Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Papua New Guinea Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Italy versus $689 in Papua New Guinea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,624 in Italy versus $986 in Papua New Guinea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,530 in Italy versus $1,282 in Papua New Guinea.

Living in Italy is roughly 149% more expensive than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Italy (29% above) and Papua New Guinea (48% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 €15.02

$7.71 PGK 33.66

123.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 €69.8

$48.21 PGK 211

65.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 €10.29

$5.91 PGK 25.83

99.66%

Cappuccino

$1.90 €1.65

$2.40 PGK 10.49

-20.83%

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

$3.02 €2.63

$0.90 PGK 3.94

235.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.16

$0.81 PGK 3.52

64.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 €5.14

$2.80 PGK 12.22

110.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 €4.67

$4.63 PGK 20.20

15.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.41

$1.94 PGK 8.46

-16.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.08

$1.58 PGK 6.90

50.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.55

$1.51 PGK 6.62

93.38%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.52

$3.83 PGK 16.73

5.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.85 €14.70

$6.06 PGK 26.49

178.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.61 €11.00

$6.56 PGK 28.65

92.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.66 €18.03

$8.84 PGK 38.59

133.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.19

$3.98 PGK 17.39

-36.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.85

$2.87 PGK 12.55

-26.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.35

$4.81 PGK 20.99

-43.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €2.93

$3.87 PGK 16.90

-13.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 €1.77

$3.37 PGK 14.70

-39.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.58

$2.51 PGK 10.94

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.30

$2.88 PGK 12.56

-48.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 €0.44

$1.02 PGK 4.45

-50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.11 €6.21

$6.45 PGK 28.16

10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 €6.40

$11.18 PGK 48.81

-34.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.59

$2.65 PGK 11.58

-31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.14

$3.39 PGK 14.82

-27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.74

$0.46 PGK 2.00

334.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.36 €36.96

$28.48 PGK 124

48.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 €5.10

$5.32 PGK 23.25

9.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 €1.38

$2.39 PGK 10.44

-33.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.13 €30.65

$16.63 PGK 72.6

111.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.08 PGK 4.71

97.22%

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

$32.5K €28.4K

$24.0K PGK 104.7K

35.61%

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

$33.2K €29.0K

$31.0K PGK 135.4K

7.04%

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

$223 €195

$103 PGK 450

116.69%

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

$13.33 €11.63

$47.82 PGK 209

-72.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.68 €27.64

$212 PGK 927

-85.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €49.64

$62.6 PGK 273

-9.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.50 €22.25

$12.39 PGK 54.1

105.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.55 €9.21

$9.80 PGK 42.80

7.65%

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

$584 €510

$438 PGK 1,912

33.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,214

$4,137 PGK 18.1K

155.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €79.0

$35.16 PGK 154

157.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 €35.02

$36.16 PGK 158

10.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €88.7

$68.3 PGK 298

48.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €116

$66.6 PGK 291

99.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 €748

$3,074 PGK 13.4K

-72.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 €580

$477 PGK 2,082

39.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 €1,297

$3,229 PGK 14.1K

-53.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 €946

$734 PGK 3,205

47.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,757 €3,278

$2,150 PGK 9,392

74.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,396 €2,091

$3,824 PGK 16.7K

-37.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,945 €1,697

$428 PGK 1,869

354.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

12.75

-65.41%

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

Last update for Italy: June 14, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $1,968 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $1,346 in Rome vs $2,159 in Port Moresby.

National salary averages: $1,939 in Italy, $321 in Papua New Guinea. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 165% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 155% more in Italy.

Public transport is 450% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 504% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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

At $1,819 per month in Italy and $860 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 112% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Papua New Guinea: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Papua New Guinea across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Papua New Guinea, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy 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: 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.