Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Fiji

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $1,035 a month against $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,364
/mo nomad
🇫🇯 Fiji
$1,035
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $1,054 in Fiji, rent included.

  • Papua New Guinea $1,364
  • Fiji $1,054

A couple spends around $2,170 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $1,723 in Fiji, rent included.

  • Papua New Guinea $2,170
  • Fiji $1,723

A family of three spends $2,976 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $2,392 in Fiji, rent included.

  • Papua New Guinea $2,976
  • Fiji $2,392

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is about 29% higher than in Fiji on average.

Papua New Guinea sits 1% above the global median, while Fiji is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.09 PGK 31.04
$5.16 FJD 11.56
37.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.55 PGK 195
$40.29 FJD 90.2
10.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.35 PGK 23.42
$6.91 FJD 15.48
-22.58%
Cappuccino
$2.33 PGK 10.18
$2.94 FJD 6.57
-20.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 PGK 3.44
$1.51 FJD 3.39
-47.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 PGK 2.92
$1.02 FJD 2.27
-34.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 PGK 11.35
$3.07 FJD 6.87
-15.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.97 PGK 17.38
$4.26 FJD 9.54
-6.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 PGK 7.88
$1.34 FJD 3.00
34.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.50 PGK 6.57
$0.70 FJD 1.57
114.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.32 PGK 5.78
$1.11 FJD 2.49
18.92%
Eggs
$3.63 PGK 15.89
$3.29 FJD 7.37
10.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.49 PGK 28.42
$9.30 FJD 20.81
-30.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.76 PGK 25.21
$9.24 FJD 20.68
-37.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.18 PGK 40.19
$7.94 FJD 17.79
15.62%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 PGK 17.52
$2.56 FJD 5.74
56.25%
Banana (1kg)
$3.29 PGK 14.39
$2.66 FJD 5.97
23.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.15 PGK 26.93
$3.32 FJD 7.43
85.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.12 PGK 22.42
$2.85 FJD 6.39
79.65%
Potato (1kg)
$3.29 PGK 14.41
$1.23 FJD 2.75
167.48%
Onion (1kg)
$2.79 PGK 12.20
$1.18 FJD 2.64
136.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 PGK 8.79
$1.02 FJD 2.28
97.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 PGK 4.94
$0.81 FJD 1.81
39.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.55 PGK 28.66
$9.52 FJD 21.32
-31.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.72 PGK 46.94
$8.28 FJD 18.55
29.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 PGK 10.83
$2.29 FJD 5.14
7.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.71 PGK 16.23
$3.64 FJD 8.15
1.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 PGK 2.01
$0.78 FJD 1.74
-41.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.35 PGK 111
$22.41 FJD 50.2
13.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.81 PGK 21.07
$0.87 FJD 1.94
452.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 PGK 9.73
$0.45 FJD 1.01
393.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.21 PGK 53.5
$8.79 FJD 19.67
38.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 PGK 4.27
$1.32 FJD 2.96
-25.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.0K PGK 127.0K
$24.2K FJD 54.1K
19.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K PGK 99.3K
$25.7K FJD 57.5K
-11.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.6 PGK 410
$57.0 FJD 128
64.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.89 PGK 109
$14.14 FJD 31.66
76.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$104 PGK 454
$20.36 FJD 45.58
409.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.6 PGK 278
$36.65 FJD 82.1
73.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.19 PGK 106
$7.10 FJD 15.89
240.70%
Cinema Ticket
$8.64 PGK 37.82
$3.75 FJD 8.40
130.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$522 PGK 2,283
$188 FJD 420
177.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,363 PGK 23.5K
$13.1K FJD 29.3K
-59.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.28 PGK 159
$27.77 FJD 62.2
30.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.70 PGK 148
$34.89 FJD 78.1
-3.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.1 PGK 281
$68.2 FJD 153
-5.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.4 PGK 374
$62.5 FJD 140
36.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 PGK 5,855
$919 FJD 2,058
45.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$495 PGK 2,167
$406 FJD 908
22.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,689 PGK 11.8K
$2,016 FJD 4,514
33.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,069 PGK 4,678
$897 FJD 2,007
19.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,026 PGK 8,869
$1,191 FJD 2,667
70.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,702 PGK 16.2K
$800 FJD 1,792
362.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$417 PGK 1,826
$766 FJD 1,716
-45.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.67
7.38
85.23%

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 Fiji: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Papua New Guinea
$495
Fiji
$406 18.1% $90
Groceries & Markets
Papua New Guinea
$297
Fiji
$247 16.7% $49
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papua New Guinea
$222
Fiji
$91 58.8% $131
Eating Out
Papua New Guinea
$127
Fiji
$131 3% $3.9
Clothing & Footwear
Papua New Guinea
$99
Fiji
$87 11.9% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Papua New Guinea
$81
Fiji
$44 45.4% $37
Getting Around
Papua New Guinea
$43
Fiji
$29 33.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $751 in Papua New Guinea vs $349 in Fiji. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,507 in Port Moresby and $889 in Suva.

Average salary: $311 in Papua New Guinea vs $676 in Fiji. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 115% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 32% more in Fiji.

Public transport is 250% more expensive in Papua New Guinea.

Salaries are 117% higher in Fiji, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Fiji.

Good to know
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
🇫🇯 Fiji
🕒 Local time
20:02 8:02 PM
22:02 10:02 PM
2 h ahead of Papua New Guinea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,935,000
926,276
Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

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).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.52 FJD (1 FJD = 0.397 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Papua New Guinea Fiji 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Fiji

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 Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fiji more expensive than Papua New Guinea?
Fiji is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 29% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in Papua New Guinea: a central one-bedroom averages $751 versus $349 in Fiji.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget in Fiji or in Papua New Guinea?
$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Fiji, but in Papua New Guinea it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Fiji or to Papua New Guinea?
Fiji is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Papua New Guinea vs other spots: cost of living compared

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