Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,469 a month against $1,806 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashburton and in Port Moresby

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Ashburton vs $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Ashburton $1,806
Port Moresby $1,469

A couple spends around $2,897 per month in Ashburton vs $2,315 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Ashburton $2,897
Port Moresby $2,315

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Ashburton vs $3,161 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Ashburton $3,987
Port Moresby $3,161

Ashburton costs about 23% more than Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ashburton and Port Moresby sit above the global median – Ashburton by 34%, Port Moresby by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$7.76 PGK 33.97

79.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 NZ$120

$44.08 PGK 193

53.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 NZ$15.65

$5.61 PGK 24.55

57.75%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NZ$5.77

$2.54 PGK 11.13

28.35%

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

$2.32 NZ$4.10

$0.74 PGK 3.23

213.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$0.69 PGK 3.00

162.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 NZ$12.19

$3.03 PGK 13.28

127.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$3.68 PGK 16.10

83.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$1.83 PGK 8.02

-8.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$1.50 PGK 6.55

25.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.64

$1.36 PGK 5.97

10.29%

Eggs

$5.80 NZ$10.26

$3.74 PGK 16.38

55.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.23

$8.93 PGK 39.08

-16.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.53

$4.94 PGK 21.64

89.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 NZ$23.96

$9.55 PGK 41.82

41.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$4.41 PGK 19.31

-44.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.51

$3.27 PGK 14.29

-39.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$7.28 PGK 31.87

-62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.37

$6.46 PGK 28.27

-52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$3.08 PGK 13.49

-51.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$2.99 PGK 13.10

-51.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 NZ$3.83

$2.35 PGK 10.29

-7.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.33

$1.33 PGK 5.82

-0.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 NZ$42.70

$6.51 PGK 28.52

270.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 NZ$14.94

$10.94 PGK 47.88

-22.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$2.70 PGK 11.83

30.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NZ$7.53

$3.53 PGK 15.43

20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$0.47 PGK 2.05

244.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 NZ$132

$22.74 PGK 99.5

227.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 NZ$4.38

$4.91 PGK 21.51

-49.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.93

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-26.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.91 NZ$49.35

$14.72 PGK 64.4

89.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$1.00 PGK 4.38

93.00%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

-51.30%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

37.98%

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

$156 NZ$276

$118 PGK 516

32.25%

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

$22.75 NZ$40.23

$20.84 PGK 91.2

9.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.32 NZ$78.4

$82.2 PGK 360

-46.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 NZ$71.0

$61.7 PGK 270

-34.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 NZ$19.66

$8.80 PGK 38.51

26.36%

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

$659 NZ$1,165

$563 PGK 2,465

16.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

251.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 NZ$102

$35.46 PGK 155

63.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 NZ$70.4

$33.95 PGK 149

17.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$69.7 PGK 305

42.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NZ$214

$96.3 PGK 422

25.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,792

$1,532 PGK 6,706

-33.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 NZ$1,317

$564 PGK 2,470

31.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 NZ$2,506

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

-50.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 NZ$2,830

$1,182 PGK 5,172

35.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,546 NZ$8,039

$2,085 PGK 9,129

117.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 NZ$5,479

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

-18.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

12.17

-51.44%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$745 41.2%

Port Moresby

$564 38.4% 24.2% $181

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 16.6%

Port Moresby

$320 21.8% 6.7% $20

Eating Out

Ashburton

$242 13.4%

Port Moresby

$138 9.4% 43% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$223 12.3%

Port Moresby

$221 15% 0.9% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$143 7.9%

Port Moresby

$106 7.2% 26.1% $37

Getting Around

Ashburton

$92 5.1%

Port Moresby

$41 2.8% 55.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$62 3.5%

Port Moresby

$79 5.4% 27.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Ashburton versus $1,532 in Port Moresby. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Ashburton vs $320 in Port Moresby – so Ashburton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

3 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Ashburton Port Moresby 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
Port Moresby

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

Ashburton vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Ashburton, $1,469 in Port Moresby – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Ashburton and $2,203 in Port Moresby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Moresby, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Ashburton – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton and $44.00 in Port Moresby. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Moresby, where all-in costs run around $1,469, than in Ashburton at $1,806. In Port Moresby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashburton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Moresby – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Port Moresby. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ashburton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.