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: $2,648 in Nauru versus $682 in Papua New Guinea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,432 in Nauru versus $984 in Papua New Guinea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,216 in Nauru versus $1,286 in Papua New Guinea.

Living in Nauru is roughly 288% more expensive than Papua New Guinea on average.

Nauru (98% above) and Papua New Guinea (49% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.19 A$10.01

$7.87 PGK 34.33

-8.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.33 A$38.08

$47.75 PGK 208

-42.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 A$13.43

$5.90 PGK 25.72

63.39%

Cappuccino

$3.24 A$4.51

$2.31 PGK 10.08

40.26%

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

$0.97 A$1.35

$0.89 PGK 3.90

8.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 A$1.09

$0.75 PGK 3.26

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 A$8.82

$2.84 PGK 12.40

122.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.41

$4.44 PGK 19.38

3.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.01 A$4.20

$1.97 PGK 8.61

52.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 A$2.55

$1.58 PGK 6.88

15.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 PGK 6.44

Eggs

$3.89 PGK 16.95

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.00 PGK 26.16

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.96 A$18.06

$6.63 PGK 28.92

95.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.82 A$13.68

$9.04 PGK 39.43

8.63%

Apples (1kg)

$12.91 A$17.99

$4.07 PGK 17.75

217.20%

Banana (1kg)

$19.54 A$27.23

$2.74 PGK 11.97

613.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$13.27 A$18.49

$4.91 PGK 21.42

170.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.46

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.43

$3.44 PGK 14.99

-7.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.44

$2.49 PGK 10.86

27.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.27 A$4.56

$2.88 PGK 12.55

13.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.32

$1.05 PGK 4.59

58.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 A$16.04

$6.54 PGK 28.52

75.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 A$24.98

$11.23 PGK 48.97

59.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 PGK 10.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.40

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 A$1.79

$0.50 PGK 2.20

156.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.3 A$112

$27.86 PGK 122

188.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.66 A$9.28

$5.28 PGK 23.04

26.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.15 A$4.39

$2.48 PGK 10.84

27.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.23 A$54.7

$16.94 PGK 73.9

131.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.20

$1.11 PGK 4.84

42.34%

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

$32.1K A$44.8K

$24.0K PGK 104.7K

33.80%

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

$9,752 A$13.6K

$31.3K PGK 136.3K

-68.80%

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

$263 A$367

$102 PGK 447

156.95%

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

$6.60 A$9.19

$48.00 PGK 209

-86.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 A$36.19

$213 PGK 928

-87.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$0.01 A$0.01

$62.0 PGK 270

-99.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 A$18.42

$12.34 PGK 53.8

7.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 A$9.09

$9.78 PGK 42.65

-33.23%

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

$321 A$447

$434 PGK 1,893

-26.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,610 A$13.4K

$4,128 PGK 18.0K

132.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.81 A$17.85

$35.81 PGK 156

-64.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.02 A$13.96

$35.50 PGK 155

-71.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.95 A$45.91

$68.5 PGK 299

-51.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.3 A$91.1

$66.6 PGK 291

-1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,262 A$3,152

$3,043 PGK 13.3K

-25.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 A$2,290

$473 PGK 2,062

247.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,730 A$6,591

$3,230 PGK 14.1K

46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 A$5,379

$731 PGK 3,189

427.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,143 PGK 9,348

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,963 PGK 17.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,864

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: June 2, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $2,318 in Nauru, $1,958 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $2,318 in Yaren vs $2,151 in Port Moresby.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Nauru.

Public transport is 925% 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 $2,648 per month in Nauru and $845 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 214% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Papua New Guinea is simply cheaper day-to-day: 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 beats 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 works in regional areas but 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.