Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Guam

Name: Guam
Address: GU

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,364 a month against $3,333 in Guam, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Guam
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Guam Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,364

/mo nomad

🇬🇺 Guam

$3,333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $3,333 in Guam, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $1,364
Guam $3,333

A couple spends around $2,170 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $4,755 in Guam, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,170
Guam $4,755

A family of three spends $2,976 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $6,178 in Guam, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,976
Guam $6,178

The regional cost range is wider in Guam ($151–$2,734) than in Papua New Guinea ($836–$1,434), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is roughly 59% lower than in Guam on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.80

$24.87 $24.87

-71.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.55 PGK 193

$60.9 $60.9

-26.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 PGK 23.23

$15.28 $15.28

-64.99%

Cappuccino

$2.33 PGK 10.10

$5.46 $5.46

-57.33%

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

$0.79 PGK 3.42

$2.49 $2.49

-68.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 PGK 2.90

$1.91 $1.91

-64.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.26

$5.97 $5.97

-56.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 PGK 17.25

$10.09 $10.09

-60.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 PGK 7.82

$3.30 $3.30

-45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.51

$6.94 $6.94

-78.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PGK 5.74

$2.45 $2.45

-46.12%

Eggs

$3.63 PGK 15.76

$6.62 $6.62

-45.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.49 PGK 28.19

$23.48 $23.48

-72.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.76 PGK 25.02

$10.40 $10.40

-44.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 PGK 39.87

$13.56 $13.56

-32.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.38

$7.25 $7.25

-44.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 PGK 14.28

$4.45 $4.45

-26.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.15 PGK 26.72

$5.59 $5.59

10.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 PGK 22.24

$7.95 $7.95

-35.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 PGK 14.30

$4.89 $4.89

-32.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 PGK 12.10

$4.60 $4.60

-39.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.72

$4.37 $4.37

-54.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 PGK 4.91

$2.01 $2.01

-43.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 PGK 28.44

$9.58 $9.58

-31.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 PGK 46.57

$12.15 $12.15

-11.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 PGK 10.74

$2.42 $2.42

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 PGK 16.10

$2.71 $2.71

36.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 PGK 1.99

$2.96 $2.96

-84.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.35 PGK 110

$54.6 $54.6

-53.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 PGK 20.91

$10.15 $10.15

-52.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 PGK 9.66

$2.04 $2.04

8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.1

$32.38 $32.38

-62.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 PGK 4.24

$1.31 $1.31

-25.19%

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

$29.0K PGK 126.0K

$29.2K $29.2K

-0.68%

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

$22.7K PGK 98.6K

$30.6K $30.6K

-25.93%

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

$93.6 PGK 406

$380 $380

-75.35%

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

$24.89 PGK 108

$79.9 $79.9

-68.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 PGK 451

$83.4 $83.4

24.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 PGK 276

$78.3 $78.3

-18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.19 PGK 105

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 PGK 37.53

$13.16 $13.16

-34.35%

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

$522 PGK 2,265

$566 $566

-7.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,363 PGK 23.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.28 PGK 158

$59.8 $59.8

-39.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.70 PGK 146

$98.5 $98.5

-65.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.1 PGK 279

$101 $101

-36.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 PGK 371

$130 $130

-34.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 PGK 5,809

$1,866 $1,866

-28.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 PGK 2,150

$1,511 $1,511

-67.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 PGK 11.7K

$2,808 $2,808

-4.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 PGK 4,641

$2,453 $2,453

-56.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,026 PGK 8,799

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,702 PGK 16.1K

$295 $295

1155.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$417 PGK 1,812

$4,615 $4,615

-90.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

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 Guam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$495 36.3%

Guam

$1.5K 45.3% 205% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$297 21.8%

Guam

$534 16% 80% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$222 16.3%

Guam

$543 16.3% 144% $321

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Guam

$378 11.3% 197% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$99 7.2%

Guam

$175 5.3% 77.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$81 5.9%

Guam

$105 3.1% 29.4% $24

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$43 3.2%

Guam

$87 2.6% 101% $44

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,752 in Papua New Guinea vs $1,777 in Guam. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,507 in Port Moresby and $2,215 in Hagatna.

Average salary: $311 in Papua New Guinea vs $4,987 in Guam. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 50% more in Guam.

Public transport is 131% more expensive in Guam.

Salaries are about 16 times higher in Guam, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Guam.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇬🇺 Guam

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

Same time as Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

153,836

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.205 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.87 PGK (1 PGK = 0.205 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea Guam 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
Guam

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 Guam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 59% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 144% 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.