Cost of Living Comparison Between Northern Mariana Islands and Papua New Guinea Cost of Living Comparison Between Northern Mariana Islands and Papua New Guinea

😐 Solo nomad: Northern Mariana Islands is 5.8% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 17.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Northern Mariana Islands is 18.5% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 23.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.32 $11.32
$7.74 PGK 31.61
46.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.27 $39.27
$48.51 PGK 198
-19.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.89 $11.89
$5.95 PGK 24.28
99.83%
Cappuccino
$5.05 $5.05
$2.41 PGK 9.85
109.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 $1.65
$0.92 PGK 3.77
79.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 $1.35
$0.74 PGK 3.02
82.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.94 $5.94
$2.85 PGK 11.64
108.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95 $5.95
$4.48 PGK 18.27
32.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.92 PGK 7.82
17.19%
White Bread (500g)
$3.35 $3.35
$1.6 PGK 6.55
109.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$44.55 $44.55
$1.46 PGK 5.96
2951.37%
Eggs
$6.21 $6.21
$3.84 PGK 15.67
61.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$6 PGK 24.49
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.02 $13.02
$6.48 PGK 26.44
100.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$8.82 PGK 36.01
-
Apples (1kg)
$6.71 $6.71
$4.03 PGK 16.44
66.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$2.86 PGK 11.66
-22.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.4 $6.4
$4.77 PGK 19.47
34.17%
Tomato (1kg)
-
$3.94 PGK 16.1
-
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 $2.03
$3.43 PGK 14.02
-40.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.34 $2.34
$2.43 PGK 9.93
-3.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.92 $4.92
$2.86 PGK 11.69
72.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.06 PGK 4.33
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$6.47 PGK 26.4
-
Wine (Bottle)
$14.8 $14.8
$11.51 PGK 46.99
28.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.55 PGK 10.42
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.49 PGK 14.25
-
🚌 Getting Around
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.5 PGK 2.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.44 PGK 116
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.31 $6.31
$5.29 PGK 21.61
19.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 $1.89
$2.47 PGK 10.09
-23.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$16.57 PGK 67.6
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.08 PGK 4.41
35.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.7K $36.7K
$24.4K PGK 99.5K
50.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K $23.2K
$31.1K PGK 127.1K
-25.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$327 $327
$104 PGK 425
214.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$64.9 $64.9
$49.18 PGK 201
31.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.9 $59.9
$214 PGK 874
-72.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.91 $47.91
$63.9 PGK 261
-25.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$12.47 PGK 50.9
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.17 $8.17
$9.64 PGK 39.34
-15.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$443 PGK 1,809
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,050 $6,050
$4,146 PGK 16.9K
45.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.42 $30.42
$35.37 PGK 144
-13.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.84 $39.84
$35.57 PGK 145
12.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69 $69
$67.9 PGK 277
1.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.6 $55.6
$65.3 PGK 267
-14.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$628 $628
$3,032 PGK 12.4K
-79.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$446 $446
$487 PGK 1,990
-8.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,066 $1,066
$3,232 PGK 13.2K
-67.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$952 $952
$732 PGK 2,986
30.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,592 PGK 6,498
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.9K $12.9K
$4,419 PGK 18K
191.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,027 $1,027
$396 PGK 1,616
159.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
12.75
-

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

Last update for Northern Mariana Islands: October 28, 2025

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 29, 2025

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