Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and American Samoa

Name: American Samoa
Address: AS

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $1,470 in American Samoa, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in American Samoa
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American Samoa Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,470

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Papua New Guinea and in American Samoa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Papua New Guinea and in American Samoa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,375 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $1,470 in American Samoa, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $1,375
American Samoa $1,470

A couple spends around $2,177 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $2,274 in American Samoa, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,177
American Samoa $2,274

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $3,079 in American Samoa, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,979
American Samoa $3,079

The regional cost range is wider in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427) than in American Samoa ($1,477–$1,477), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is roughly 6% lower than in American Samoa on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.77

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 PGK 193

$35.28 $35.28

25.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 PGK 23.84

$10.03 $10.03

-45.26%

Cappuccino

$2.29 PGK 9.97

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

$0.78 PGK 3.38

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PGK 2.85

$0.98 $0.98

-32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 PGK 17.55

$3.92 $3.92

3.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 PGK 8.07

$2.62 $2.62

-29.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.42

$2.83 $2.83

-47.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 PGK 5.93

$4.25 $4.25

-67.76%

Eggs

$3.72 PGK 16.14

$4.51 $4.51

-17.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.20

$10.30 $10.30

-39.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 PGK 24.86

$9.95 $9.95

-42.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 PGK 38.57

$11.47 $11.47

-22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.37

$5.93 $5.93

-32.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 PGK 14.47

$0.97 $0.97

243.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 PGK 26.42

$3.07 $3.07

98.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 PGK 22.74

$4.02 $4.02

30.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 PGK 13.79

$4.04 $4.04

-21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 PGK 11.86

$4.05 $4.05

-32.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.74

$2.05 $2.05

-1.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 PGK 5.12

$2.03 $2.03

-41.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 PGK 27.47

$11.31 $11.31

-44.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 PGK 47.00

$15.27 $15.27

-29.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.55

$1.02 $1.02

138.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 PGK 15.75

$3.00 $3.00

21.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.84

$1.96 $1.96

-78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

$122 $122

-78.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 PGK 21.91

$4.99 $4.99

1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.39

$2.03 $2.03

6.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.0

$30.26 $30.26

-59.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 PGK 4.45

$1.30 $1.30

-21.54%

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

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

$29.6K $29.6K

-4.90%

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

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

$19.7K $19.7K

12.86%

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

$94.0 PGK 408

$410 $410

-77.08%

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

$24.78 PGK 108

$29.48 $29.48

-15.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 PGK 460

$75.8 $75.8

39.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 PGK 281

$50.3 $50.3

28.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

$9.92 $9.92

136.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.45

$8.79 $8.79

0.68%

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

$503 PGK 2,186

$1,002 $1,002

-49.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

$9,850 $9,850

-43.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.04 PGK 157

$69.6 $69.6

-48.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 PGK 145

$49.84 $49.84

-32.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 PGK 268

$80.1 $80.1

-22.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 PGK 370

$100 $100

-14.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 PGK 5,939

$324 $324

322.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 PGK 2,184

$198 $198

154.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

$906 $906

196.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 PGK 4,647

$700 $700

52.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,843

$18.1K $18.1K

-88.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

$10.6K $10.6K

-65.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$415 PGK 1,803

$1,199 $1,199

-65.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

355.67%

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

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Last update for American Samoa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

American Samoa

$198 13.5% 60.7% $305

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

American Samoa

$367 25% 23.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

American Samoa

$515 35.1% 129% $291

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

American Samoa

$42 * 2.9% 67.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

American Samoa

$135 9.2% 38.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

American Samoa

$68 4.6% 17.6% $14

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

American Samoa

$145 9.9% 232% $101

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,741 in Papua New Guinea vs $327 in American Samoa. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,451 in Port Moresby and $327 in Pago Pago.

Average salary: $312 in Papua New Guinea vs $1,183 in American Samoa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 432% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 17% more in Papua New Guinea.

Public transport is 381% more expensive in American Samoa.

Salaries are about 3.8 times higher in American Samoa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in American Samoa.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇦🇸 American Samoa

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

23:23 11:23 PM

21 h behind Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

49,710

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea American Samoa 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
American Samoa

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

Papua New Guinea vs American Samoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 6% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, American Samoa costs about 7% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in American Samoa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

Papua New Guinea is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.