Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $2,125 in the Marshall Islands, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in the Marshall Islands
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Marshall Islands Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index

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🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,125

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Marshall Islands and in Papua New Guinea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,125 in the Marshall Islands versus $1,375 in Papua New Guinea.

Marshall Islands $2,125
Papua New Guinea $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,968 in the Marshall Islands versus $2,177 in Papua New Guinea.

Marshall Islands $2,968
Papua New Guinea $2,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in the Marshall Islands versus $2,979 in Papua New Guinea.

Marshall Islands $3,812
Papua New Guinea $2,979

Internal cost variation is higher in Papua New Guinea: monthly costs span $817 to $1,427, compared to $2,143–$2,143 in the Marshall Islands. City choice carries more weight in Papua New Guinea.

Living in the Marshall Islands is roughly 55% more expensive than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 $7.58

$7.09 PGK 30.77

6.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 $30.13

$44.44 PGK 193

-32.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 $10.49

$5.49 PGK 23.84

91.07%

Cappuccino

$4.44 $4.44

$2.29 PGK 9.97

93.89%

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

$1.86 $1.86

$0.78 PGK 3.38

138.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.66 PGK 2.85

360.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.59 PGK 11.24

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$4.04 PGK 17.55

26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.86 PGK 8.07

20.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.48 PGK 6.42

131.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.37 PGK 5.93

35.04%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$3.72 PGK 16.14

37.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.62 $30.62

$6.26 PGK 27.20

389.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$5.72 PGK 24.86

88.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.31 $18.31

$8.88 PGK 38.57

106.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$4.00 PGK 17.37

10.75%

Banana (1kg)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.33 PGK 14.47

116.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$6.08 PGK 26.42

42.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$5.24 PGK 22.74

147.33%

Potato (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$3.18 PGK 13.79

63.21%

Onion (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.73 PGK 11.86

106.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.01 PGK 8.74

92.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.18 PGK 5.12

59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.15 $6.15

$6.33 PGK 27.47

-2.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$10.82 PGK 47.00

-9.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.55

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$3.63 PGK 15.75

-34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.42 PGK 1.84

633.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$5.04 PGK 21.91

-44.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.39

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 $5.11

$12.21 PGK 53.0

-58.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.02 PGK 4.45

74.51%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

-10.02%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

54.53%

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

$252 $252

$94.0 PGK 408

168.43%

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

$37.24 $37.24

$24.78 PGK 108

50.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$106 PGK 460

-31.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.89 $37.89

$64.7 PGK 281

-41.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.45

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

$152 $152

$503 PGK 2,186

-69.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,612 $2,612

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

-52.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 $70.9

$36.04 PGK 157

96.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.81 $39.81

$33.40 PGK 145

19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.60 $29.60

$61.8 PGK 268

-52.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.47 $49.47

$85.3 PGK 370

-41.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 $766

$1,367 PGK 5,939

-44.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$886 $886

$503 PGK 2,184

76.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 $1,342

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

-50.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$1,070 PGK 4,647

19.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,843

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$988 $988

$415 PGK 1,803

138.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

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

Last update for the Marshall Islands: October 24, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marshall Islands

$886 41.7%

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6% 43.2% $383

Groceries & Markets

Marshall Islands

$539 * 25.4%

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6% 45% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marshall Islands

$363 17.1%

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3% 38% $138

Eating Out

Marshall Islands

$198 9.3%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 35.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Marshall Islands

$85 4%

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1% 14.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Marshall Islands

$38 * 1.8%

Papua New Guinea

$82 6% 117% $45

Getting Around

Marshall Islands

$15 * 0.7%

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2% 190% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $782 in the Marshall Islands, $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $782 in Majuro vs $1,451 in Port Moresby.

National salary averages: $1,004 in the Marshall Islands, $312 in Papua New Guinea. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 123% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 40% more in Papua New Guinea.

Salaries are about 3.2 times higher in the Marshall Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Marshall Islands.

Good to know

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

14:26 2:26 PM

2 h behind the Marshall Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,127

8,935,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.84 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

PGK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Marshall Islands Papua New Guinea 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marshall Islands
Papua New Guinea

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

Marshall Islands vs Papua New Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,125 per month in the Marshall Islands and $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, there’s a 55% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Papua New Guinea wins on affordability; the Marshall Islands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.