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.
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
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.87$24.87
$7.09PGK 30.80
250.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.9$60.9
$44.55PGK 193
36.72%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$15.28$15.28
$5.35PGK 23.23
185.61%
Cappuccino
$5.46$5.46
$2.33PGK 10.10
134.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49$2.49
$0.79PGK 3.42
215.19%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91$1.91
$0.67PGK 2.90
185.07%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.97$5.97
$2.59PGK 11.26
130.50%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$10.09$10.09
$3.97PGK 17.25
154.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$3.30$3.30
$1.80PGK 7.82
83.33%
White Bread(500g)
$6.94$6.94
$1.50PGK 6.51
362.67%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.45$2.45
$1.32PGK 5.74
85.61%
Eggs
$6.62$6.62
$3.63PGK 15.76
82.37%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$23.48$23.48
$6.49PGK 28.19
261.79%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$10.40$10.40
$5.76PGK 25.02
80.56%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$13.56$13.56
$9.18PGK 39.87
47.71%
Apples(1kg)
$7.25$7.25
$4.00PGK 17.38
81.25%
Banana(1kg)
$4.45$4.45
$3.29PGK 14.28
35.26%
Oranges(1kg)
$5.59$5.59
$6.15PGK 26.72
-9.11%
Tomato(1kg)
$7.95$7.95
$5.12PGK 22.24
55.27%
Potato(1kg)
$4.89$4.89
$3.29PGK 14.30
48.63%
Onion(1kg)
$4.60$4.60
$2.79PGK 12.10
64.87%
Lettuce(1 head)
$4.37$4.37
$2.01PGK 8.72
117.41%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$2.01$2.01
$1.13PGK 4.91
77.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$9.58$9.58
$6.55PGK 28.44
46.26%
Wine(Bottle)
$12.15$12.15
$10.72PGK 46.57
13.34%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42$2.42
$2.47PGK 10.74
-2.02%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71$2.71
$3.71PGK 16.10
-26.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$2.96$2.96
$0.46PGK 1.99
543.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$54.6$54.6
$25.35PGK 110
115.54%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$10.15$10.15
$4.81PGK 20.91
111.02%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$2.04$2.04
$2.22PGK 9.66
-8.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$32.38$32.38
$12.21PGK 53.1
165.19%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.31$1.31
$0.98PGK 4.24
33.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K$29.2K
$29.0KPGK 126.0K
0.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K$30.6K
$22.7KPGK 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
$93.6PGK 406
305.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$79.9$79.9
$24.89PGK 108
221.13%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$83.4$83.4
$104PGK 451
-19.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$78.3$78.3
$63.6PGK 276
23.14%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.19PGK 105
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.16$13.16
$8.64PGK 37.53
52.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$566$566
$522PGK 2,265
8.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
-
$5,363PGK 23.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8$59.8
$36.28PGK 158
64.91%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$98.5$98.5
$33.70PGK 146
192.17%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$101$101
$64.1PGK 279
57.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130$130
$85.4PGK 371
52.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,866$1,866
$1,337PGK 5,809
39.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,511$1,511
$495PGK 2,150
205.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,808$2,808
$2,689PGK 11.7K
4.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$2,453$2,453
$1,069PGK 4,641
129.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
-
$2,026PGK 8,799
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$295$295
$3,702PGK 16.1K
-92.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guam
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$4,615$4,615
$417PGK 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.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Guam
$1.5K 45.3%
Papua New Guinea
$495 36.3% ↓ 67.2%$1K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guam
$543 16.3%
Papua New Guinea
$222 16.3% ↓ 59.1%$321
🛒Groceries & Markets
Guam
$534 16%
Papua New Guinea
$297 21.8% ↓ 44.4%$237
🍽Eating Out
Guam
$378 11.3%
Papua New Guinea
$127 9.3% ↓ 66.3%$251
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Guam
$175 5.3%
Papua New Guinea
$99 7.2% ↓ 43.6%$76
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Guam
$105 3.1%
Papua New Guinea
$81 5.9% ↓ 22.7%$24
🚌Getting Around
Guam
$87 2.6%
Papua New Guinea
$43 3.2% ↓ 50.3%$44
🏠Accommodation & Living
Guam
$2.5K 39.7%
Papua New Guinea
$1.1K 35.9% ↓ 56.4%$1.4K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guam
$623 10.1%
Papua New Guinea
$247 8.3% ↓ 60.3%$376
🛒Groceries & Markets
Guam
$1.2K 20.2%
Papua New Guinea
$690 23.2% ↓ 44.8%$560
🍽Eating Out
Guam
$1.1K 17.4%
Papua New Guinea
$478 16.1% ↓ 55.5%$596
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Guam
$389 6.3%
Papua New Guinea
$220 7.4% ↓ 43.6%$170
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Guam
$209 * 3.4%
Papua New Guinea
$186 6.3% ↓ 11.1%$23
🚌Getting Around
Guam
$180 2.9%
Papua New Guinea
$87 2.9% ↓ 51.5%$92
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
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.
Guam→Papua New Guinea2,570 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.