Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuku'alofa and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku'alofa: $1,019 a month against $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Nuku'alofa
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Nuku'alofa Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,019

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nuku'alofa and in Port Moresby

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nuku'alofa and in Port Moresby actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,019 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,532 in Port Moresby.

Nuku'alofa $1,019
Port Moresby $1,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,886 in Nuku'alofa versus $2,418 in Port Moresby.

Nuku'alofa $1,886
Port Moresby $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,752 in Nuku'alofa versus $3,305 in Port Moresby.

Nuku'alofa $2,752
Port Moresby $3,305

Living in Nuku'alofa costs roughly 33% less than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nuku'alofa is 24% below, Port Moresby is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.52 TOP 20.43

$7.76 PGK 33.99

9.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 TOP 148

$43.89 PGK 192

40.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 TOP 24.74

$5.38 PGK 23.59

91.82%

Cappuccino

$2.93 TOP 7.02

$2.44 PGK 10.69

20.08%

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

$2.82 TOP 6.75

$0.77 PGK 3.38

266.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 6.03

$0.67 PGK 2.95

276.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 TOP 8.09

$2.91 PGK 12.74

16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 TOP 12.07

$3.56 PGK 15.60

41.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.64

$1.82 PGK 7.97

-16.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 TOP 2.56

$1.54 PGK 6.74

-30.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 TOP 5.07

$1.39 PGK 6.09

51.80%

Eggs

$4.97 TOP 11.91

$3.62 PGK 15.86

37.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 TOP 20.98

$8.64 PGK 37.85

1.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 TOP 14.16

$5.60 PGK 24.56

5.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 TOP 18.75

$9.92 PGK 43.47

-21.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 TOP 6.69

$4.21 PGK 18.45

-33.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.49

$3.12 PGK 13.67

-13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 TOP 6.87

$7.01 PGK 30.72

-59.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 TOP 8.82

$6.56 PGK 28.75

-43.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 TOP 7.57

$3.40 PGK 14.92

-7.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.34

$2.92 PGK 12.79

-9.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 TOP 5.46

$2.33 PGK 10.21

-2.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 TOP 3.40

$1.29 PGK 5.64

10.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 TOP 24.54

$6.26 PGK 27.45

63.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 TOP 41.62

$10.73 PGK 47.05

61.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 TOP 7.51

$2.54 PGK 11.11

23.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 TOP 8.18

$3.51 PGK 15.39

-2.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 TOP 5.12

$0.42 PGK 1.86

409.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.65 TOP 99.8

$21.95 PGK 96.2

89.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 TOP 4.92

$5.43 PGK 23.79

-62.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 TOP 4.96

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.16 TOP 98.7

$15.47 PGK 67.8

166.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.53

$0.94 PGK 4.13

56.38%

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

$5,817 TOP 13.9K

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

-88.17%

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

$8,461 TOP 20.3K

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

-50.96%

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

$188 TOP 450

$117 PGK 513

60.19%

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

$22.27 TOP 53.4

$22.67 PGK 99.4

-1.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$123 TOP 294

$91.2 PGK 400

34.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 TOP 75.8

$60.2 PGK 264

-47.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 TOP 97.6

$22.04 PGK 96.6

84.75%

Cinema Ticket

$40.75 TOP 97.7

$8.74 PGK 38.31

366.25%

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

$157 TOP 376

$836 PGK 3,665

-81.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$248 TOP 593

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

-96.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.35 TOP 34.38

$32.86 PGK 144

-56.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.98 TOP 43.09

$31.67 PGK 139

-43.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.42 TOP 48.93

$136 PGK 595

-84.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.28 TOP 70.2

$160 PGK 702

-81.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 TOP 1,484

$1,577 PGK 6,912

-60.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 PGK 2,414

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 TOP 1,992

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

-72.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 TOP 1,342

$1,129 PGK 4,946

-50.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$418 TOP 1,001

$2,035 PGK 8,918

-79.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$252 TOP 603

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

-93.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 TOP 1,630

$429 PGK 1,882

58.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

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

Last update for Nuku'alofa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuku'alofa

$332 32.6%

Port Moresby

$231 15.2% 30.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Nuku'alofa

$292 28.6%

Port Moresby

$320 21.1% 9.7% $28

Eating Out

Nuku'alofa

$183 17.9%

Port Moresby

$135 8.9% 26.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Nuku'alofa

$113 11.1%

Port Moresby

$78 5.1% 31.3% $35

Getting Around

Nuku'alofa

$63 6.1%

Port Moresby

$40 2.7% 35.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6%

Port Moresby

$162 10.7% 339% $125

Accommodation & Living

Nuku'alofa

- * 0%

Port Moresby

$551 36.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Nuku'alofa and $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nuku'alofa pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Nuku'alofa vs $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $320, with Nuku'alofa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

14:44 2:44 PM

3 h behind Nuku'alofa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,500 Capital

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.417 USD

1 TOP = 0.372 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.4 TOP (1 TOP = 0.417 USD). 1 EUR = 2.69 TOP (1 TOP = 0.372 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nuku'alofa Port Moresby 4,230 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nuku'alofa
Port Moresby

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

Nuku'alofa vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuku'alofa and Port Moresby differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,019 vs $1,532 including rent). Nuku'alofa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Nuku'alofa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nuku'alofa – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,019 per month in Nuku'alofa versus $1,532 in Port Moresby – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,019 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,532 in Port Moresby, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nuku'alofa but tight or insufficient in Port Moresby. The gap between the two cities makes Nuku'alofa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nuku'alofa and Port Moresby are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nuku'alofa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Port Moresby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.