Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $395 a month against $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
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India Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
Learn more

Papua New Guinea Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $395 in India versus $1,364 in Papua New Guinea.

India $395
Papua New Guinea $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $628 in India versus $2,170 in Papua New Guinea.

India $628
Papua New Guinea $2,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $861 in India versus $2,976 in Papua New Guinea.

India $861
Papua New Guinea $2,976

Living in India costs about 71% less than in Papua New Guinea on average.

India (71% below) and Papua New Guinea (1% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹203

$7.09 PGK 31.04

-69.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.57 ₹1,004

$44.55 PGK 195

-76.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.77 ₹358

$5.35 PGK 23.42

-29.53%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₹167

$2.33 PGK 10.18

-24.46%

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

$0.42 ₹39.67

$0.79 PGK 3.44

-46.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.45

$0.67 PGK 2.92

-79.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 ₹186

$2.59 PGK 11.35

-24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₹295

$3.97 PGK 17.38

-21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹59.6

$1.80 PGK 7.88

-65.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹43.45

$1.50 PGK 6.57

-69.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ₹64.3

$1.32 PGK 5.78

-48.48%

Eggs

$0.93 ₹88.4

$3.63 PGK 15.89

-74.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.83 ₹458

$6.49 PGK 28.42

-25.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 ₹276

$5.76 PGK 25.21

-49.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 PGK 40.19

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$4.00 PGK 17.52

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ₹59.6

$3.29 PGK 14.39

-80.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ₹92.8

$6.15 PGK 26.93

-84.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 ₹48.04

$5.12 PGK 22.42

-90.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.28

$3.29 PGK 14.41

-89.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.72

$2.79 PGK 12.20

-86.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.31

$2.01 PGK 8.79

-78.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.53

$1.13 PGK 4.94

-74.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 ₹488

$6.55 PGK 28.66

-21.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 ₹696

$10.72 PGK 46.94

-31.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₹157

$2.47 PGK 10.83

-33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₹259

$3.71 PGK 16.23

-26.42%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.08 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.70

$0.46 PGK 2.01

-45.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.49 ₹806

$25.35 PGK 111

-66.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹97.9

$4.81 PGK 21.07

-78.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.69

$2.22 PGK 9.73

-88.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$12.21 PGK 53.5

-86.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$0.98 PGK 4.27

9.18%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$29.0K PGK 127.0K

-60.93%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$22.7K PGK 99.3K

-11.29%

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

$37.73 ₹3,583

$93.6 PGK 410

-59.68%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$24.89 PGK 109

-85.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.89 ₹655

$104 PGK 454

-93.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.63 ₹1,390

$63.6 PGK 278

-76.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 ₹688

$24.19 PGK 106

-70.03%

Cinema Ticket

$3.17 ₹301

$8.64 PGK 37.82

-63.31%

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

$56.5 ₹5,369

$522 PGK 2,283

-89.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,646 ₹156.3K

$5,363 PGK 23.5K

-69.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.73 ₹2,158

$36.28 PGK 159

-37.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.04 ₹2,283

$33.70 PGK 148

-28.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.04 ₹3,898

$64.1 PGK 281

-36.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.60 ₹2,906

$85.4 PGK 374

-64.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$144 ₹13.6K

$1,337 PGK 5,855

-89.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.5 ₹8,691

$495 PGK 2,167

-81.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 ₹30.8K

$2,689 PGK 11.8K

-87.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ₹20.3K

$1,069 PGK 4,678

-80.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,200 ₹114.0K

$2,026 PGK 8,869

-40.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$619 ₹58.8K

$3,702 PGK 16.2K

-83.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$440 ₹41.8K

$417 PGK 1,826

5.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.92

13.67

-34.75%

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

Last update for India: 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.

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.8%

Papua New Guinea

$297 21.8% 191% $195

Accommodation & Living

India

$92 23.1%

Papua New Guinea

$495 36.3% 441% $404

Eating Out

India

$68 17.1%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 88.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.5%

Papua New Guinea

$99 7.2% 85.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12.2%

Papua New Guinea

$222 16.3% 361% $174

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.3%

Papua New Guinea

$81 5.9% 285% $60

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Papua New Guinea

$43 3.2% 267% $31

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $119 in India, $751 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $271 in Delhi vs $1,507 in Port Moresby.

National salary averages: $413 in India, $311 in Papua New Guinea. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 531% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 90% more in Papua New Guinea.

Salaries are 33% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

8,935,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Papua New Guinea 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

India
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

India vs Papua New Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $395 per month in India and $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 245% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $751 in Papua New Guinea and $119 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Papua New Guinea it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: India wins on affordability; Papua New Guinea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.