Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia

Name: New Caledonia
Address: NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,391 a month against $2,372 in New Caledonia, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in New Caledonia
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New Caledonia Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,391

/mo nomad

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,391 in Papua New Guinea versus $2,372 in New Caledonia.

Papua New Guinea $1,391
New Caledonia $2,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,213 in Papua New Guinea versus $3,753 in New Caledonia.

Papua New Guinea $2,213
New Caledonia $3,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,035 in Papua New Guinea versus $5,134 in New Caledonia.

Papua New Guinea $3,035
New Caledonia $5,134

Living in Papua New Guinea costs about 41% less than in New Caledonia on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Papua New Guinea 3% above, New Caledonia 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 PGK 31.38

$20.88 CFPF 2,210

-65.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.04 PGK 193

$114 CFPF 12.1K

-61.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 PGK 23.94

$13.78 CFPF 1,458

-60.30%

Cappuccino

$2.45 PGK 10.71

$4.62 CFPF 488

-46.97%

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

$0.79 PGK 3.46

$2.02 CFPF 213

-60.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 PGK 2.74

$1.26 CFPF 134

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 PGK 11.57

$9.52 CFPF 1,007

-72.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 PGK 18.01

$7.40 CFPF 783

-44.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 PGK 8.28

$1.19 CFPF 125

58.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 PGK 6.44

$3.41 CFPF 361

-56.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 PGK 6.04

$2.23 CFPF 235

-38.12%

Eggs

$3.67 PGK 16.05

$6.00 CFPF 635

-38.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 PGK 28.04

$29.42 CFPF 3,112

-78.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 PGK 26.86

$27.64 CFPF 2,924

-77.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.03 PGK 39.52

$28.21 CFPF 2,985

-67.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 PGK 17.65

$4.63 CFPF 490

-12.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.40 PGK 14.89

$6.93 CFPF 733

-50.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.22 PGK 27.22

$5.97 CFPF 631

4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 PGK 22.75

$8.00 CFPF 846

-35.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 PGK 14.65

$5.34 CFPF 565

-37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 PGK 11.98

$3.72 CFPF 394

-26.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 PGK 8.70

$4.00 CFPF 423

-50.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PGK 5.25

$1.45 CFPF 153

-17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 PGK 28.09

$18.80 CFPF 1,989

-65.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 PGK 47.30

$15.13 CFPF 1,601

-28.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 PGK 10.44

$5.71 CFPF 604

-58.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 PGK 15.96

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.04

$4.77 CFPF 505

-90.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.65 PGK 117

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 PGK 22.10

$6.83 CFPF 722

-26.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 PGK 9.92

$1.08 CFPF 114

110.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.47 PGK 54.6

$21.06 CFPF 2,228

-40.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 PGK 4.40

$1.57 CFPF 166

-35.67%

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

$29.2K PGK 127.6K

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

-9.43%

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

$23.3K PGK 101.8K

$37.0K CFPF 3.9M

-37.15%

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

$93.6 PGK 410

$193 CFPF 20.4K

-51.52%

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

$25.43 PGK 111

$44.24 CFPF 4,680

-42.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 PGK 466

$51.6 CFPF 5,460

106.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.0 PGK 280

$51.2 CFPF 5,419

24.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.51 PGK 107

$8.49 CFPF 898

188.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 PGK 38.82

$13.87 CFPF 1,468

-36.05%

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

$528 PGK 2,313

$751 CFPF 79.5K

-29.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,534 PGK 24.2K

$9,263 CFPF 980.0K

-40.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.76 PGK 165

$111 CFPF 11.7K

-65.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.00 PGK 144

$65.4 CFPF 6,918

-49.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 PGK 280

$94.6 CFPF 10.0K

-32.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 PGK 387

$245 CFPF 25.9K

-63.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 PGK 5,979

$710 CFPF 75.1K

92.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 PGK 2,219

$768 CFPF 81.2K

-33.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,755 PGK 12.1K

$1,503 CFPF 159.1K

83.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 PGK 4,822

$1,308 CFPF 138.4K

-15.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,050 PGK 8,974

$4,696 CFPF 496.9K

-56.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,771 PGK 16.5K

$3,433 CFPF 363.3K

9.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 PGK 1,846

$2,751 CFPF 291.0K

-84.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

3.13

336.74%

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

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 11, 2026

Last update for New Caledonia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$507 36.5%

New Caledonia

$768 32.4% 51.4% $261

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$301 21.6%

New Caledonia

$634 * 26.7% 111% $333

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.2%

New Caledonia

$289 12.2% 28.2% $64

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$130 9.4%

New Caledonia

$339 14.3% 161% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$100 7.2%

New Caledonia

$232 9.8% 131% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$82 5.9%

New Caledonia

$79 3.3% 3.3% $2.7

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$45 3.2%

New Caledonia

$31 * 1.3% 30.3% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $753 in Papua New Guinea, $436 in New Caledonia. Capital cities: $1,532 in Port Moresby vs $751 in Noumea.

National salary averages: $314 in Papua New Guinea, $2,744 in New Caledonia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 73% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 184% more in New Caledonia.

Salaries are 774% higher in New Caledonia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Caledonia.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

13:39 1:39 PM

1 h ahead of Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

278,500

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, 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).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea New Caledonia 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
New Caledonia

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 New Caledonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,372 per month in New Caledonia and $1,391 in Papua New Guinea, there's a 71% 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.

In Papua New Guinea, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in New Caledonia 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: Papua New Guinea wins on affordability; New Caledonia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.