Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dargaville and Lae

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $817 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index

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Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dargaville and in Lae

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dargaville and in Lae actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,134 in Dargaville versus $817 in Lae.

Dargaville $2,134
Lae $817

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Dargaville versus $1,470 in Lae.

Dargaville $3,019
Lae $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,904 in Dargaville versus $2,123 in Lae.

Dargaville $3,904
Lae $2,123

Living in Dargaville is roughly 161% more expensive than in Lae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dargaville is 57% above, Lae is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.54 NZ$25.92

$23.60 PGK 103

-38.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 NZ$123

$50.5 PGK 219

36.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.13

Cappuccino

$3.69 NZ$6.58

$2.66 PGK 11.57

38.72%

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

$2.18 NZ$3.89

$0.74 PGK 3.23

194.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.73

$0.57 PGK 2.47

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 NZ$11.24

$3.22 PGK 14.01

95.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 NZ$10.04

$5.10 PGK 22.13

10.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$1.98 PGK 8.62

3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.49

$1.45 PGK 6.28

35.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.24 PGK 5.39

22.58%

Eggs

$6.70 NZ$11.94

$3.96 PGK 17.18

69.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 NZ$15.14

$9.41 PGK 40.86

-9.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 NZ$18.66

$9.06 PGK 39.35

15.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 NZ$22.62

$10.59 PGK 45.99

19.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.72

$4.30 PGK 18.67

-38.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.81

$2.69 PGK 11.68

-20.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.20

$5.87 PGK 25.50

-50.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 NZ$10.45

$1.50 PGK 6.53

290.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$3.37 PGK 14.62

-48.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 NZ$2.46

$2.34 PGK 10.14

-41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$0.64 PGK 2.80

289.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.10

$0.85 PGK 3.70

38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.67 NZ$47.54

$6.75 PGK 29.32

295.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 NZ$18.26

$12.26 PGK 53.2

-16.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$2.59 PGK 11.27

16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 NZ$5.57

$4.34 PGK 18.87

-27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$0.31 PGK 1.37

509.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 NZ$205

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 NZ$4.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NZ$3.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.35 NZ$46.96

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 NZ$2.66

$1.03 PGK 4.46

44.66%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

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

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

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

$128 NZ$228

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

$29.15 NZ$52.0

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 NZ$91.4

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.91 NZ$69.4

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 NZ$20.45

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

$659 NZ$1,174

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 NZ$120

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 NZ$69.7

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 NZ$162

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 NZ$205

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 NZ$2,006

$436 PGK 1,892

158.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 NZ$1,802

$260 PGK 1,131

288.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 NZ$2,503

$1,227 PGK 5,328

14.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 NZ$2,409

$619 PGK 2,690

118.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 NZ$7,514

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,111 NZ$5,544

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$156 PGK 676

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

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

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lae: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dargaville

$1K 47.4%

Lae

–

Groceries & Markets

Dargaville

$330 15.5%

Lae

–

Eating Out

Dargaville

$248 11.6%

Lae

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dargaville

$209 9.8%

Lae

–

Clothing & Footwear

Dargaville

$141 6.6%

Lae

–

Getting Around

Dargaville

$134 6.3%

Lae

–

Sport & Entertainment

Dargaville

$62 2.9%

Lae

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Dargaville and $436 in Lae. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Dargaville vs $50 in Lae for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $303 per month, with Lae cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🇵🇬 Lae

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

3 h behind Dargaville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,600

250,948

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dargaville Lae 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dargaville
Lae

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

Dargaville vs Lae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dargaville and Lae differ by about 161% in total monthly costs ($2,134 vs $817 including rent). Lae is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,201 in Dargaville and $1,225 in Lae to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Dargaville versus $436 in Lae. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lae – a meal for two runs $50 versus $69 in Dargaville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,134 per month in Dargaville versus $817 in Lae – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lae is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.