Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Boroko Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Boroko

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 47.7% cheaper than Boroko without rent, and 13.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 20.4% cheaper than Boroko without rent, and 30.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.68 PGK 46.47

$7.58 PGK 32.98

40.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 PGK 239

$37.72 PGK 164

45.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 PGK 25.56

Cappuccino

$2.80 PGK 12.19

$2.27 PGK 9.86

23.35%

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

$0.81 PGK 3.50

$0.80 PGK 3.50

1.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 PGK 2.52

$0.85 PGK 3.70

-31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 PGK 15.47

$2.47 PGK 10.75

44.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 PGK 25.19

$3.96 PGK 17.24

46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 PGK 9.15

$1.70 PGK 7.40

23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 PGK 6.64

$1.26 PGK 5.49

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 PGK 6.17

$1.34 PGK 5.83

5.97%

Eggs

$4.19 PGK 18.24

$3.86 PGK 16.78

8.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 PGK 44.51

$4.55 PGK 19.81

124.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 43.17

$6.37 PGK 27.69

55.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 PGK 49.35

$6.92 PGK 30.12

63.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 PGK 21.05

$4.11 PGK 17.89

17.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 PGK 13.12

$2.92 PGK 12.70

3.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.74 PGK 29.34

$2.93 PGK 12.76

130.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 PGK 7.22

$2.92 PGK 12.69

-43.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 PGK 16.10

$3.20 PGK 13.93

15.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 PGK 10.69

$1.00 PGK 4.36

146.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 PGK 3.18

$1.23 PGK 5.35

-40.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PGK 4.11

$0.47 PGK 2.03

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.17 PGK 31.18

$5.92 PGK 25.74

21.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 PGK 55.3

$5.11 PGK 22.21

148.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 PGK 11.67

$1.22 PGK 5.29

119.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 PGK 20.46

$1.72 PGK 7.50

173.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 PGK 1.50

$0.46 PGK 1.99

-26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.10 PGK 140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.82 PGK 20.98

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 PGK 6.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.08 PGK 52.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 PGK 4.91

$0.85 PGK 3.72

32.94%

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

$23.0K PGK 100.1K

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

$25.1K PGK 109.2K

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

$66.2 PGK 288

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

$46.95 PGK 204

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$240 PGK 1,045

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.64 PGK 199

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.44 PGK 67.2

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 PGK 31.04

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

$366 PGK 1,593

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,369 PGK 10.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.39 PGK 137

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.56 PGK 63.3

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.17 PGK 210

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.53 PGK 124

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,964 PGK 34.6K

$3,638 PGK 15.8K

118.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 PGK 3,318

$236 PGK 1,028

222.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 PGK 6,334

$3,665 PGK 15.9K

-60.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 PGK 1,050

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$161 PGK 700

$365 PGK 1,589

-55.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Lae: March 1, 2026

Last update for Boroko: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Cemagi, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey