Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dargaville and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,427 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,134 in Dargaville versus $1,427 in Port Moresby.

Dargaville $2,134
Port Moresby $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Dargaville versus $2,248 in Port Moresby.

Dargaville $3,019
Port Moresby $2,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,904 in Dargaville versus $3,068 in Port Moresby.

Dargaville $3,904
Port Moresby $3,068

Living in Dargaville is roughly 50% more expensive than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dargaville 57% above, Port Moresby 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.54 NZ$25.92

$7.55 PGK 32.81

92.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 NZ$123

$43.49 PGK 189

58.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.13

$5.39 PGK 23.41

67.90%

Cappuccino

$3.69 NZ$6.58

$2.45 PGK 10.63

50.61%

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

$2.18 NZ$3.89

$0.72 PGK 3.13

202.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.73

$0.64 PGK 2.77

226.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 NZ$11.24

$2.88 PGK 12.51

119.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 NZ$10.04

$3.48 PGK 15.12

61.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$1.82 PGK 7.90

12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.49

$1.48 PGK 6.41

32.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.35 PGK 5.86

12.59%

Eggs

$6.70 NZ$11.94

$3.70 PGK 16.06

81.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 NZ$15.14

$8.66 PGK 37.63

-1.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 NZ$18.66

$4.75 PGK 20.65

120.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 NZ$22.62

$9.56 PGK 41.53

32.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.72

$4.22 PGK 18.34

-37.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.81

$3.21 PGK 13.95

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.20

$7.07 PGK 30.72

-58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 NZ$10.45

$6.41 PGK 27.83

-8.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$3.04 PGK 13.18

-43.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 NZ$2.46

$2.89 PGK 12.57

-52.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$2.31 PGK 10.05

7.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.10

$1.33 PGK 5.76

-11.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.67 NZ$47.54

$6.41 PGK 27.83

316.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 NZ$18.26

$10.53 PGK 45.72

-2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$2.61 PGK 11.33

15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 NZ$5.57

$3.45 PGK 14.97

-9.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$0.46 PGK 1.99

310.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 NZ$205

$23.84 PGK 104

383.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 NZ$4.31

$5.03 PGK 21.85

-51.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NZ$3.22

$2.23 PGK 9.69

-18.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.35 NZ$46.96

$14.04 PGK 61.0

87.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 NZ$2.66

$0.97 PGK 4.23

53.61%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

$49.7K PGK 215.7K

-48.72%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

$17.0K PGK 73.8K

39.50%

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

$128 NZ$228

$117 PGK 510

9.13%

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

$29.15 NZ$52.0

$20.94 PGK 90.9

39.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 NZ$91.4

$81.9 PGK 356

-37.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.91 NZ$69.4

$59.6 PGK 259

-34.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.28 PGK 96.8

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 NZ$20.45

$8.51 PGK 36.94

34.90%

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

$659 NZ$1,174

$548 PGK 2,382

20.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

$6,113 PGK 26.5K

139.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 NZ$120

$34.68 PGK 151

94.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 NZ$69.7

$35.61 PGK 155

9.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 NZ$162

$69.2 PGK 300

31.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 NZ$205

$94.3 PGK 410

22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 NZ$2,006

$1,451 PGK 6,302

-22.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 NZ$1,802

$537 PGK 2,333

88.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 NZ$2,503

$2,809 PGK 12.2K

-50.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 NZ$2,409

$1,121 PGK 4,869

20.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 NZ$7,514

$2,009 PGK 8,728

109.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,111 NZ$5,544

$3,717 PGK 16.1K

-16.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,863

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

12.17

-52.10%

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

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dargaville

$1K 47.4%

Port Moresby

$537 37.6% 46.9% $474

Groceries & Markets

Dargaville

$330 15.5%

Port Moresby

$313 22% 5% $16

Eating Out

Dargaville

$248 11.6%

Port Moresby

$133 9.3% 46.4% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dargaville

$209 9.8%

Port Moresby

$220 15.4% 5.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Dargaville

$141 6.6%

Port Moresby

$105 7.4% 25.2% $35

Getting Around

Dargaville

$134 6.3%

Port Moresby

$42 2.9% 68.8% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Dargaville

$62 2.9%

Port Moresby

$77 5.4% 23.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Dargaville and $1,451 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Dargaville vs $43 in Port Moresby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $313 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

01:42 1:42 AM

3 h behind Dargaville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,600

364,145 Capital

💱 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 Port Moresby 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dargaville
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

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

Dargaville and Port Moresby differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($2,134 vs $1,427 including rent). Port Moresby 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 $2,140 in Port Moresby 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 $1,451 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $659 in Dargaville versus $548 in Port Moresby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Dargaville. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Port Moresby 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.