Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,364

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,364 in Papua New Guinea versus $800 in China.

Papua New Guinea $1,364
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,170 in Papua New Guinea versus $1,266 in China.

Papua New Guinea $2,170
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,976 in Papua New Guinea versus $1,731 in China.

Papua New Guinea $2,976
China $1,731

Living in Papua New Guinea is roughly 70% more expensive than in China on average.

Papua New Guinea (1% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 31.04

$2.92 ¥19.50

142.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.55 PGK 195

$22.45 ¥150

98.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 PGK 23.42

$5.33 ¥35.65

0.38%

Cappuccino

$2.33 PGK 10.18

$3.04 ¥20.34

-23.36%

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

$0.79 PGK 3.44

$0.48 ¥3.23

64.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 PGK 2.92

$0.30 ¥2.02

123.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.35

$1.07 ¥7.12

142.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 PGK 17.38

$2.26 ¥15.11

75.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 PGK 7.88

$1.75 ¥11.70

2.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.57

$1.62 ¥10.80

-7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PGK 5.78

$0.99 ¥6.63

33.33%

Eggs

$3.63 PGK 15.89

$1.56 ¥10.44

132.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.49 PGK 28.42

$13.25 ¥88.6

-51.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.76 PGK 25.21

$3.37 ¥22.50

70.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 PGK 40.19

$11.39 ¥76.2

-19.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.52

$1.82 ¥12.19

119.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 PGK 14.39

$1.25 ¥8.34

163.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.15 PGK 26.93

$1.55 ¥10.39

296.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 PGK 22.42

$1.28 ¥8.55

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 PGK 14.41

$0.71 ¥4.72

363.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 PGK 12.20

$0.86 ¥5.75

224.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.79

$0.65 ¥4.36

209.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 PGK 4.94

$0.59 ¥3.97

91.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 PGK 28.66

$3.76 ¥25.14

74.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 PGK 46.94

$11.76 ¥78.6

-8.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 PGK 10.83

$0.91 ¥6.11

171.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 PGK 16.23

$1.62 ¥10.86

129.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 PGK 2.01

$0.31 ¥2.10

48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.35 PGK 111

$22.75 ¥152

11.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 PGK 21.07

$1.52 ¥10.17

216.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 PGK 9.73

$0.37 ¥2.50

500.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.5

$7.28 ¥48.66

67.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 PGK 4.27

$1.25 ¥8.38

-21.60%

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

$29.0K PGK 127.0K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

49.53%

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

$22.7K PGK 99.3K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

32.60%

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

$93.6 PGK 410

$55.5 ¥371

68.62%

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

$24.89 PGK 109

$8.29 ¥55.4

200.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 PGK 454

$10.97 ¥73.3

845.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 PGK 278

$40.38 ¥270

57.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.19 PGK 106

$14.76 ¥98.7

63.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 PGK 37.82

$6.76 ¥45.18

27.81%

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

$522 PGK 2,283

$465 ¥3,108

12.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,363 PGK 23.5K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-72.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.28 PGK 159

$46.32 ¥310

-21.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.70 PGK 148

$36.30 ¥243

-7.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.1 PGK 281

$76.3 ¥510

-15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 PGK 374

$78.8 ¥527

8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 PGK 5,855

$396 ¥2,646

237.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 PGK 2,167

$240 ¥1,604

106.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 PGK 11.8K

$822 ¥5,499

227.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 PGK 4,678

$466 ¥3,116

129.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,026 PGK 8,869

$4,544 ¥30.4K

-55.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,702 PGK 16.2K

$2,282 ¥15.3K

62.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$417 PGK 1,826

$1,075 ¥7,188

-61.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

3.46

295.09%

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

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 19, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$495 36.3%

China

$240 30% 51.6% $255

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$297 21.8%

China

$209 26.1% 29.7% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$222 16.3%

China

$75 9.3% 66.4% $147

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

China

$89 11.1% 30.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$99 7.2%

China

$107 13.4% 8.3% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$81 5.9%

China

$54 6.7% 33.4% $27

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$43 3.2%

China

$27 3.4% 36.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $751 in Papua New Guinea, $299 in China. Capital cities: $1,507 in Port Moresby vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $311 in Papua New Guinea, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 151% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 11% more in China.

Public transport is 143% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 180% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

18:52 6:52 PM

2 h behind Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea China 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 70% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $751 in Papua New Guinea and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Papua New Guinea it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Papua New Guinea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.