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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 44.3% cheaper than Boroko without rent, and 8.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 16.9% cheaper than Boroko without rent, and 31.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.32 PGK 44.06

$7.76 PGK 33.15

32.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 PGK 240

$38.36 PGK 164

46.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 PGK 25.53

Cappuccino

$2.83 PGK 12.09

$2.33 PGK 9.94

21.46%

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

$0.87 PGK 3.73

$0.75 PGK 3.19

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 PGK 2.51

$0.84 PGK 3.60

-29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 PGK 15.72

$2.38 PGK 10.16

54.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 PGK 25.32

$4.19 PGK 17.89

41.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 PGK 8.99

$1.72 PGK 7.36

22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 PGK 6.72

$1.30 PGK 5.54

20.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 5.95

$1.29 PGK 5.49

7.75%

Eggs

$4.34 PGK 18.54

$3.93 PGK 16.79

10.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 PGK 43.78

$4.39 PGK 18.73

133.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 PGK 42.21

$6.19 PGK 26.45

59.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 PGK 48.74

$6.93 PGK 29.59

64.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 PGK 20.74

$4.17 PGK 17.80

16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 PGK 12.99

$2.84 PGK 12.13

7.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.54 PGK 27.91

$3.03 PGK 12.95

115.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 PGK 7.34

$2.90 PGK 12.40

-40.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 PGK 16.32

$3.11 PGK 13.27

22.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 PGK 10.58

$0.92 PGK 3.95

169.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 PGK 3.16

$1.22 PGK 5.21

-39.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 PGK 4.22

$0.46 PGK 1.96

115.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 PGK 30.14

$6.06 PGK 25.89

16.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.89 PGK 55.1

$5.16 PGK 22.05

149.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 PGK 11.64

$1.17 PGK 4.98

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 PGK 19.45

$1.67 PGK 7.12

173.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 PGK 1.59

$0.50 PGK 2.11

-26.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.50 PGK 139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 20.98

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 PGK 6.19

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 PGK 51.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 PGK 4.93

$0.85 PGK 3.64

35.29%

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

$23.0K PGK 98.2K

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

$25.0K PGK 106.7K

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

$67.5 PGK 288

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

$48.06 PGK 205

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$236 PGK 1,009

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 PGK 195

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.35 PGK 65.5

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 PGK 31.22

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

$355 PGK 1,518

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,362 PGK 10.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.59 PGK 135

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.44 PGK 61.6

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.04 PGK 205

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.83 PGK 123

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,981 PGK 34.1K

$3,598 PGK 15.4K

121.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 PGK 3,169

$242 PGK 1,034

206.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 PGK 6,029

$3,536 PGK 15.1K

-60.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 PGK 1,035

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$163 PGK 695

$373 PGK 1,592

-56.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Lae: January 12, 2026

Last update for Boroko: January 11, 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

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