Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Papua New Guinea

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Italy
Papua New Guinea
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,375
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,375 in Papua New Guinea.

  • Italy $1,843
  • Papua New Guinea $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $2,177 in Papua New Guinea.

  • Italy $2,816
  • Papua New Guinea $2,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,979 in Papua New Guinea.

  • Italy $3,788
  • Papua New Guinea $2,979

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $817–$1,427 in Papua New Guinea. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 34% more expensive than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.46 €18.38
$7.09 PGK 30.77
188.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5 €71.4
$44.44 PGK 193
78.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.15 €10.02
$5.49 PGK 23.84
103.10%
Cappuccino
$2.04 €1.83
$2.29 PGK 9.97
-10.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 €2.79
$0.78 PGK 3.38
297.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 €1.26
$0.66 PGK 2.85
112.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.51 €4.95
$2.59 PGK 11.24
112.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.74 €5.16
$4.04 PGK 17.55
42.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 €1.41
$1.86 PGK 8.07
-15.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 €2.14
$1.48 PGK 6.42
60.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.90 €2.60
$1.37 PGK 5.93
111.68%
Eggs
$4.07 €3.66
$3.72 PGK 16.14
9.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.44 €15.67
$6.26 PGK 27.20
178.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.56 €11.28
$5.72 PGK 24.86
119.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.17 €18.12
$8.88 PGK 38.57
127.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 €2.32
$4.00 PGK 17.37
-35.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 €1.97
$3.33 PGK 14.47
-34.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.68 €2.41
$6.08 PGK 26.42
-55.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 €2.94
$5.24 PGK 22.74
-37.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 €1.71
$3.18 PGK 13.79
-40.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$2.73 PGK 11.86
-33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 €1.41
$2.01 PGK 8.74
-21.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$1.18 PGK 5.12
-53.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.69 €6.01
$6.33 PGK 27.47
5.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.99 €7.18
$10.82 PGK 47.00
-26.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 €1.59
$2.43 PGK 10.55
-27.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 €2.11
$3.63 PGK 15.75
-35.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.42 PGK 1.84
354.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.44 €39.03
$26.21 PGK 114
65.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 €5.05
$5.04 PGK 21.91
11.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 €1.54
$2.16 PGK 9.39
-20.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.64 €30.22
$12.21 PGK 53.0
175.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 €1.82
$1.02 PGK 4.45
99.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K €31.7K
$28.1K PGK 122.2K
25.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K €33.0K
$22.2K PGK 96.5K
65.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$227 €204
$94.0 PGK 408
141.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 €10.41
$24.78 PGK 108
-53.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38 €27.30
$106 PGK 460
-71.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.8 €46.52
$64.7 PGK 281
-19.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.70 €21.29
$23.49 PGK 102
0.89%
Cinema Ticket
$10.60 €9.53
$8.85 PGK 38.45
19.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 €510
$503 PGK 2,186
12.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K €10.4K
$5,538 PGK 24.1K
108.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.5 €81.3
$36.04 PGK 157
151.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.55 €34.64
$33.40 PGK 145
15.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €92.2
$61.8 PGK 268
66.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 €118
$85.3 PGK 370
53.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$826 €742
$1,367 PGK 5,939
-39.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$646 €581
$503 PGK 2,184
28.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,400 €1,258
$2,690 PGK 11.7K
-47.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,054 €947
$1,070 PGK 4,647
-1.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,662 €3,290
$2,036 PGK 8,843
79.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,301 €2,068
$3,661 PGK 15.9K
-37.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,886 €1,695
$415 PGK 1,803
354.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
13.67
-73.96%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Italy
$646
Papua New Guinea
$503 22.2% $143
Groceries & Markets
Italy
$348
Papua New Guinea
$296 14.8% $51
Eating Out
Italy
$279
Papua New Guinea
$127 54.3% $151
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$269
Papua New Guinea
$225 16.3% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163
Papua New Guinea
$97 40.3% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$73
Papua New Guinea
$82 12.9% $9.4
Getting Around
Italy
$65
Papua New Guinea
$44 32.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $1,451 in Port Moresby.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $312 in Papua New Guinea. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 139% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 74% more in Italy.

Public transport is 65% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 6.1 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Italy
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
🕒 Local time
11:41 11:41 AM
20:41 8:41 PM
9 h ahead of Italy
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,850,717
8,935,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Italy Papua New Guinea 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Italy
  • 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
Italy vs Papua New Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Papua New Guinea?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, there’s a 34% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Should I move to Italy or to Papua New Guinea?
It depends on what you’re after: Papua New Guinea wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

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