Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nauru and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in Nauru: $554 a month against $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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🇳🇷 Nauru

$554

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nauru 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 Nauru and in Papua New Guinea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $554 in Nauru versus $1,375 in Papua New Guinea.

Nauru $554
Papua New Guinea $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,973 in Nauru versus $2,177 in Papua New Guinea.

Nauru $2,973
Papua New Guinea $2,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,393 in Nauru versus $2,979 in Papua New Guinea.

Nauru $5,393
Papua New Guinea $2,979

Internal cost variation is higher in Papua New Guinea: monthly costs span $817 to $1,427, compared to $516–$516 in Nauru. City choice carries more weight in Papua New Guinea.

Living in Nauru costs about 60% less than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 A$15.09

$7.09 PGK 30.77

49.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.99 A$35.54

$44.44 PGK 193

-43.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 A$15.19

$5.49 PGK 23.84

94.54%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.09

$2.29 PGK 9.97

56.33%

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

$1.07 A$1.52

$0.78 PGK 3.38

37.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 A$1.51

$0.66 PGK 2.85

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 A$9.68

$2.59 PGK 11.24

162.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.04

$4.04 PGK 17.55

22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.18 A$4.52

$1.86 PGK 8.07

70.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.48 PGK 6.42

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 PGK 5.93

Eggs

$3.72 PGK 16.14

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.20

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 PGK 24.86

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 PGK 38.57

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.37

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 PGK 14.47

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 PGK 26.42

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 PGK 22.74

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 A$5.02

$3.18 PGK 13.79

11.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 A$5.14

$2.73 PGK 11.86

32.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 A$5.02

$2.01 PGK 8.74

75.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 PGK 5.12

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 PGK 27.47

Wine (Bottle)

$17.47 A$24.85

$10.82 PGK 47.00

61.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.55

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 PGK 15.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 A$1.96

$0.42 PGK 1.84

228.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.1 A$125

$26.21 PGK 114

236.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 A$9.77

$5.04 PGK 21.91

36.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.57 A$5.07

$2.16 PGK 9.39

65.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.64 A$59.2

$12.21 PGK 53.0

241.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.02 PGK 4.45

64.71%

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

$35.0K A$49.8K

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

24.37%

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

$10.6K A$15.1K

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

-52.21%

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

$94.0 PGK 408

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

$6.98 A$9.93

$24.78 PGK 108

-71.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.77 A$39.49

$106 PGK 460

-73.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$0.01 A$0.01

$64.7 PGK 281

-99.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.19 A$20.18

$23.49 PGK 102

-39.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.13 A$10.13

$8.85 PGK 38.45

-19.44%

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

$348 A$494

$503 PGK 2,186

-30.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K A$14.7K

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

86.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.27 A$20.29

$36.04 PGK 157

-60.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.73 A$15.26

$33.40 PGK 145

-67.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.22 A$50.1

$61.8 PGK 268

-42.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.8 A$97.8

$85.3 PGK 370

-19.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,846 A$4,047

$1,367 PGK 5,939

108.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 PGK 2,184

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,037 A$7,162

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

87.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,152 A$5,904

$1,070 PGK 4,647

288.05%

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)

$415 PGK 1,803

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

-70.74%

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

Last update for Nauru: October 26, 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

Nauru

–

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

Groceries & Markets

Nauru

–

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nauru

–

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

Eating Out

Nauru

–

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Nauru

–

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Nauru

–

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

Getting Around

Nauru

–

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $2,795 in Nauru, $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $2,795 in Yaren vs $1,451 in Port Moresby.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 61% higher in Nauru.

Dining out costs 68% more in Papua New Guinea.

Public transport is 231% more expensive in Nauru.

Good to know

🇳🇷 Nauru

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

2 h behind Nauru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,650

8,935,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nauru Papua New Guinea 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nauru
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

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

At $554 per month in Nauru and $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, there’s a 148% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Nauru 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: Nauru wins on affordability; Papua New Guinea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.