Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Dargaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $817 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index

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Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$817

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lae and in Dargaville

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 Dargaville actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $817 in Lae versus $2,134 in Dargaville.

Lae $817
Dargaville $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,470 in Lae versus $3,019 in Dargaville.

Lae $1,470
Dargaville $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,123 in Lae versus $3,904 in Dargaville.

Lae $2,123
Dargaville $3,904

Living in Lae costs roughly 62% less than in Dargaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lae is 40% below, Dargaville is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.60 PGK 103

$14.54 NZ$25.92

62.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 PGK 219

$68.9 NZ$123

-26.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.13

Cappuccino

$2.66 PGK 11.57

$3.69 NZ$6.58

-27.91%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$2.18 NZ$3.89

-66.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 PGK 2.47

$2.09 NZ$3.73

-72.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 PGK 14.01

$6.31 NZ$11.24

-48.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 PGK 22.13

$5.63 NZ$10.04

-9.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 PGK 8.62

$2.05 NZ$3.65

-3.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 PGK 6.28

$1.96 NZ$3.49

-26.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PGK 5.39

$1.52 NZ$2.71

-18.42%

Eggs

$3.96 PGK 17.18

$6.70 NZ$11.94

-40.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.41 PGK 40.86

$8.49 NZ$15.14

10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 PGK 39.35

$10.47 NZ$18.66

-13.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 PGK 45.99

$12.69 NZ$22.62

-16.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 PGK 18.67

$2.65 NZ$4.72

62.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 PGK 11.68

$2.14 NZ$3.81

25.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 PGK 25.50

$2.92 NZ$5.20

101.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PGK 6.53

$5.86 NZ$10.45

-74.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 PGK 14.62

$1.73 NZ$3.08

94.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 PGK 10.14

$1.38 NZ$2.46

69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 PGK 2.80

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-74.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 PGK 3.70

$1.18 NZ$2.10

-27.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 PGK 29.32

$26.67 NZ$47.54

-74.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.26 PGK 53.2

$10.24 NZ$18.26

19.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 PGK 11.27

$3.02 NZ$5.38

-14.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 PGK 18.87

$3.13 NZ$5.57

38.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 PGK 1.37

$1.89 NZ$3.37

-83.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 NZ$205

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 NZ$4.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NZ$3.22

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.35 NZ$46.96

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 PGK 4.46

$1.49 NZ$2.66

-30.87%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

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

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

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

$128 NZ$228

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

$29.15 NZ$52.0

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 NZ$91.4

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.91 NZ$69.4

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 NZ$20.45

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

$659 NZ$1,174

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 NZ$120

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 NZ$69.7

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 NZ$162

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 NZ$205

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 PGK 1,892

$1,125 NZ$2,006

-61.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 PGK 1,131

$1,011 NZ$1,802

-74.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 PGK 5,328

$1,404 NZ$2,503

-12.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 PGK 2,690

$1,352 NZ$2,409

-54.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 NZ$7,514

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,111 NZ$5,544

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$156 PGK 676

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

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

Last update for Lae: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lae

–

Dargaville

$1K 47.4%

Groceries & Markets

Lae

–

Dargaville

$330 15.5%

Eating Out

Lae

–

Dargaville

$248 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lae

–

Dargaville

$209 9.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Lae

–

Dargaville

$141 6.6%

Getting Around

Lae

–

Dargaville

$134 6.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Lae

–

Dargaville

$62 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $436 in Lae and $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50 in Lae vs $69 in Dargaville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $330 per month, with Lae cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Lae

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

3 h ahead of Lae

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,948

4,600

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lae Dargaville 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lae
Dargaville

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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lae and Dargaville differ by about 161% in total monthly costs ($817 vs $2,134 including rent). Lae is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,225 in Lae and $3,201 in Dargaville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $436 in Lae versus $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lae – a meal for two runs $50 versus $69 in Dargaville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $817 per month in Lae versus $2,134 in Dargaville – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lae is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.