Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lautoka and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
Learn more

Lautoka Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
Learn more

Port Moresby Living Index

Jump to prices

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lautoka and in Port Moresby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $333 in Lautoka versus $1,469 in Port Moresby.

Lautoka $333
Port Moresby $1,469

Estimated couple costs with rent: $722 in Lautoka versus $2,315 in Port Moresby.

Lautoka $722
Port Moresby $2,315

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,112 in Lautoka versus $3,161 in Port Moresby.

Lautoka $1,112
Port Moresby $3,161

Living in Lautoka costs roughly 77% less than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lautoka is 75% below, Port Moresby is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.19 FJD 11.61

$7.76 PGK 34.25

-33.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 FJD 177

$44.08 PGK 195

79.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 FJD 17.47

$5.61 PGK 24.76

39.04%

Cappuccino

$2.56 FJD 5.72

$2.54 PGK 11.22

0.79%

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

$2.12 FJD 4.74

$0.74 PGK 3.26

186.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 FJD 3.38

$0.69 PGK 3.03

118.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 FJD 5.44

$3.03 PGK 13.39

-19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 FJD 6.84

$3.68 PGK 16.23

-17.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 FJD 3.72

$1.83 PGK 8.09

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 FJD 1.64

$1.50 PGK 6.60

-51.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 FJD 1.95

$1.36 PGK 6.02

-36.03%

Eggs

$3.44 FJD 7.70

$3.74 PGK 16.51

-8.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.80 FJD 12.98

$8.93 PGK 39.40

-35.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 FJD 17.06

$4.94 PGK 21.82

54.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 FJD 16.98

$9.55 PGK 42.18

-20.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 FJD 9.90

$4.41 PGK 19.47

0.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.41

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 FJD 2.91

$7.28 PGK 32.14

-82.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.50

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 FJD 2.09

$3.08 PGK 13.60

-69.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 FJD 1.93

$2.99 PGK 13.21

-71.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 FJD 1.96

$2.35 PGK 10.38

-62.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 FJD 1.03

$1.33 PGK 5.87

-65.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.93 FJD 24.46

$6.51 PGK 28.76

67.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 FJD 12.22

$10.94 PGK 48.28

-50.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 FJD 5.74

$2.70 PGK 11.93

-4.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 FJD 7.82

$3.53 PGK 15.56

-1.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 100

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.69

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 65.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.99

$1.00 PGK 4.42

33.00%

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

$50.7K PGK 224.0K

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

$17.3K PGK 76.5K

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

$118 PGK 520

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

$13.14 FJD 29.43

$20.84 PGK 92.0

-36.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 363

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 273

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 98.0

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.84

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

$563 PGK 2,486

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 150

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 308

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 425

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 FJD 1,007

$1,532 PGK 6,762

-70.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,491

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 FJD 1,952

$2,874 PGK 12.7K

-69.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,216

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,206

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$688 FJD 1,541

$427 PGK 1,885

61.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

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

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5%

Port Moresby

$320 21.8% 67.5% $129

Eating Out

Lautoka

$128 38.6%

Port Moresby

$138 9.4% 7.2% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lautoka

$13 * 4%

Port Moresby

$221 15% 1581% $208

Getting Around

Lautoka

- * 0%

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Lautoka

- * 0%

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Lautoka

- * 0%

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

Accommodation & Living

Lautoka

- * 0%

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $450 in Lautoka and $1,532 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lautoka pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Lautoka vs $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $320, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

2 h behind Lautoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

1 PGK = 0.227 USD

1 PGK = 0.202 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 4.41 PGK (1 PGK = 0.227 USD). 1 EUR = 4.95 PGK (1 PGK = 0.202 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lautoka Port Moresby 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lautoka
Port Moresby

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

Lautoka vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lautoka and Port Moresby differ by about 342% in total monthly costs ($333 vs $1,469 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Lautoka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $450 in Lautoka versus $1,532 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $333 per month in Lautoka versus $1,469 in Port Moresby – a 342% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $1,469 in Port Moresby, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Port Moresby. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka 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.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 342% less than in Port Moresby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.