Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Papua New Guinea and in Australia

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 Australia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,375 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $1,375
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $2,177 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,177
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,979
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is roughly 48% lower than in Australia on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.77

$17.65 A$25.09

-59.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 PGK 193

$85.2 A$121

-47.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 PGK 23.84

$11.09 A$15.77

-50.50%

Cappuccino

$2.29 PGK 9.97

$3.90 A$5.54

-41.28%

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

$0.78 PGK 3.38

$2.85 A$4.05

-72.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PGK 2.85

$2.31 A$3.29

-71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.24

$7.53 A$10.70

-65.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 PGK 17.55

$8.59 A$12.21

-52.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 PGK 8.07

$1.76 A$2.50

5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.42

$2.81 A$3.99

-47.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 PGK 5.93

$2.24 A$3.19

-38.84%

Eggs

$3.72 PGK 16.14

$5.02 A$7.14

-25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.20

$9.87 A$14.03

-36.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 PGK 24.86

$9.32 A$13.25

-38.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 PGK 38.57

$14.86 A$21.13

-40.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.37

$3.82 A$5.43

4.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 PGK 14.47

$2.92 A$4.16

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 PGK 26.42

$3.13 A$4.46

94.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 PGK 22.74

$4.81 A$6.84

8.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 PGK 13.79

$2.80 A$3.98

13.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 PGK 11.86

$2.38 A$3.38

14.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.74

$2.37 A$3.37

-15.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 PGK 5.12

$1.65 A$2.35

-28.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 PGK 27.47

$39.13 A$55.6

-83.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 PGK 47.00

$13.93 A$19.80

-22.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.55

$4.96 A$7.05

-51.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 PGK 15.75

$5.17 A$7.35

-29.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.84

$2.42 A$3.44

-82.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

$94.6 A$135

-72.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 PGK 21.91

$3.49 A$4.97

44.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.39

$1.60 A$2.27

35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.0

$39.84 A$56.7

-69.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 PGK 4.45

$1.39 A$1.97

-26.62%

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

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

$30.0K A$42.7K

-6.22%

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

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

$25.8K A$36.6K

-13.72%

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

$94.0 PGK 408

$205 A$292

-54.17%

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

$24.78 PGK 108

$28.33 A$40.29

-12.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 PGK 460

$58.8 A$83.6

80.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 PGK 281

$55.7 A$79.1

16.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

$19.57 A$27.83

20.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.45

$15.38 A$21.87

-42.46%

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

$503 PGK 2,186

$2,145 A$3,050

-76.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-69.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.04 PGK 157

$78.3 A$111

-53.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 PGK 145

$56.3 A$80.0

-40.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 PGK 268

$115 A$164

-46.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 PGK 370

$123 A$175

-30.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 PGK 5,939

$1,591 A$2,262

-14.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 PGK 2,184

$1,293 A$1,838

-61.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

$2,524 A$3,590

6.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 PGK 4,647

$2,005 A$2,851

-46.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,843

$8,751 A$12.4K

-76.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

$6,260 A$8,901

-41.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$415 PGK 1,803

$3,984 A$5,665

-89.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

5.93

130.52%

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 Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 157% $790

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

Australia

$374 14.3% 26.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

Australia

$292 11.1% 30.1% $68

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Australia

$297 11.3% 133% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

Australia

$168 6.4% 72.2% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

Australia

$86 3.3% 4.9% $4

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

Australia

$116 4.4% 165% $72

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,741 in Papua New Guinea vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,451 in Port Moresby and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $312 in Papua New Guinea vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 26% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 100% more in Australia.

Public transport is 223% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 12 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h ahead of Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea Australia 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
Australia

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 Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 91% price gap.

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.