Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,375 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $1,375
Canada $2,310

A couple spends around $2,177 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,177
Canada $3,356

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,979
Canada $4,403

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is roughly 40% lower than in Canada on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.77

$18.16 CA$25.40

-60.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 PGK 193

$71.2 CA$99.6

-37.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 PGK 23.84

$10.81 CA$15.12

-49.21%

Cappuccino

$2.29 PGK 9.97

$3.78 CA$5.28

-39.42%

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

$0.78 PGK 3.38

$2.11 CA$2.96

-63.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PGK 2.85

$1.66 CA$2.32

-60.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.24

$5.62 CA$7.86

-53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 PGK 17.55

$5.72 CA$8.00

-29.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 PGK 8.07

$2.17 CA$3.04

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.42

$2.60 CA$3.64

-43.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 PGK 5.93

$3.65 CA$5.11

-62.47%

Eggs

$3.72 PGK 16.14

$3.63 CA$5.07

2.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.20

$10.76 CA$15.06

-41.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 PGK 24.86

$11.90 CA$16.64

-51.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 PGK 38.57

$15.42 CA$21.57

-42.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.37

$4.03 CA$5.63

-0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 PGK 14.47

$1.38 CA$1.94

141.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 PGK 26.42

$3.88 CA$5.42

56.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 PGK 22.74

$4.08 CA$5.71

28.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 PGK 13.79

$2.57 CA$3.59

23.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 PGK 11.86

$2.48 CA$3.46

10.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.74

$2.65 CA$3.70

-24.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 PGK 5.12

$1.71 CA$2.40

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 PGK 27.47

$14.32 CA$20.03

-55.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 PGK 47.00

$13.49 CA$18.86

-19.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.55

$2.84 CA$3.97

-14.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 PGK 15.75

$3.30 CA$4.62

10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.84

$2.55 CA$3.57

-83.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

$71.9 CA$101

-63.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 PGK 21.91

$3.18 CA$4.45

58.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.39

$1.54 CA$2.15

40.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.0

$26.69 CA$37.33

-54.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 PGK 4.45

$1.24 CA$1.74

-17.74%

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

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

0.94%

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

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

5.47%

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

$94.0 PGK 408

$147 CA$206

-36.24%

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

$24.78 PGK 108

$41.80 CA$58.5

-40.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 PGK 460

$60.2 CA$84.2

75.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 PGK 281

$39.01 CA$54.6

65.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

$19.06 CA$26.66

23.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.45

$11.21 CA$15.68

-21.05%

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

$503 PGK 2,186

$721 CA$1,009

-30.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

$14.8K CA$20.8K

-62.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.04 PGK 157

$55.3 CA$77.3

-34.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 PGK 145

$38.95 CA$54.5

-14.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 PGK 268

$87.4 CA$122

-29.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 PGK 370

$101 CA$142

-15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 PGK 5,939

$1,290 CA$1,805

5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 PGK 2,184

$1,130 CA$1,581

-55.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

$2,036 CA$2,848

32.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 PGK 4,647

$1,731 CA$2,421

-38.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,843

$4,769 CA$6,670

-57.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

$3,730 CA$5,217

-1.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$415 PGK 1,803

$3,070 CA$4,293

-86.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

4.87

180.70%

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 Canada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 125% $627

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

Canada

$371 16.1% 25.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

Canada

$249 10.8% 11% $25

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Canada

$278 12% 118% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

Canada

$127 5.5% 30.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

Canada

$61 2.7% 25.4% $21

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

Canada

$93 4% 113% $49

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,741 in Papua New Guinea vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,451 in Port Moresby and $1,434 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $312 in Papua New Guinea vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 39% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 52% more in Canada.

Public transport is 154% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 9.5 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

04:19 4:19 AM

14 h behind Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

36,991,981

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea Canada 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
Canada

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 Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 40% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea – part of why living there is about 40% cheaper overall.

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.