Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,391 a month against $2,372 in New Caledonia, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in New Caledonia
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New Caledonia Living Index
68

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

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🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,372

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,372 in New Caledonia versus $1,391 in Papua New Guinea.

New Caledonia $2,372
Papua New Guinea $1,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,753 in New Caledonia versus $2,213 in Papua New Guinea.

New Caledonia $3,753
Papua New Guinea $2,213

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,134 in New Caledonia versus $3,035 in Papua New Guinea.

New Caledonia $5,134
Papua New Guinea $3,035

Living in New Caledonia is roughly 71% more expensive than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: New Caledonia 76% above, Papua New Guinea 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 CFPF 2,210

$7.17 PGK 31.38

191.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 CFPF 12.1K

$44.04 PGK 193

159.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.78 CFPF 1,458

$5.47 PGK 23.94

151.92%

Cappuccino

$4.62 CFPF 488

$2.45 PGK 10.71

88.57%

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

$2.02 CFPF 213

$0.79 PGK 3.46

155.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 CFPF 134

$0.63 PGK 2.74

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 CFPF 1,007

$2.64 PGK 11.57

260.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CFPF 783

$4.11 PGK 18.01

80.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 CFPF 125

$1.89 PGK 8.28

-37.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.41 CFPF 361

$1.47 PGK 6.44

131.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CFPF 235

$1.38 PGK 6.04

61.59%

Eggs

$6.00 CFPF 635

$3.67 PGK 16.05

63.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.42 CFPF 3,112

$6.41 PGK 28.04

358.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.64 CFPF 2,924

$6.14 PGK 26.86

350.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.21 CFPF 2,985

$9.03 PGK 39.52

212.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 CFPF 490

$4.03 PGK 17.65

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$6.93 CFPF 733

$3.40 PGK 14.89

103.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.97 CFPF 631

$6.22 PGK 27.22

-4.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.00 CFPF 846

$5.20 PGK 22.75

53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$5.34 CFPF 565

$3.35 PGK 14.65

59.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 CFPF 394

$2.74 PGK 11.98

35.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.00 CFPF 423

$1.99 PGK 8.70

101.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 CFPF 153

$1.20 PGK 5.25

20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.80 CFPF 1,989

$6.42 PGK 28.09

192.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 CFPF 1,601

$10.81 PGK 47.30

39.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 CFPF 604

$2.38 PGK 10.44

139.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 PGK 15.96

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 CFPF 505

$0.47 PGK 2.04

914.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.65 PGK 117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 CFPF 722

$5.05 PGK 22.10

35.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 CFPF 114

$2.27 PGK 9.92

-52.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.06 CFPF 2,228

$12.47 PGK 54.6

68.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 CFPF 166

$1.01 PGK 4.40

55.45%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$29.2K PGK 127.6K

10.41%

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

$37.0K CFPF 3.9M

$23.3K PGK 101.8K

59.12%

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

$193 CFPF 20.4K

$93.6 PGK 410

106.29%

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

$44.24 CFPF 4,680

$25.43 PGK 111

73.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 CFPF 5,460

$106 PGK 466

-51.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 CFPF 5,419

$64.0 PGK 280

-19.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 CFPF 898

$24.51 PGK 107

-65.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.87 CFPF 1,468

$8.87 PGK 38.82

56.37%

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

$751 CFPF 79.5K

$528 PGK 2,313

42.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,263 CFPF 980.0K

$5,534 PGK 24.2K

67.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 CFPF 11.7K

$37.76 PGK 165

192.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 CFPF 6,918

$33.00 PGK 144

98.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 CFPF 10.0K

$64.0 PGK 280

47.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$245 CFPF 25.9K

$88.5 PGK 387

176.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 CFPF 75.1K

$1,366 PGK 5,979

-48.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 CFPF 81.2K

$507 PGK 2,219

51.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 CFPF 159.1K

$2,755 PGK 12.1K

-45.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 CFPF 138.4K

$1,102 PGK 4,822

18.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,696 CFPF 496.9K

$2,050 PGK 8,974

129.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,433 CFPF 363.3K

$3,771 PGK 16.5K

-8.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,751 CFPF 291.0K

$422 PGK 1,846

552.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

13.67

-77.10%

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

Last update for New Caledonia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Caledonia

$768 32.4%

Papua New Guinea

$507 36.5% 34% $261

Groceries & Markets

New Caledonia

$634 * 26.7%

Papua New Guinea

$301 21.6% 52.5% $333

Eating Out

New Caledonia

$339 14.3%

Papua New Guinea

$130 9.4% 61.6% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Caledonia

$289 12.2%

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.2% 22% $64

Clothing & Footwear

New Caledonia

$232 9.8%

Papua New Guinea

$100 7.2% 56.7% $132

Sport & Entertainment

New Caledonia

$79 3.3%

Papua New Guinea

$82 5.9% 3.4% $2.7

Getting Around

New Caledonia

$31 * 1.3%

Papua New Guinea

$45 3.2% 43.4% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $436 in New Caledonia, $753 in Papua New Guinea. Capital cities: $751 in Noumea vs $1,532 in Port Moresby.

National salary averages: $2,744 in New Caledonia, $314 in Papua New Guinea. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 73% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 184% more in New Caledonia.

Salaries are 774% higher in New Caledonia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Caledonia.

Good to know

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

1 h behind New Caledonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,500

8,935,000

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New Caledonia Papua New Guinea 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New Caledonia
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

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

At $2,372 per month in New Caledonia and $1,391 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 71% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Papua New Guinea 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.

In Papua New Guinea, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in New Caledonia 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; New Caledonia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.