Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Port Moresby

For one person, living costs are similar in Invercargill and in Port Moresby: $1,412 and $1,469 a month, rent and utilities included.

68

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,412 per month in Invercargill vs $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Invercargill $1,412
Port Moresby $1,469

A couple spends around $2,099 per month in Invercargill vs $2,315 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Invercargill $2,099
Port Moresby $2,315

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Invercargill vs $3,161 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Invercargill $2,785
Port Moresby $3,161

Invercargill is about 4% cheaper than Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Invercargill and Port Moresby sit above the global median – Invercargill by 5%, Port Moresby by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 NZ$24.83

$7.76 PGK 33.97

80.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 NZ$108

$44.08 PGK 193

38.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 NZ$14.71

$5.61 PGK 24.55

48.31%

Cappuccino

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.54 PGK 11.13

22.83%

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

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$0.74 PGK 3.23

122.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$0.69 PGK 3.00

194.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 NZ$4.85

$3.03 PGK 13.28

-9.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.85

$3.68 PGK 16.10

-25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.96

$1.83 PGK 8.02

-8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$1.50 PGK 6.55

23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.11

$1.36 PGK 5.97

29.41%

Eggs

$5.58 NZ$9.87

$3.74 PGK 16.38

49.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 NZ$14.55

$8.93 PGK 39.08

-7.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 NZ$15.61

$4.94 PGK 21.64

78.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 NZ$21.44

$9.55 PGK 41.82

26.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 NZ$4.50

$4.41 PGK 19.31

-42.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.17

$3.27 PGK 14.29

-27.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.70

$7.28 PGK 31.87

-63.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$6.46 PGK 28.27

-45.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 NZ$5.68

$3.08 PGK 13.49

4.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$2.99 PGK 13.10

-46.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.13

$2.35 PGK 10.29

-0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$1.33 PGK 5.82

-21.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.39 NZ$36.06

$6.51 PGK 28.52

213.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$10.94 PGK 47.88

-21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.06

$2.70 PGK 11.83

5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$5.99

$3.53 PGK 15.43

-3.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$0.47 PGK 2.05

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 NZ$4.01

$4.91 PGK 21.51

-53.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.42

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-13.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 NZ$49.04

$14.72 PGK 64.4

88.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 NZ$2.81

$1.00 PGK 4.38

59.00%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

-53.10%

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

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

5.25%

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

$109 NZ$192

$118 PGK 516

-7.71%

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

$32.30 NZ$57.1

$20.84 PGK 91.2

54.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.46 NZ$75.1

$82.2 PGK 360

-48.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.87 NZ$49.29

$61.7 PGK 270

-54.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.77 NZ$24.34

$22.19 PGK 97.1

-37.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.82 NZ$15.60

$8.80 PGK 38.51

0.23%

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

$589 NZ$1,042

$563 PGK 2,465

4.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 NZ$102

$35.46 PGK 155

61.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 NZ$62.0

$33.95 PGK 149

3.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 NZ$124

$69.7 PGK 305

0.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 NZ$140

$96.3 PGK 422

-17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 NZ$1,050

$1,532 PGK 6,706

-61.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 NZ$974

$564 PGK 2,470

-2.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 NZ$1,470

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

-71.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 NZ$1,350

$1,182 PGK 5,172

-35.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,482 NZ$9,695

$2,085 PGK 9,129

162.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,034 NZ$8,902

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

33.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,729 NZ$4,826

$427 PGK 1,870

538.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

12.17

-44.78%

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

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Invercargill

$551 39%

Port Moresby

$564 38.4% 2.5% $14

Groceries & Markets

Invercargill

$298 21.1%

Port Moresby

$320 21.8% 7.4% $22

Eating Out

Invercargill

$209 14.8%

Port Moresby

$138 9.4% 34% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Invercargill

$183 13%

Port Moresby

$221 15% 20.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Invercargill

$109 7.7%

Port Moresby

$106 7.2% 2.5% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Invercargill

$46 3.2%

Port Moresby

$79 5.4% 74.3% $34

Getting Around

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2%

Port Moresby

$41 2.8% 132% $23

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 $1,532 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 539% higher in Invercargill, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Invercargill versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Invercargill vs $320 in Port Moresby – so Invercargill wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

3 h behind Invercargill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,200

364,145 Capital

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Invercargill Port Moresby 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Invercargill
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

Invercargill vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby costs about 4% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,203 in Port Moresby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Invercargill, 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 $1,469 in Port Moresby. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $589 per month in Invercargill and $563 in Port Moresby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Invercargill, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Port Moresby at $1,469. In Invercargill it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Moresby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Invercargill – 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 Invercargill. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Moresby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.