.9%

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2% 69.8% $101

Clothing & Footwear

American Samoa

$135 9.2%

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1% 27.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

American Samoa

$68 4.6%

Papua New Guinea

$82 6% 21.3% $14

Eating Out

American Samoa

$42 * 2.9%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 204% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $327 in American Samoa vs $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. For reference, capital cities sit at $327 in Pago Pago and $1,451 in Port Moresby.

Average salary: $1,183 in American Samoa vs $312 in Papua New Guinea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 432% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 17% more in Papua New Guinea.

Public transport is 381% more expensive in American Samoa.

Salaries are about 3.8 times higher in American Samoa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in American Samoa.

Good to know

🇦🇸 American Samoa

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

21 h ahead of American Samoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,710

8,935,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

PGK to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

American Samoa Papua New Guinea 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

American Samoa
Papua New Guinea

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

American Samoa vs Papua New Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 6% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, American Samoa costs about 7% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in American Samoa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

Papua New Guinea is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.