Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $899 a month against $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Port Moresby outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$899

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $899 per month in Canterbury vs $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Canterbury $899
Port Moresby $1,469

A couple spends around $1,491 per month in Canterbury vs $2,315 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Canterbury $1,491
Port Moresby $2,315

A family of three spends $2,083 per month in Canterbury vs $3,161 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Canterbury $2,083
Port Moresby $3,161

Canterbury is about 39% cheaper than Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Canterbury sits 33% below the global median, while Port Moresby is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 NZ$25.20

$7.76 PGK 33.97

83.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 NZ$107

$44.08 PGK 193

36.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.29 NZ$19.97

$5.61 PGK 24.55

101.25%

Cappuccino

$2.99 NZ$5.29

$2.54 PGK 11.13

17.72%

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

$2.11 NZ$3.74

$0.74 PGK 3.23

185.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$0.69 PGK 3.00

195.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 NZ$6.87

$3.03 PGK 13.28

28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.29 NZ$11.12

$3.68 PGK 16.10

70.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$1.83 PGK 8.02

18.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.52

$1.50 PGK 6.55

32.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$3.07

$1.36 PGK 5.97

27.94%

Eggs

$5.43 NZ$9.61

$3.74 PGK 16.38

45.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 NZ$15.12

$8.93 PGK 39.08

-4.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 NZ$15.84

$4.94 PGK 21.64

81.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 NZ$28.12

$9.55 PGK 41.82

66.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 NZ$5.33

$4.41 PGK 19.31

-31.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 NZ$3.99

$3.27 PGK 14.29

-30.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 NZ$5.66

$7.28 PGK 31.87

-56.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 NZ$9.09

$6.46 PGK 28.27

-20.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.19

$3.08 PGK 13.49

-41.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 NZ$3.13

$2.99 PGK 13.10

-40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 NZ$4.01

$2.35 PGK 10.29

-3.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.96

$1.33 PGK 5.82

-58.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.04 NZ$37.20

$6.51 PGK 28.52

223.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 NZ$15.60

$10.94 PGK 47.88

-19.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.46

$2.70 PGK 11.83

14.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 NZ$2.11

$3.53 PGK 15.43

-66.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 NZ$10.00

$4.91 PGK 21.51

15.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.93 NZ$49.39

$14.72 PGK 64.4

89.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.84

$1.00 PGK 4.38

61.00%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

-51.36%

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

$25.4K NZ$45.0K

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

46.75%

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

$109 NZ$192

$118 PGK 516

-7.66%

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

$28.43 NZ$50.3

$20.84 PGK 91.2

36.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$90.3

$82.2 PGK 360

-37.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 NZ$17.92

$8.80 PGK 38.51

15.11%

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

$570 NZ$1,008

$563 PGK 2,465

1.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 NZ$104

$35.46 PGK 155

65.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.87 NZ$38.67

$33.95 PGK 149

-35.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 NZ$160

$69.7 PGK 305

29.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 NZ$238

$96.3 PGK 422

39.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$902 NZ$1,595

$1,532 PGK 6,706

-41.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,721 NZ$4,813

$427 PGK 1,870

537.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

-67.13%

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

Last update for Canterbury: October 11, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury

$315 35.1%

Port Moresby

$320 21.8% 1.4% $4.5

Eating Out

Canterbury

$232 25.8%

Port Moresby

$138 9.4% 40.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury

$188 20.9%

Port Moresby

$221 15% 17.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury

$137 15.3%

Port Moresby

$106 7.2% 22.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury

$20 * 2.3%

Port Moresby

$79 5.4% 291% $59

Getting Around

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6%

Port Moresby

$41 2.8% 621% $35

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury

- * 0%

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $902 in Canterbury 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.

Salaries run about 537% higher in Canterbury, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Canterbury versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries tell a different story – $315 in Canterbury vs $320 in Port Moresby – so Canterbury wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

3 h behind Canterbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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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Between locations

Canterbury Port Moresby 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Canterbury
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $899 in Canterbury, $1,469 in Port Moresby – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,349 per month in Canterbury 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 Canterbury, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Canterbury and $44.00 in Port Moresby. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Port Moresby, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $899, than in Port Moresby at $1,469. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Moresby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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