Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,469 a month against $1,769 in Oamaru, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

Jump to prices

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,769

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oamaru 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 Oamaru and in Port Moresby actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Oamaru versus $1,469 in Port Moresby.

Oamaru $1,769
Port Moresby $1,469

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,802 in Oamaru versus $2,315 in Port Moresby.

Oamaru $2,802
Port Moresby $2,315

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,834 in Oamaru versus $3,161 in Port Moresby.

Oamaru $3,834
Port Moresby $3,161

Living in Oamaru is roughly 20% more expensive than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oamaru 31% above, Port Moresby 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 NZ$24.53

$7.76 PGK 33.97

78.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 NZ$120

$44.08 PGK 193

53.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 NZ$16.23

$5.61 PGK 24.55

63.64%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$2.54 PGK 11.13

29.92%

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

$2.33 NZ$4.12

$0.74 PGK 3.23

214.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$0.69 PGK 3.00

157.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 NZ$11.63

$3.03 PGK 13.28

117.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 NZ$12.22

$3.68 PGK 16.10

87.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.94

$1.83 PGK 8.02

-8.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 NZ$2.27

$1.50 PGK 6.55

-14.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$1.36 PGK 5.97

10.29%

Eggs

$5.48 NZ$9.70

$3.74 PGK 16.38

46.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 NZ$12.83

$8.93 PGK 39.08

-18.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 NZ$15.69

$4.94 PGK 21.64

79.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 NZ$24.04

$9.55 PGK 41.82

42.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$4.41 PGK 19.31

-45.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$3.27 PGK 14.29

-38.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NZ$4.76

$7.28 PGK 31.87

-63.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.25

$6.46 PGK 28.27

-54.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$3.08 PGK 13.49

-51.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 NZ$2.35

$2.99 PGK 13.10

-55.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$2.35 PGK 10.29

-12.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 NZ$1.24

$1.33 PGK 5.82

-47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.24 NZ$42.87

$6.51 PGK 28.52

272.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 NZ$9.63

$10.94 PGK 47.88

-50.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 NZ$5.96

$2.70 PGK 11.83

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 NZ$7.60

$3.53 PGK 15.43

21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 NZ$2.64

$0.47 PGK 2.05

217.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NZ$157

$22.74 PGK 99.5

291.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 NZ$4.52

$4.91 PGK 21.51

-48.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.87 NZ$49.29

$14.72 PGK 64.4

89.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.79

$1.00 PGK 4.38

58.00%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

-50.25%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.2K

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

37.75%

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

$158 NZ$279

$118 PGK 516

34.01%

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

$19.36 NZ$34.24

$20.84 PGK 91.2

-7.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.43 NZ$80.3

$82.2 PGK 360

-44.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.08 NZ$69.1

$61.7 PGK 270

-36.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 NZ$17.65

$8.80 PGK 38.51

13.41%

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

$668 NZ$1,181

$563 PGK 2,465

18.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

247.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 NZ$99.7

$35.46 PGK 155

58.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.83 NZ$29.77

$33.95 PGK 149

-50.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.83 NZ$79.3

$69.7 PGK 305

-35.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.3 NZ$88.9

$96.3 PGK 422

-47.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 NZ$1,720

$1,532 PGK 6,706

-36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 NZ$1,398

$564 PGK 2,470

40.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,725 NZ$3,051

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

-39.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 NZ$2,884

$1,182 PGK 5,172

38.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 NZ$8,403

$2,085 PGK 9,129

127.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,236 NZ$5,724

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

-14.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,926 NZ$3,405

$427 PGK 1,870

350.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

12.17

-51.44%

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

Last update for Oamaru: October 11, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oamaru

$790 44.7%

Port Moresby

$564 38.4% 28.6% $226

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$274 15.5%

Port Moresby

$320 21.8% 16.7% $46

Eating Out

Oamaru

$241 13.6%

Port Moresby

$138 9.4% 43% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$223 12.6%

Port Moresby

$221 15% 0.8% $1.8

Getting Around

Oamaru

$106 6%

Port Moresby

$41 2.8% 61.5% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$76 4.3%

Port Moresby

$106 7.2% 39.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Port Moresby

$79 5.4% 34.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $973 in Oamaru and $1,532 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oamaru pays 351% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Oamaru vs $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $320, with Oamaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

12:38 12:38 PM

3 h behind Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oamaru Port Moresby 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
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

Oamaru vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 351% higher in Oamaru, 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: $973 in Oamaru versus $1,532 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Oamaru pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Moresby – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $68.0 in Oamaru. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,769 in Oamaru, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Oamaru. The gap between the two cities makes Port Moresby 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, Oamaru 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 Port Moresby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Oamaru. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.