Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia 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 $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
66

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

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia 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 Australia and in Papua New Guinea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Papua New Guinea $1,375

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $2,177 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Papua New Guinea $2,177

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,979 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Papua New Guinea $2,979

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 91% higher than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.09

$7.09 PGK 30.77

148.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$44.44 PGK 193

91.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.77

$5.49 PGK 23.84

102.00%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.29 PGK 9.97

70.31%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$0.78 PGK 3.38

265.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.66 PGK 2.85

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$2.59 PGK 11.24

190.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.21

$4.04 PGK 17.55

112.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.86 PGK 8.07

-5.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.48 PGK 6.42

89.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.37 PGK 5.93

63.50%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$3.72 PGK 16.14

34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.03

$6.26 PGK 27.20

57.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.25

$5.72 PGK 24.86

62.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$8.88 PGK 38.57

67.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.43

$4.00 PGK 17.37

-4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$3.33 PGK 14.47

-12.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$6.08 PGK 26.42

-48.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.84

$5.24 PGK 22.74

-8.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$3.18 PGK 13.79

-11.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$2.73 PGK 11.86

-12.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.01 PGK 8.74

17.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.18 PGK 5.12

39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$6.33 PGK 27.47

518.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

$10.82 PGK 47.00

28.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$2.43 PGK 10.55

104.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$3.63 PGK 15.75

42.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.42 PGK 1.84

476.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$135

$26.21 PGK 114

260.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$5.04 PGK 21.91

-30.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$2.16 PGK 9.39

-25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.7

$12.21 PGK 53.0

226.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.02 PGK 4.45

36.27%

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

$30.0K A$42.7K

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

6.64%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

15.91%

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

$205 A$292

$94.0 PGK 408

118.20%

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

$28.33 A$40.29

$24.78 PGK 108

14.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.6

$106 PGK 460

-44.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$64.7 PGK 281

-13.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.83

$23.49 PGK 102

-16.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.87

$8.85 PGK 38.45

73.79%

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

$2,145 A$3,050

$503 PGK 2,186

326.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

231.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$36.04 PGK 157

117.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$33.40 PGK 145

68.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$61.8 PGK 268

86.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$85.3 PGK 370

44.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,262

$1,367 PGK 5,939

16.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,838

$503 PGK 2,184

157.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,590

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

-6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,851

$1,070 PGK 4,647

87.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$2,036 PGK 8,843

329.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,901

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

70.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,665

$415 PGK 1,803

859.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

13.67

-56.62%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6% 61.1% $790

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6% 20.8% $78

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 57% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3% 23.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1% 41.9% $70

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2% 62.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Papua New Guinea

$82 6% 4.7% $4

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $1,451 in Port Moresby.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia 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 26% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 100% more in Australia.

Public transport is 223% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 12 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

1 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

8,935,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Papua New Guinea 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
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

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

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 91% price gap.

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.