Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Lae

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $825 a month against $2,026 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index

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🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,026

/mo nomad

Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$825

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: New Zealand is 66% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 145.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: New Zealand is 55.1% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 89.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$25.00

$24.56 PGK 108

-42.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 NZ$120

$50.0 PGK 219

34.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 NZ$16.23

Cappuccino

$3.26 NZ$5.82

$2.66 PGK 11.67

22.56%

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

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$0.79 PGK 3.47

175.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.34

$0.54 PGK 2.35

246.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 NZ$11.93

$3.27 PGK 14.33

104.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 NZ$12.06

$5.20 PGK 22.78

30.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.09

$2.02 PGK 8.85

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.47 PGK 6.42

26.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.28 PGK 5.61

39.06%

Eggs

$5.96 NZ$10.63

$3.95 PGK 17.30

50.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 NZ$14.38

$9.51 PGK 41.69

-15.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 NZ$16.74

$8.83 PGK 38.70

6.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 NZ$24.88

$10.71 PGK 46.93

30.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.87

$4.55 PGK 19.94

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.73

$2.78 PGK 12.18

-24.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 NZ$5.24

$6.04 PGK 26.46

-51.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 NZ$8.87

$1.51 PGK 6.64

229.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.60

$3.49 PGK 15.31

-42.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 NZ$2.64

$2.39 PGK 10.46

-38.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 NZ$3.64

$0.68 PGK 3.00

201.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NZ$1.88

$0.91 PGK 4.00

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 NZ$42.06

$6.58 PGK 28.83

258.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 NZ$15.92

$12.02 PGK 52.7

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 NZ$5.37

$2.47 PGK 10.81

21.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 NZ$5.62

$4.28 PGK 18.76

-26.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 NZ$3.30

$0.32 PGK 1.39

478.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 NZ$179

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 NZ$4.02

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 NZ$3.38

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.21 NZ$57.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$3.00

$0.96 PGK 4.23

75.00%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.3K

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

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

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

$155 NZ$277

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

$31.36 NZ$55.9

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.95 NZ$85.5

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.82 NZ$62.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 NZ$26.33

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 NZ$20.27

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

$879 NZ$1,566

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$29.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 NZ$122

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.27 NZ$62.8

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 NZ$163

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NZ$208

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 NZ$1,918

$445 PGK 1,951

141.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 NZ$1,641

$260 PGK 1,141

253.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,724 NZ$3,072

$1,193 PGK 5,228

44.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 NZ$2,631

$611 PGK 2,677

141.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,621 NZ$10.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,602 NZ$6,418

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,752 NZ$4,903

$157 PGK 689

1649.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lae: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$921 45.4%

Lae

–

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$312 15.4%

Lae

–

Eating Out

New Zealand

$242 11.9%

Lae

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$235 11.6%

Lae

–

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$141 6.9%

Lae

–

Getting Around

New Zealand

$120 5.9%

Lae

–

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$58 2.8%

Lae

–

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇵🇬 Lae

🕒 Local time

00:37 12:37 AM

21:37 9:37 PM

3 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

250,948

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.204 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 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 NZD in detail →

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New Zealand Lae 4,720 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

New Zealand vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Lae

PGK, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

New Zealand

Lae

New Zealand

Lae

New Zealand vs other spots: cost of living compared

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