Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manukau and Lae

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $840 a month against $1,753 in Manukau, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,753

/mo nomad

Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manukau and in Lae

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

A single person spends $1,753 per month in Manukau vs $840 in Lae, rent included.

Manukau $1,753
Lae $840

A couple spends around $2,707 per month in Manukau vs $1,503 in Lae, rent included.

Manukau $2,707
Lae $1,503

A family of three spends $3,661 per month in Manukau vs $2,166 in Lae, rent included.

Manukau $3,661
Lae $2,166

Manukau costs about 109% more than Lae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Manukau sits 30% above the global median, while Lae is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 NZ$21.04

$24.73 PGK 108

-51.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 NZ$119

$52.0 PGK 228

29.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 NZ$14.77

Cappuccino

$3.39 NZ$6.00

$2.71 PGK 11.87

25.09%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$0.76 PGK 3.34

163.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.07

$0.58 PGK 2.53

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 NZ$10.80

$3.32 PGK 14.51

84.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 NZ$9.83

$5.36 PGK 23.46

3.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 NZ$2.50

$1.95 PGK 8.55

-27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 NZ$2.28

$1.48 PGK 6.48

-12.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NZ$3.18

$1.26 PGK 5.52

42.86%

Eggs

$5.19 NZ$9.18

$4.05 PGK 17.74

28.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.64 NZ$9.97

$9.34 PGK 40.89

-39.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.23 NZ$12.79

$9.34 PGK 40.88

-22.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.66 NZ$20.63

$10.59 PGK 46.37

10.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 NZ$4.52

$4.40 PGK 19.24

-41.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$2.78 PGK 12.16

-26.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.16

$6.13 PGK 26.82

-52.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 NZ$9.99

$1.62 PGK 7.08

248.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 NZ$3.45

$3.51 PGK 15.39

-44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$2.28 PGK 9.99

-39.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.51

$0.65 PGK 2.85

204.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 NZ$1.60

$0.86 PGK 3.76

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.28 NZ$44.71

$6.63 PGK 29.01

281.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 NZ$17.91

$12.12 PGK 53.1

-16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$2.60 PGK 11.39

8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 NZ$5.89

$4.33 PGK 18.94

-23.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$0.35 PGK 1.54

405.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 NZ$161

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 NZ$4.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.55 NZ$55.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 NZ$3.01

$1.04 PGK 4.55

63.46%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

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

$22.3K NZ$39.4K

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

$56.2 NZ$99.3

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

$26.35 NZ$46.60

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.91 NZ$88.3

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.03 NZ$67.3

Cinema Ticket

$12.81 NZ$22.65

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

$675 NZ$1,194

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K NZ$34.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 NZ$109

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.04 NZ$65.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 NZ$165

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 NZ$194

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 NZ$1,690

$447 PGK 1,956

113.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 NZ$1,444

$269 PGK 1,176

204.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 NZ$2,821

$1,248 PGK 5,465

27.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 NZ$2,552

$619 PGK 2,711

132.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,910 NZ$8,683

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,309 NZ$5,852

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,744 NZ$3,085

$154 PGK 674

1033.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Manukau: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lae: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manukau

$817 46.6%

Lae

–

Groceries & Markets

Manukau

$276 15.8%

Lae

–

Eating Out

Manukau

$218 12.4%

Lae

–

Clothing & Footwear

Manukau

$136 7.8%

Lae

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manukau

$132 7.6%

Lae

–

Getting Around

Manukau

$110 6.3%

Lae

–

Sport & Entertainment

Manukau

$64 3.6%

Lae

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $956 in Manukau versus $447 in Lae. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1034% higher in Manukau, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Manukau versus $52.0 in Lae. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Manukau vs $307 in Lae – so Manukau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Manukau

🇵🇬 Lae

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

3 h behind Manukau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,000

250,948

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manukau Lae 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Manukau
Lae

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

Manukau vs Lae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manukau costs about 109% more than Lae, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,629 per month in Manukau and $1,260 in Lae. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lae, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,753 in Manukau and $840 in Lae. That's a gap of about 109%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Manukau – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lae, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Manukau at $1,753. In Lae it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manukau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lae – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lae. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manukau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.