Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Boroko

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $883 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Boroko

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

A single person spends $2,852 per month in Melbourne vs $883 in Boroko, rent included.

Melbourne $2,852
Boroko $883

A couple spends around $4,297 per month in Melbourne vs $1,279 in Boroko, rent included.

Melbourne $4,297
Boroko $1,279

A family of three spends $5,742 per month in Melbourne vs $1,676 in Boroko, rent included.

Melbourne $5,742
Boroko $1,676

Melbourne costs about 223% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 113% above the global median, while Boroko is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$7.32 PGK 32.06

142.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$34.97 PGK 153

142.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$5.65 PGK 24.74

115.22%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$2.49 PGK 10.91

57.83%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$0.73 PGK 3.22

330.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.68 PGK 2.99

257.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$2.57 PGK 11.28

285.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$3.60 PGK 15.78

130.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.51 PGK 6.60

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$1.20 PGK 5.27

150.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$1.22 PGK 5.34

136.07%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$3.69 PGK 16.19

47.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$4.91 PGK 21.53

115.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$5.74 PGK 25.15

67.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$6.51 PGK 28.52

130.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$3.93 PGK 17.21

5.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$3.13 PGK 13.74

-2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$2.68 PGK 11.76

23.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$2.67 PGK 11.69

78.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$2.84 PGK 12.45

7.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$0.85 PGK 3.75

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.13 PGK 4.94

119.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.43 PGK 1.87

279.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$5.51 PGK 24.16

699.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$4.87 PGK 21.33

155.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$1.13 PGK 4.95

371.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$1.58 PGK 6.93

226.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$0.43 PGK 1.88

793.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$29.80 PGK 131

374.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$4.54 PGK 19.87

-3.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.36 PGK 5.96

2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$11.18 PGK 48.99

166.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.79 PGK 3.47

84.81%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$20.6K PGK 90.3K

36.66%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.4K PGK 76.3K

49.07%

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

$233 A$334

$62.5 PGK 274

272.30%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$22.96 PGK 101

18.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$90.5 PGK 396

-36.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$42.26 PGK 185

24.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$14.52 PGK 63.6

55.79%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$6.56 PGK 28.73

160.67%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$328 PGK 1,438

623.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$2,247 PGK 9,848

1255.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$32.17 PGK 141

143.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$13.05 PGK 57.2

286.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$45.08 PGK 198

167.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$26.83 PGK 118

396.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$3,311 PGK 14.5K

-48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$225 PGK 984

524.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$3,352 PGK 14.7K

-0.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$224 PGK 982

1028.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

$356 PGK 1,561

1087.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-46.36%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Boroko: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Boroko

$225 25.2% 84% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Boroko

$211 23.6% 45.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Boroko

$176 19.7% 44.5% $141

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Boroko

$131 14.7% 58.2% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Boroko

$53 5.9% 69.4% $119

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Boroko

$43 4.8% 74.5% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Boroko

$55 6.2% 36.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,713 in Melbourne versus $3,311 in Boroko. 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 1087% higher in Melbourne, 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $35.00 in Boroko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $211 – making Boroko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇬 Boroko

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Boroko 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Boroko

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

Melbourne vs Boroko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 223% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne and $1,324 in Boroko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,373 per month in Melbourne and $328 in Boroko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,852 in Melbourne and $883 in Boroko. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Boroko – 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 Boroko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.