Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Lae

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $840 a month against $1,412 in Invercargill, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index

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Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Invercargill and in Lae

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Invercargill and in Lae actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,412 per month in Invercargill vs $840 in Lae, rent included.

Invercargill $1,412
Lae $840

A couple spends around $2,099 per month in Invercargill vs $1,503 in Lae, rent included.

Invercargill $2,099
Lae $1,503

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Invercargill vs $2,166 in Lae, rent included.

Invercargill $2,785
Lae $2,166

Invercargill costs about 68% more than Lae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Invercargill sits 5% above the global median, while Lae is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 NZ$24.83

$24.73 PGK 108

-43.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 NZ$108

$52.0 PGK 228

17.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 NZ$14.71

Cappuccino

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.71 PGK 11.87

15.13%

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

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$0.76 PGK 3.34

117.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$0.58 PGK 2.53

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 NZ$4.85

$3.32 PGK 14.51

-17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.85

$5.36 PGK 23.46

-48.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.96

$1.95 PGK 8.55

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$1.48 PGK 6.48

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.11

$1.26 PGK 5.52

39.68%

Eggs

$5.58 NZ$9.87

$4.05 PGK 17.74

37.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 NZ$14.55

$9.34 PGK 40.89

-11.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 NZ$15.61

$9.34 PGK 40.88

-5.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 NZ$21.44

$10.59 PGK 46.37

14.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 NZ$4.50

$4.40 PGK 19.24

-42.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.17

$2.78 PGK 12.16

-15.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.70

$6.13 PGK 26.82

-56.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$1.62 PGK 7.08

117.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 NZ$5.68

$3.51 PGK 15.39

-8.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$2.28 PGK 9.99

-29.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.13

$0.65 PGK 2.85

258.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$0.86 PGK 3.76

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.39 NZ$36.06

$6.63 PGK 29.01

207.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$12.12 PGK 53.1

-29.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.06

$2.60 PGK 11.39

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$5.99

$4.33 PGK 18.94

-21.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$0.35 PGK 1.54

302.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 NZ$4.01

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.42

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 NZ$49.04

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 NZ$2.81

$1.04 PGK 4.55

52.88%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

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

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

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

$109 NZ$192

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

$32.30 NZ$57.1

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.46 NZ$75.1

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.87 NZ$49.29

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.77 NZ$24.34

Cinema Ticket

$8.82 NZ$15.60

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

$589 NZ$1,042

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 NZ$102

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 NZ$62.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 NZ$124

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 NZ$140

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 NZ$1,050

$447 PGK 1,956

32.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 NZ$974

$269 PGK 1,176

105.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 NZ$1,470

$1,248 PGK 5,465

-33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 NZ$1,350

$619 PGK 2,711

23.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,482 NZ$9,695

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,034 NZ$8,902

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,729 NZ$4,826

$154 PGK 674

1673.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

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

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lae: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Invercargill

$551 39%

Lae

–

Groceries & Markets

Invercargill

$298 21.1%

Lae

–

Eating Out

Invercargill

$209 14.8%

Lae

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Invercargill

$183 13%

Lae

–

Clothing & Footwear

Invercargill

$109 7.7%

Lae

–

Sport & Entertainment

Invercargill

$46 3.2%

Lae

–

Getting Around

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2%

Lae

–

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $594 in Invercargill versus $447 in Lae. 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 1674% higher in Invercargill, 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 $61.0 in Invercargill versus $52.0 in Lae. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Invercargill vs $307 in Lae – so Invercargill wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🇵🇬 Lae

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

3 h behind Invercargill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,200

250,948

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Between locations

Invercargill Lae 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Invercargill
Lae

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

Invercargill vs Lae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Invercargill costs about 68% more than Lae, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,119 per month in Invercargill and $1,260 in Lae. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lae, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,412 in Invercargill and $840 in Lae. That's a gap of about 68%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Invercargill – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lae, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Invercargill at $1,412. In Lae it covers expenses comfortably, while in Invercargill it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lae – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Lae. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Invercargill makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.