Cost of Living Comparison Between Nauru and Papua New Guinea Cost of Living Comparison Between Nauru and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,717 in Nauru versus $687 in Papua New Guinea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,457 in Nauru versus $987 in Papua New Guinea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,197 in Nauru versus $1,287 in Papua New Guinea.

Living in Nauru is roughly 295% more expensive than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Nauru (103% above) and Papua New Guinea (49% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.98 A$9.99

$7.79 PGK 34.27

-10.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.78 A$39.77

$47.76 PGK 210

-41.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 A$14.22

$5.87 PGK 25.82

69.17%

Cappuccino

$3.17 A$4.54

$2.32 PGK 10.23

36.64%

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

$1.01 A$1.45

$0.84 PGK 3.69

20.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 A$1.22

$0.73 PGK 3.22

16.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 A$9.49

$2.85 PGK 12.55

132.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 A$6.45

$4.66 PGK 20.51

-3.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.98 A$4.26

$1.94 PGK 8.54

53.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 A$2.51

$1.54 PGK 6.78

13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 PGK 6.62

Eggs

$3.88 PGK 17.06

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.53

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 A$18.39

$6.44 PGK 28.34

99.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.08

$9.18 PGK 40.39

7.19%

Apples (1kg)

$12.89 A$18.46

$4.06 PGK 17.88

217.49%

Banana (1kg)

$19.30 A$27.64

$2.74 PGK 12.07

604.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$13.23 A$18.94

$4.75 PGK 20.91

178.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 PGK 16.85

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$3.31 PGK 14.58

0.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$2.53 PGK 11.13

31.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 A$4.79

$2.99 PGK 13.15

12.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.35

$1.05 PGK 4.63

56.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.75 A$16.82

$6.35 PGK 27.96

85.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.25 A$24.69

$11.06 PGK 48.65

55.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 PGK 11.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 PGK 15.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 A$1.90

$0.50 PGK 2.19

166.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.4 A$117

$28.57 PGK 126

184.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 A$9.22

$5.48 PGK 24.13

17.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 A$4.35

$2.43 PGK 10.69

25.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.6

$16.47 PGK 72.5

140.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.08 PGK 4.76

43.52%

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

$32.5K A$46.5K

$23.7K PGK 104.3K

37.06%

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

$9,591 A$13.7K

$31.7K PGK 139.4K

-69.73%

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

$256 A$367

$101 PGK 445

153.52%

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

$6.48 A$9.27

$48.55 PGK 214

-86.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.89 A$37.06

$209 PGK 919

-87.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$0.01 A$0.01

$63.4 PGK 279

-99.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.17 A$18.85

$12.39 PGK 54.5

6.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 A$9.27

$9.39 PGK 41.30

-31.10%

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

$325 A$466

$439 PGK 1,931

-25.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,763 A$14.0K

$4,095 PGK 18.0K

138.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.85 A$18.40

$34.78 PGK 153

-63.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.02 A$14.35

$36.12 PGK 159

-72.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.88 A$47.07

$67.2 PGK 296

-51.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.3 A$92.1

$65.3 PGK 287

-1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,302 A$3,295

$3,107 PGK 13.7K

-25.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 A$2,294

$480 PGK 2,110

234.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,703 A$6,733

$3,175 PGK 14.0K

48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,904 A$5,589

$712 PGK 3,132

448.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,131 PGK 9,377

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,874 PGK 17.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$432 PGK 1,899

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.75

-68.63%

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

Last update for Nauru: July 13, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $2,308 in Nauru, $1,962 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $2,308 in Yaren vs $2,203 in Port Moresby.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Nauru.

Public transport is 900% more expensive in Nauru.

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

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

At $2,717 per month in Nauru and $851 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 219% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Papua New Guinea: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Nauru is consistently higher than in Papua New Guinea across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Papua New Guinea, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Nauru it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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