Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guam and Papua New Guinea

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,364 a month against $3,333 in Guam, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guam
Papua New Guinea
🇬🇺 Guam
$3,333
/mo nomad
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,364
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,333 per month in Guam vs $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

  • Guam $3,333
  • Papua New Guinea $1,364

A couple spends around $4,755 per month in Guam vs $2,170 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

  • Guam $4,755
  • Papua New Guinea $2,170

A family of three spends $6,178 per month in Guam vs $2,976 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

  • Guam $6,178
  • Papua New Guinea $2,976

The regional cost range is wider in Guam ($151–$2,734) than in Papua New Guinea ($836–$1,434), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Guam is about 144% higher than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.87 $24.87
$7.09 PGK 30.80
250.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.9 $60.9
$44.55 PGK 193
36.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.28 $15.28
$5.35 PGK 23.23
185.61%
Cappuccino
$5.46 $5.46
$2.33 PGK 10.10
134.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 $2.49
$0.79 PGK 3.42
215.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 $1.91
$0.67 PGK 2.90
185.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.97 $5.97
$2.59 PGK 11.26
130.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.09 $10.09
$3.97 PGK 17.25
154.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.30 $3.30
$1.80 PGK 7.82
83.33%
White Bread (500g)
$6.94 $6.94
$1.50 PGK 6.51
362.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.45 $2.45
$1.32 PGK 5.74
85.61%
Eggs
$6.62 $6.62
$3.63 PGK 15.76
82.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$23.48 $23.48
$6.49 PGK 28.19
261.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.40 $10.40
$5.76 PGK 25.02
80.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.56 $13.56
$9.18 PGK 39.87
47.71%
Apples (1kg)
$7.25 $7.25
$4.00 PGK 17.38
81.25%
Banana (1kg)
$4.45 $4.45
$3.29 PGK 14.28
35.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.59 $5.59
$6.15 PGK 26.72
-9.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.95 $7.95
$5.12 PGK 22.24
55.27%
Potato (1kg)
$4.89 $4.89
$3.29 PGK 14.30
48.63%
Onion (1kg)
$4.60 $4.60
$2.79 PGK 12.10
64.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.37 $4.37
$2.01 PGK 8.72
117.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.13 PGK 4.91
77.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.58 $9.58
$6.55 PGK 28.44
46.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.15 $12.15
$10.72 PGK 46.57
13.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$2.47 PGK 10.74
-2.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 $2.71
$3.71 PGK 16.10
-26.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.96 $2.96
$0.46 PGK 1.99
543.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.6 $54.6
$25.35 PGK 110
115.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$10.15 $10.15
$4.81 PGK 20.91
111.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 $2.04
$2.22 PGK 9.66
-8.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.38 $32.38
$12.21 PGK 53.1
165.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$0.98 PGK 4.24
33.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K $29.2K
$29.0K PGK 126.0K
0.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K $30.6K
$22.7K PGK 98.6K
35.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$380 $380
$93.6 PGK 406
305.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$79.9 $79.9
$24.89 PGK 108
221.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$83.4 $83.4
$104 PGK 451
-19.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$78.3 $78.3
$63.6 PGK 276
23.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.19 PGK 105
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.16 $13.16
$8.64 PGK 37.53
52.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 $566
$522 PGK 2,265
8.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,363 PGK 23.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 $59.8
$36.28 PGK 158
64.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$98.5 $98.5
$33.70 PGK 146
192.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$64.1 PGK 279
57.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 $130
$85.4 PGK 371
52.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,866 $1,866
$1,337 PGK 5,809
39.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 $1,511
$495 PGK 2,150
205.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,808 $2,808
$2,689 PGK 11.7K
4.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,453 $2,453
$1,069 PGK 4,641
129.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,026 PGK 8,799
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$295 $295
$3,702 PGK 16.1K
-92.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,615 $4,615
$417 PGK 1,812
1006.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
13.67
-

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

Last update for Guam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guam
$1.5K
Papua New Guinea
$495 67.2% $1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guam
$543
Papua New Guinea
$222 59.1% $321
Groceries & Markets
Guam
$534
Papua New Guinea
$297 44.4% $237
Eating Out
Guam
$378
Papua New Guinea
$127 66.3% $251
Clothing & Footwear
Guam
$175
Papua New Guinea
$99 43.6% $76
Sport & Entertainment
Guam
$105
Papua New Guinea
$81 22.7% $24
Getting Around
Guam
$87
Papua New Guinea
$43 50.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,777 in Guam vs $1,752 in Papua New Guinea. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,215 in Hagatna and $1,507 in Port Moresby.

Average salary: $4,987 in Guam vs $311 in Papua New Guinea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 50% more in Guam.

Public transport is 131% more expensive in Guam.

Salaries are about 16 times higher in Guam, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Guam.

Good to know
🇬🇺 Guam
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
🕒 Local time
23:34 11:34 PM
23:34 11:34 PM
Same time as Guam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
153,836
8,935,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.87 PGK (1 PGK = 0.205 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guam Papua New Guinea 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Guam
  • 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
Guam vs Papua New Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Guam or Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 59% lower on average.
How do daily expenses compare in Guam vs Papua New Guinea?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 144% price gap.
Which country is better for expats: Guam or Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Guam vs other spots: cost of living compared

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