Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,427 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Port Moresby actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $1,427 in Port Moresby.

Austin, TX $2,607
Port Moresby $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $2,248 in Port Moresby.

Austin, TX $4,031
Port Moresby $2,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $3,068 in Port Moresby.

Austin, TX $5,454
Port Moresby $3,068

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 83% more expensive than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Port Moresby 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$7.55 PGK 32.81

169.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$43.49 PGK 189

94.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$5.39 PGK 23.41

124.86%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.45 PGK 10.63

130.61%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.72 PGK 3.13

411.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.64 PGK 2.77

268.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.88 PGK 12.51

173.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$3.48 PGK 15.12

153.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.82 PGK 7.90

-37.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.48 PGK 6.41

149.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.35 PGK 5.86

145.19%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$3.70 PGK 16.06

12.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$8.66 PGK 37.63

49.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$4.75 PGK 20.65

191.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$9.56 PGK 41.53

70.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.22 PGK 18.34

11.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.21 PGK 13.95

-54.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$7.07 PGK 30.72

-27.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$6.41 PGK 27.83

-29.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.04 PGK 13.18

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.89 PGK 12.57

-17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.31 PGK 10.05

-22.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 PGK 5.76

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$6.41 PGK 27.83

55.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$10.53 PGK 45.72

42.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.61 PGK 11.33

11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.45 PGK 14.97

-3.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.46 PGK 1.99

165.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$23.84 PGK 104

70.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$5.03 PGK 21.85

-44.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.23 PGK 9.69

-26.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$14.04 PGK 61.0

152.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.97 PGK 4.23

-2.06%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$49.7K PGK 215.7K

-31.15%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.0K PGK 73.8K

57.51%

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

$223 $223

$117 PGK 510

90.01%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$20.94 PGK 90.9

179.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$81.9 PGK 356

-13.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$59.6 PGK 259

-11.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$22.28 PGK 96.8

-24.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$8.51 PGK 36.94

65.22%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$548 PGK 2,382

166.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$6,113 PGK 26.5K

249.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$34.68 PGK 151

51.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$35.61 PGK 155

20.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$69.2 PGK 300

24.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$94.3 PGK 410

10.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,451 PGK 6,302

45.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$537 PGK 2,333

129.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$2,809 PGK 12.2K

37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,121 PGK 4,869

114.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$2,009 PGK 8,728

269.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$3,717 PGK 16.1K

-17.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$429 PGK 1,863

1107.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

12.17

-43.96%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Port Moresby

$537 37.6% 56.4% $693

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Port Moresby

$313 22% 23.5% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Port Moresby

$220 15.4% 37.6% $132

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Port Moresby

$133 9.3% 61.9% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Port Moresby

$105 7.4% 18.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Port Moresby

$77 5.4% 5.6% $4.5

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Port Moresby

$42 2.9% 25.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $1,451 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $43 in Port Moresby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $313 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

20:07 8:07 PM

15 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

364,145 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Austin, TX Port Moresby 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Port Moresby the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 12 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,451 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,427 in Port Moresby – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Port Moresby runs roughly 41% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Port Moresby is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Port Moresby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.