Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Port Moresby
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,532
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $2,984
  • Port Moresby $1,532

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,418 in Port Moresby, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,558
  • Port Moresby $2,418

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,305 in Port Moresby, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,132
  • Port Moresby $3,305

Hong Kong costs about 95% more than Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hong Kong and Port Moresby sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Port Moresby by 14%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.46 HK$66.4
$7.76 PGK 33.98
9.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.2 HK$496
$43.89 PGK 192
43.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.20 HK$48.66
$5.38 PGK 23.58
15.24%
Cappuccino
$4.90 HK$38.42
$2.44 PGK 10.69
100.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 HK$10.01
$0.77 PGK 3.38
64.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 HK$8.31
$0.67 PGK 2.95
58.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.68 HK$60.3
$2.91 PGK 12.74
163.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.28 HK$49.24
$3.56 PGK 15.59
76.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.86 HK$22.45
$1.82 PGK 7.97
57.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 HK$19.10
$1.54 PGK 6.74
57.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 HK$17.09
$1.39 PGK 6.09
56.83%
Eggs
$3.54 HK$27.80
$3.62 PGK 15.86
-2.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$25.12 HK$197
$8.64 PGK 37.85
190.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.89 HK$69.8
$5.60 PGK 24.55
58.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.63 HK$138
$9.92 PGK 43.46
77.72%
Apples (1kg)
$4.11 HK$32.23
$4.21 PGK 18.45
-2.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.72 HK$21.32
$3.12 PGK 13.67
-12.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.59 HK$36.05
$7.01 PGK 30.72
-34.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 HK$31.52
$6.56 PGK 28.75
-38.72%
Potato (1kg)
$3.25 HK$25.50
$3.40 PGK 14.92
-4.41%
Onion (1kg)
$3.27 HK$25.70
$2.92 PGK 12.79
11.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.60 HK$12.54
$2.33 PGK 10.20
-31.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 HK$13.56
$1.29 PGK 5.64
34.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.14 HK$103
$6.26 PGK 27.45
109.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.59 HK$130
$10.73 PGK 47.04
54.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 HK$15.80
$2.54 PGK 11.11
-20.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 HK$17.13
$3.51 PGK 15.38
-37.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.44 HK$11.31
$0.42 PGK 1.86
242.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.1 HK$699
$21.95 PGK 96.2
305.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 HK$28.54
$5.43 PGK 23.79
-32.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.31 HK$10.29
$2.25 PGK 9.87
-41.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.82 HK$124
$15.47 PGK 67.8
2.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.06 HK$31.89
$0.94 PGK 4.13
331.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.4K HK$348.2K
$49.2K PGK 215.6K
-9.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.4K HK$293.2K
$17.3K PGK 75.6K
116.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$247 HK$1,942
$117 PGK 513
111.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.89 HK$125
$22.67 PGK 99.4
-29.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.46 HK$168
$91.2 PGK 399
-76.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$91.4 HK$717
$60.2 PGK 264
51.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.08 HK$71.3
$22.04 PGK 96.6
-58.80%
Cinema Ticket
$13.96 HK$110
$8.74 PGK 38.31
59.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,155 HK$9,068
$836 PGK 3,665
38.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K HK$174.6K
$6,242 PGK 27.4K
256.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.9 HK$541
$32.86 PGK 144
109.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.44 HK$317
$31.67 PGK 139
27.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 HK$627
$136 PGK 595
-41.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 HK$923
$160 PGK 702
-26.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,180 HK$17.1K
$1,577 PGK 6,911
38.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 HK$13.5K
$551 PGK 2,414
211.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,047 HK$39.6K
$3,049 PGK 13.4K
65.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,543 HK$27.8K
$1,129 PGK 4,945
213.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.1K HK$228.7K
$2,035 PGK 8,917
1332.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.6K HK$137.9K
$3,755 PGK 16.5K
367.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Port Moresby
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,228 HK$25.3K
$429 PGK 1,881
651.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.91
12.17
-67.87%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.7K
Port Moresby
$551 67.9% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$415
Port Moresby
$320 22.9% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$285
Port Moresby
$231 18.9% $54
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$205
Port Moresby
$135 34.3% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$138
Port Moresby
$162 17.4% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$119
Port Moresby
$78 34.8% $42
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$105
Port Moresby
$40 61.6% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $1,577 in Port Moresby. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 652% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $320 – making Port Moresby the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇵🇬 Port Moresby
🕒 Local time
14:00 2:00 PM
16:00 4:00 PM
2 h ahead of Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
364,145 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Port Moresby 5,040 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • 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
Hong Kong vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hong Kong and in Port Moresby compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,532 in Port Moresby – roughly 95% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Hong Kong compared to Port Moresby?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,298 in Port Moresby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Hong Kong and Port Moresby?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Moresby, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong and $44.00 in Port Moresby. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Hong Kong or Port Moresby?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,984 in Hong Kong and $1,532 in Port Moresby. That's a gap of about 95%.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Moresby, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Port Moresby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Hong Kong and Port Moresby?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,532 in Port Moresby to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Hong Kong or Port Moresby safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Hong Kong and Port Moresby?
If budget matters most, go with Port Moresby. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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