Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and the Marshall Islands

Name: Marshall Islands
Address: MH

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $2,125 in the Marshall Islands, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
Learn more

Papua New Guinea Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in the Marshall Islands
Learn more

Marshall Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Papua New Guinea and in the Marshall Islands

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 the Marshall Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Papua New Guinea versus $2,125 in the Marshall Islands.

Papua New Guinea $1,375
Marshall Islands $2,125

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,177 in Papua New Guinea versus $2,968 in the Marshall Islands.

Papua New Guinea $2,177
Marshall Islands $2,968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,979 in Papua New Guinea versus $3,812 in the Marshall Islands.

Papua New Guinea $2,979
Marshall Islands $3,812

Internal cost variation is higher in Papua New Guinea: monthly costs span $817 to $1,427, compared to $2,143–$2,143 in the Marshall Islands. City choice carries more weight in Papua New Guinea.

Living in Papua New Guinea costs about 35% less than in the Marshall Islands on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.77

$7.58 $7.58

-6.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 PGK 193

$30.13 $30.13

47.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 PGK 23.84

$10.49 $10.49

-47.66%

Cappuccino

$2.29 PGK 9.97

$4.44 $4.44

-48.42%

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

$0.78 PGK 3.38

$1.86 $1.86

-58.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PGK 2.85

$3.04 $3.04

-78.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.24

$4.58 $4.58

-43.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 PGK 17.55

$5.13 $5.13

-21.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 PGK 8.07

$2.24 $2.24

-16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.42

$3.42 $3.42

-56.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 PGK 5.93

$1.85 $1.85

-25.95%

Eggs

$3.72 PGK 16.14

$5.11 $5.11

-27.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.20

$30.62 $30.62

-79.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 PGK 24.86

$10.81 $10.81

-47.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 PGK 38.57

$18.31 $18.31

-51.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.37

$4.43 $4.43

-9.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 PGK 14.47

$7.20 $7.20

-53.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 PGK 26.42

$8.65 $8.65

-29.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 PGK 22.74

$12.96 $12.96

-59.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 PGK 13.79

$5.19 $5.19

-38.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 PGK 11.86

$5.63 $5.63

-51.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.74

$3.86 $3.86

-47.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 PGK 5.12

$1.88 $1.88

-37.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 PGK 27.47

$6.15 $6.15

2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 PGK 47.00

$9.82 $9.82

10.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.55

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 PGK 15.75

$2.39 $2.39

51.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.84

$3.08 $3.08

-86.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 PGK 21.91

$2.79 $2.79

80.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.39

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.0

$5.11 $5.11

138.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 PGK 4.45

$1.78 $1.78

-42.70%

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

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

$25.3K $25.3K

11.14%

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

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

$34.3K $34.3K

-35.29%

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

$94.0 PGK 408

$252 $252

-62.75%

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

$24.78 PGK 108

$37.24 $37.24

-33.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 PGK 460

$73.1 $73.1

44.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 PGK 281

$37.89 $37.89

70.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.45

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

$503 PGK 2,186

$152 $152

231.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

$2,612 $2,612

112.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.04 PGK 157

$70.9 $70.9

-49.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 PGK 145

$39.81 $39.81

-16.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 PGK 268

$29.60 $29.60

108.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 PGK 370

$49.47 $49.47

72.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 PGK 5,939

$766 $766

78.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 PGK 2,184

$886 $886

-43.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

$1,342 $1,342

100.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 PGK 4,647

$1,284 $1,284

-16.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,843

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$415 PGK 1,803

$988 $988

-57.99%

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 26, 2026

Last update for the Marshall Islands: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

Marshall Islands

$886 41.7% 76.2% $383

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

Marshall Islands

$539 * 25.4% 81.9% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

Marshall Islands

$363 17.1% 61.4% $138

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Marshall Islands

$198 9.3% 55.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

Marshall Islands

$85 4% 12.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

Marshall Islands

$38 * 1.8% 54% $45

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

Marshall Islands

$15 * 0.7% 65.5% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,741 in Papua New Guinea, $782 in the Marshall Islands. Capital cities: $1,451 in Port Moresby vs $782 in Majuro.

National salary averages: $312 in Papua New Guinea, $1,004 in the Marshall Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 123% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 40% more in Papua New Guinea.

Salaries are about 3.2 times higher in the Marshall Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Marshall Islands.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

2 h ahead of Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

53,127

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea Marshall Islands 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
Marshall Islands

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 Marshall Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,125 per month in the Marshall Islands and $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, there’s a 55% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

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