Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne 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 Melbourne and in Port Moresby actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,532 in Port Moresby.

Melbourne $2,852
Port Moresby $1,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $2,418 in Port Moresby.

Melbourne $4,297
Port Moresby $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $3,305 in Port Moresby.

Melbourne $5,742
Port Moresby $3,305

Living in Melbourne is roughly 86% more expensive than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 113% above, Port Moresby 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$7.76 PGK 33.98

128.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$43.89 PGK 192

93.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$5.38 PGK 23.58

126.02%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$2.44 PGK 10.69

61.07%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$0.77 PGK 3.38

307.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.67 PGK 2.95

262.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$2.91 PGK 12.74

240.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$3.56 PGK 15.59

132.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.82 PGK 7.97

-14.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$1.54 PGK 6.74

95.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$1.39 PGK 6.09

107.19%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$3.62 PGK 15.86

50.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$8.64 PGK 37.85

22.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$5.60 PGK 24.55

71.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$9.92 PGK 43.46

51.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$4.21 PGK 18.45

-1.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$3.12 PGK 13.67

-2.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$7.01 PGK 30.72

-52.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$6.56 PGK 28.75

-27.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$3.40 PGK 14.92

-10.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$2.92 PGK 12.79

-12.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$2.33 PGK 10.20

6.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.29 PGK 5.64

26.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$6.26 PGK 27.45

603.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$10.73 PGK 47.04

15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$2.54 PGK 11.11

109.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$3.51 PGK 15.38

47.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$0.42 PGK 1.86

814.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$21.95 PGK 96.2

544.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$5.43 PGK 23.79

-18.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-37.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$15.47 PGK 67.8

92.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.94 PGK 4.13

55.32%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

-42.78%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

50.38%

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

$233 A$334

$117 PGK 513

98.64%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$22.67 PGK 99.4

20.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$91.2 PGK 399

-37.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$60.2 PGK 264

-12.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$22.04 PGK 96.6

2.63%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$8.74 PGK 38.31

95.65%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$836 PGK 3,665

183.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

388.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$32.86 PGK 144

138.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$31.67 PGK 139

59.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$136 PGK 595

-11.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$160 PGK 702

-16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$1,577 PGK 6,911

8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$551 PGK 2,414

154.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

9.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$1,129 PGK 4,945

124.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$2,035 PGK 8,917

244.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

80.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

$429 PGK 1,881

884.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

12.17

-51.52%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Port Moresby

$551 36.3% 60.7% $851

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Port Moresby

$320 21.1% 17% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Port Moresby

$231 15.2% 27.1% $86

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Port Moresby

$135 8.9% 57% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Port Moresby

$162 10.7% 5.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Port Moresby

$40 2.7% 76% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Port Moresby

$78 5.1% 10.6% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 885% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $44.00 in Port Moresby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $320 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

364,145 Capital

💱 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 = 0.204 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 = 0.204 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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

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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 Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Port Moresby differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,532 including rent). Port Moresby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 885% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $836 in Port Moresby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Port Moresby 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.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Port Moresby are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Port Moresby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.