Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $1,391 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
68

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

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🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in China versus $1,391 in Papua New Guinea.

China $793
Papua New Guinea $1,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,261 in China versus $2,213 in Papua New Guinea.

China $1,261
Papua New Guinea $2,213

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in China versus $3,035 in Papua New Guinea.

China $1,730
Papua New Guinea $3,035

Living in China costs about 43% less than in Papua New Guinea on average.

China (41% below) and Papua New Guinea (3% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.76

$7.17 PGK 31.38

-58.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$44.04 PGK 193

-48.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.70

$5.47 PGK 23.94

-2.38%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

$2.45 PGK 10.71

24.08%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$0.79 PGK 3.46

-39.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.63 PGK 2.74

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.92

$2.64 PGK 11.57

-60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$4.11 PGK 18.01

-44.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$1.89 PGK 8.28

-4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.28

$1.47 PGK 6.44

14.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$1.38 PGK 6.04

-27.54%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$3.67 PGK 16.05

-57.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.8

$6.41 PGK 28.04

109.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.28

$6.14 PGK 26.86

-43.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$9.03 PGK 39.52

27.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$4.03 PGK 17.65

-55.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$3.40 PGK 14.89

-62.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.92

$6.22 PGK 27.22

-76.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$5.20 PGK 22.75

-74.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$3.35 PGK 14.65

-78.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.74 PGK 11.98

-66.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.99 PGK 8.70

-69.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$1.20 PGK 5.25

-51.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.65

$6.42 PGK 28.09

-40.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ¥79.4

$10.81 PGK 47.30

9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.72

$2.38 PGK 10.44

-63.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.33

$3.65 PGK 15.96

-53.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.47 PGK 2.04

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.36 ¥150

$26.65 PGK 117

-16.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$5.05 PGK 22.10

-70.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$2.27 PGK 9.92

-83.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.04

$12.47 PGK 54.6

-43.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$1.01 PGK 4.40

22.77%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$29.2K PGK 127.6K

-34.05%

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

$17.3K ¥115.6K

$23.3K PGK 101.8K

-25.63%

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

$54.3 ¥363

$93.6 PGK 410

-42.02%

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

$8.34 ¥55.7

$25.43 PGK 111

-67.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$106 PGK 466

-89.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 ¥270

$64.0 PGK 280

-36.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$24.51 PGK 107

-39.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ¥46.08

$8.87 PGK 38.82

-22.32%

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

$457 ¥3,057

$528 PGK 2,313

-13.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ¥134.2K

$5,534 PGK 24.2K

262.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.10 ¥302

$37.76 PGK 165

19.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 ¥238

$33.00 PGK 144

8.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥521

$64.0 PGK 280

21.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ¥522

$88.5 PGK 387

-11.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ¥2,615

$1,366 PGK 5,979

-71.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,549

$507 PGK 2,219

-54.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥5,457

$2,755 PGK 12.1K

-70.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,070

$1,102 PGK 4,822

-58.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 ¥30.7K

$2,050 PGK 8,974

123.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,309 ¥15.4K

$3,771 PGK 16.5K

-38.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,084 ¥7,247

$422 PGK 1,846

157.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

13.67

-74.69%

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

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.2%

Papua New Guinea

$507 36.5% 119% $275

Groceries & Markets

China

$211 26.6%

Papua New Guinea

$301 21.6% 42.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Papua New Guinea

$100 7.2% 5.7% $6

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Papua New Guinea

$130 9.4% 46.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.3%

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.2% 207% $152

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Papua New Guinea

$82 5.9% 50.8% $28

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Papua New Guinea

$45 3.2% 66.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $753 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $940 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,532 in Port Moresby.

National salary averages: $871 in China, $314 in Papua New Guinea. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 153% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 11% more in China.

Public transport is 113% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 177% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

2 h ahead of China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

8,935,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Papua New Guinea 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

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

At $793 per month in China and $1,391 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 75% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $753 in Papua New Guinea and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Papua New Guinea it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Papua New Guinea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.