Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $1,821 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Dunedin versus $1,532 in Port Moresby.

Dunedin $1,821
Port Moresby $1,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,717 in Dunedin versus $2,418 in Port Moresby.

Dunedin $2,717
Port Moresby $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,613 in Dunedin versus $3,305 in Port Moresby.

Dunedin $3,613
Port Moresby $3,305

Living in Dunedin is roughly 19% 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: Dunedin 36% above, Port Moresby 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 NZ$24.50

$7.76 PGK 33.98

76.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 NZ$110

$43.89 PGK 192

40.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.37

$5.38 PGK 23.58

112.27%

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.75

$2.44 PGK 10.69

32.38%

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

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$0.77 PGK 3.38

170.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$0.67 PGK 2.95

211.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 NZ$12.22

$2.91 PGK 12.74

135.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 NZ$10.73

$3.56 PGK 15.59

69.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$1.82 PGK 7.97

19.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$1.54 PGK 6.74

25.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$1.39 PGK 6.09

25.90%

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.40

$3.62 PGK 15.86

61.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.54

$8.64 PGK 37.85

-5.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.81

$5.60 PGK 24.55

68.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 NZ$29.52

$9.92 PGK 43.46

66.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.13

$4.21 PGK 18.45

-31.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.17

$3.12 PGK 13.67

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NZ$5.52

$7.01 PGK 30.72

-55.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 NZ$9.00

$6.56 PGK 28.75

-23.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$3.40 PGK 14.92

-46.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.29

$2.92 PGK 12.79

-36.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.25

$2.33 PGK 10.20

2.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$1.29 PGK 5.64

-57.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.93 NZ$37.33

$6.26 PGK 27.45

234.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 NZ$15.82

$10.73 PGK 47.04

-17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$2.54 PGK 11.11

24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

$3.51 PGK 15.38

-64.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$0.42 PGK 1.86

159.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

$21.95 PGK 96.2

210.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

$5.43 PGK 23.79

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.88

$15.47 PGK 67.8

80.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$0.94 PGK 4.13

81.91%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

-48.91%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.7K

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

45.12%

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

$111 NZ$197

$117 PGK 513

-5.52%

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

$22.67 PGK 99.4

24.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.1

$91.2 PGK 399

-43.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.7

$60.2 PGK 264

-20.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.04 PGK 96.6

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.60

$8.74 PGK 38.31

19.34%

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

$591 NZ$1,054

$836 PGK 3,665

-29.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$103

$32.86 PGK 144

74.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.6

$31.67 PGK 139

9.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$166

$136 PGK 595

-31.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

$160 PGK 702

-17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,562

$1,577 PGK 6,911

-44.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,339

$551 PGK 2,414

36.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,630

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

-51.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,051

$1,129 PGK 4,945

1.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 PGK 8,917

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,023

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

-39.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,379

$429 PGK 1,881

471.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

12.17

-41.91%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Port Moresby

$551 36.3% 26.6% $200

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Port Moresby

$320 21.1% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Port Moresby

$135 8.9% 45.1% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Port Moresby

$231 15.2% 21.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Port Moresby

$162 10.7% 13.7% $19

Getting Around

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Port Moresby

$40 2.7% 48.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

Port Moresby

$78 5.1% 12.8% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $876 in Dunedin and $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 472% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $320, with Dunedin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

15:54 3:54 PM

3 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Port Moresby 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

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

Dunedin and Port Moresby differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $1,532 including rent). Port Moresby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 472% higher in Dunedin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $876 in Dunedin versus $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port Moresby runs roughly 210% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $591 in Dunedin versus $836 in Port Moresby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $1,821 in Dunedin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Port Moresby the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dunedin and Port Moresby are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Port Moresby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.