Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada 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 $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
66

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

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Canada $2,310
Papua New Guinea $1,375

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $2,177 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Canada $3,356
Papua New Guinea $2,177

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $2,979 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Canada $4,403
Papua New Guinea $2,979

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 68% higher than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 CA$25.40

$7.09 PGK 30.77

156.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$99.6

$44.44 PGK 193

60.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.12

$5.49 PGK 23.84

96.90%

Cappuccino

$3.78 CA$5.28

$2.29 PGK 9.97

65.07%

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

$2.11 CA$2.96

$0.78 PGK 3.38

170.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$0.66 PGK 2.85

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.86

$2.59 PGK 11.24

116.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.00

$4.04 PGK 17.55

41.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.04

$1.86 PGK 8.07

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$1.48 PGK 6.42

75.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.11

$1.37 PGK 5.93

166.42%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.72 PGK 16.14

-2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.06

$6.26 PGK 27.20

71.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.64

$5.72 PGK 24.86

108.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.57

$8.88 PGK 38.57

73.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.63

$4.00 PGK 17.37

0.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$3.33 PGK 14.47

-58.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.42

$6.08 PGK 26.42

-36.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.71

$5.24 PGK 22.74

-22.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$3.18 PGK 13.79

-19.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.46

$2.73 PGK 11.86

-9.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$2.01 PGK 8.74

31.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.40

$1.18 PGK 5.12

44.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.03

$6.33 PGK 27.47

126.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.86

$10.82 PGK 47.00

24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.97

$2.43 PGK 10.55

16.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.62

$3.63 PGK 15.75

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$0.42 PGK 1.84

507.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

$26.21 PGK 114

174.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.45

$5.04 PGK 21.91

-36.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.15

$2.16 PGK 9.39

-28.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.33

$12.21 PGK 53.0

118.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.02 PGK 4.45

21.57%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

-0.93%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

-5.19%

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

$147 CA$206

$94.0 PGK 408

56.84%

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

$41.80 CA$58.5

$24.78 PGK 108

68.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.2

$106 PGK 460

-43.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.6

$64.7 PGK 281

-39.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.66

$23.49 PGK 102

-18.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.68

$8.85 PGK 38.45

26.67%

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

$721 CA$1,009

$503 PGK 2,186

43.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.8K

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

168.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.3

$36.04 PGK 157

53.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.5

$33.40 PGK 145

16.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$122

$61.8 PGK 268

41.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$85.3 PGK 370

18.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,805

$1,367 PGK 5,939

-5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,581

$503 PGK 2,184

124.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,848

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

-24.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,421

$1,070 PGK 4,647

61.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,670

$2,036 PGK 8,843

134.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,217

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

1.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,293

$415 PGK 1,803

639.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

13.67

-64.37%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 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

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6% 55.5% $627

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6% 20.1% $74

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 54.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3% 9.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1% 23.5% $30

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2% 52.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Papua New Guinea

$82 6% 34.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $1,451 in Port Moresby.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada 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 39% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 52% more in Canada.

Public transport is 154% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 9.5 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

14 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

8,935,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canada Papua New Guinea 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
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

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

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 40% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea – part of why living there is about 40% cheaper overall.

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.