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 14.3% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 20.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Northern Mariana Islands is 16.5% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 26.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.62 $11.62
$7.68 PGK 33.01
51.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.42 $40.42
$48.05 PGK 207
-15.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.12 $12.12
$6.01 PGK 25.85
101.66%
Cappuccino
$5.04 $5.04
$2.39 PGK 10.27
110.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 $1.65
$0.86 PGK 3.70
91.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 $1.35
$0.75 PGK 3.22
80.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.11 $6.11
$2.95 PGK 12.69
107.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.03 $6.03
$4.60 PGK 19.76
31.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.90 PGK 8.18
18.42%
White Bread (500g)
$3.41 $3.41
$1.54 PGK 6.62
121.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$45.88 $45.88
$1.48 PGK 6.35
3000.00%
Eggs
$6.26 $6.26
$3.87 PGK 16.64
61.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$6.10 PGK 26.25
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.20 $13.20
$6.68 PGK 28.71
97.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.12 PGK 39.21
-
Apples (1kg)
$6.70 $6.70
$4.06 PGK 17.46
65.02%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$2.81 PGK 12.06
-21.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.61 $6.61
$4.66 PGK 20.02
41.85%
Tomato (1kg)
-
$3.90 PGK 16.75
-
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 $2.14
$3.26 PGK 14.02
-34.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 $2.25
$2.51 PGK 10.78
-10.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.92 $4.92
$2.86 PGK 12.30
72.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.06 PGK 4.55
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$6.58 PGK 28.28
-
Wine (Bottle)
$15.24 $15.24
$11.56 PGK 49.69
31.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.63 PGK 11.32
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.57 PGK 15.33
-
🚌 Getting Around
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.46 PGK 1.97
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.19 PGK 121
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.37 $6.37
$5.37 PGK 23.09
18.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 $1.91
$2.49 PGK 10.72
-23.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$17.09 PGK 73.5
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 $1.42
$1.08 PGK 4.66
31.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.5K $36.5K
$24.3K PGK 104.4K
50.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K $22.6K
$31.3K PGK 134.5K
-27.69%
🧾 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
$101 PGK 435
223.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$63.9 $63.9
$49.31 PGK 212
29.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.3 $60.3
$212 PGK 910
-71.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.16 $48.16
$63.9 PGK 275
-24.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$12.20 PGK 52.5
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.83 $7.83
$9.87 PGK 42.44
-20.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$441 PGK 1,895
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,895 $5,895
$4,036 PGK 17.4K
46.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.60 $30.60
$35.90 PGK 154
-14.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.75 $40.75
$36.17 PGK 156
12.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.6 $69.6
$66.8 PGK 287
4.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.0 $55.0
$66.0 PGK 284
-16.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$626 $626
$3,146 PGK 13.5K
-80.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$450 $450
$471 PGK 2,025
-4.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 $1,053
$3,173 PGK 13.6K
-66.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$979 $979
$723 PGK 3,111
35.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,645 PGK 11.4K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.0K $13.0K
$3,986 PGK 17.1K
225.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Northern Mariana Islands
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$990 $990
$402 PGK 1,730
146.04%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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