Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Cromwell

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $840 a month against $1,877 in Cromwell, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cromwell
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Cromwell Living Index

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Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$840

/mo nomad

Cromwell

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lae and in Cromwell

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lae and in Cromwell actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $840 in Lae versus $1,877 in Cromwell.

Lae $840
Cromwell $1,877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Lae versus $2,785 in Cromwell.

Lae $1,503
Cromwell $2,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,166 in Lae versus $3,692 in Cromwell.

Lae $2,166
Cromwell $3,692

Living in Lae costs roughly 55% less than in Cromwell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lae is 38% below, Cromwell is 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.73 PGK 108

$13.76 NZ$24.33

79.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 PGK 228

$60.5 NZ$107

-14.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 NZ$19.70

Cappuccino

$2.71 PGK 11.87

$3.35 NZ$5.92

-19.10%

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

$0.76 PGK 3.34

$2.12 NZ$3.74

-64.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 PGK 2.53

$2.09 NZ$3.70

-72.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 PGK 14.51

$6.81 NZ$12.04

-51.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 PGK 23.46

$6.05 NZ$10.69

-11.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 PGK 8.55

$2.08 NZ$3.68

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.48

$2.01 NZ$3.55

-26.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PGK 5.52

$1.69 NZ$2.98

-25.44%

Eggs

$4.05 PGK 17.74

$5.70 NZ$10.08

-28.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 PGK 40.89

$8.54 NZ$15.10

9.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 PGK 40.88

$9.35 NZ$16.54

-0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 PGK 46.37

$16.22 NZ$28.69

-34.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.40 PGK 19.24

$2.98 NZ$5.28

47.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 PGK 12.16

$2.34 NZ$4.13

18.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.13 PGK 26.82

$3.11 NZ$5.51

97.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 PGK 7.08

$5.10 NZ$9.02

-68.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 PGK 15.39

$1.87 NZ$3.31

87.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 PGK 9.99

$1.85 NZ$3.28

23.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 PGK 2.85

$2.35 NZ$4.15

-72.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 PGK 3.76

$0.58 NZ$1.03

48.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 PGK 29.01

$21.18 NZ$37.45

-68.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 PGK 53.1

$8.89 NZ$15.73

36.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 PGK 11.39

$3.21 NZ$5.68

-19.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PGK 18.94

$1.19 NZ$2.10

263.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 PGK 1.54

$1.73 NZ$3.07

-79.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 NZ$166

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 NZ$3.85

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.41 NZ$50.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 PGK 4.55

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-40.23%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

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

$25.1K NZ$44.3K

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

$110 NZ$194

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

$28.00 NZ$49.52

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 NZ$90.2

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.81 NZ$68.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 NZ$11.95

Cinema Ticket

$8.16 NZ$14.44

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

$786 NZ$1,389

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K NZ$21.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 NZ$105

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.50 NZ$62.8

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 NZ$163

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$233

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 PGK 1,956

$955 NZ$1,690

-53.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 PGK 1,176

$811 NZ$1,434

-66.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 PGK 5,465

$1,602 NZ$2,834

-22.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 PGK 2,711

$1,269 NZ$2,244

-51.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,811 NZ$8,509

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,361 NZ$5,944

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$154 PGK 674

$2,917 NZ$5,159

-94.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

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

Last update for Lae: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cromwell: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lae

–

Cromwell

$811 43.2%

Groceries & Markets

Lae

–

Cromwell

$320 17.1%

Eating Out

Lae

–

Cromwell

$247 13.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lae

–

Cromwell

$189 10.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Lae

–

Cromwell

$143 7.6%

Getting Around

Lae

–

Cromwell

$112 6%

Sport & Entertainment

Lae

–

Cromwell

$55 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $447 in Lae and $955 in Cromwell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cromwell pays 1796% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Lae vs $61.0 in Cromwell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $320 per month, with Lae cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Lae

🇳🇿 Cromwell

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

02:05 2:05 AM

3 h ahead of Lae

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,948

5,000

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lae Cromwell 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lae
Cromwell

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

Lae vs Cromwell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lae is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 123% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1796% lower in Cromwell. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $447 in Lae versus $955 in Cromwell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Cromwell. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lae – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $61.0 in Cromwell. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $840 in Lae versus $1,877 in Cromwell, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lae but tight or insufficient in Cromwell. The gap between the two cities makes Lae the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lae and Cromwell are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lae gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Cromwell. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.