Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Port Moresby
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,532
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,621
  • Port Moresby $1,532

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,418 in Port Moresby, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • Port Moresby $2,418

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,305 in Port Moresby, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • Port Moresby $3,305

Budapest costs about 6% more than Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Port Moresby sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Port Moresby by 14%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,555
$7.76 PGK 33.98
80.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.7K
$43.89 PGK 192
37.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,244
$5.38 PGK 23.58
85.13%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,102
$2.44 PGK 10.69
38.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 693
$0.77 PGK 3.38
176.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 609
$0.67 PGK 2.95
179.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,222
$2.91 PGK 12.74
28.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,163
$3.56 PGK 15.59
0.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 369
$1.82 PGK 7.97
-37.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 600
$1.54 PGK 6.74
19.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$1.39 PGK 6.09
71.94%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,246
$3.62 PGK 15.86
5.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,689
$8.64 PGK 37.85
31.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,194
$5.60 PGK 24.55
20.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,784
$9.92 PGK 43.46
48.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 598
$4.21 PGK 18.45
-56.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 654
$3.12 PGK 13.67
-35.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$7.01 PGK 30.72
-66.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,227
$6.56 PGK 28.75
-42.53%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 314
$3.40 PGK 14.92
-71.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 335
$2.92 PGK 12.79
-64.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$2.33 PGK 10.20
-33.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$1.29 PGK 5.64
-48.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,594
$6.26 PGK 27.45
27.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,956
$10.73 PGK 47.04
-43.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 422
$2.54 PGK 11.11
-48.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 677
$3.51 PGK 15.38
-40.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 490
$0.42 PGK 1.86
257.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,991
$21.95 PGK 96.2
25.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,075
$5.43 PGK 23.79
-39.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$2.25 PGK 9.87
-42.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,442
$15.47 PGK 67.8
27.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$0.94 PGK 4.13
92.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.6M
$49.2K PGK 215.6K
-40.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$17.3K PGK 75.6K
97.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$117 PGK 513
45.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,809
$22.67 PGK 99.4
5.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,628
$91.2 PGK 399
-74.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$60.2 PGK 264
9.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,245
$22.04 PGK 96.6
-12.98%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,101
$8.74 PGK 38.31
8.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.8K
$836 PGK 3,665
-35.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$6,242 PGK 27.4K
166.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$32.86 PGK 144
208.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$31.67 PGK 139
35.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$136 PGK 595
-16.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.7K
$160 PGK 702
-25.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.2K
$1,577 PGK 6,911
-48.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.9K
$551 PGK 2,414
14.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.6K
$3,049 PGK 13.4K
-49.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 380.1K
$1,129 PGK 4,945
3.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$2,035 PGK 8,917
176.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$3,755 PGK 16.5K
5.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Port Moresby
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.5K
$429 PGK 1,881
278.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
12.17
-47.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Port Moresby
$551 12.4% $78
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Port Moresby
$320 24.2% $62
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Port Moresby
$135 39.8% $89
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Port Moresby
$231 6.3% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Port Moresby
$162 4.1% $7
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Port Moresby
$78 8.9% $7.6
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Port Moresby
$40 7.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,577 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.

Salaries run about 279% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $320 in Port Moresby – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇵🇬 Port Moresby
🕒 Local time
07:46 7:46 AM
15:46 3:46 PM
8 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
364,145 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Port Moresby 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • 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
Budapest vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Moresby cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,298 in Port Moresby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 26% less in Port Moresby. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $836 in Port Moresby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Port Moresby?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Moresby, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Port Moresby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Port Moresby more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Port Moresby?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Port Moresby. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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