Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Samoa

Name: Samoa
Address: WS

For one person, living is cheaper in Samoa: $856 a month against $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Papua New Guinea outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

🇼🇸 Samoa

$856

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,375 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $856 in Samoa, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $1,375
Samoa $856

A couple spends around $2,177 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $2,308 in Samoa, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,177
Samoa $2,308

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $3,760 in Samoa, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,979
Samoa $3,760

The regional cost range is wider in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427) than in Samoa ($853–$853), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is about 61% higher than in Samoa on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 30.79

$47.80 WST 133

-85.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.44 PGK 193

$36.28 WST 101

22.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 PGK 23.85

$14.39 WST 39.92

-61.85%

Cappuccino

$2.29 PGK 9.97

$2.94 WST 8.16

-22.11%

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

$0.78 PGK 3.38

$1.81 WST 5.01

-56.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PGK 2.85

$1.34 WST 3.72

-50.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.25

$3.47 WST 9.62

-25.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 PGK 17.56

$3.63 WST 10.06

11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 PGK 8.08

$1.87 WST 5.19

-0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.42

$0.85 WST 2.35

74.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 PGK 5.93

$1.79 WST 4.96

-23.46%

Eggs

$3.72 PGK 16.15

$4.32 WST 11.99

-13.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.26 PGK 27.21

$0.87 WST 2.40

619.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 PGK 24.87

$3.55 WST 9.84

61.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 PGK 38.58

$8.53 WST 23.67

4.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.37

$5.20 WST 14.41

-23.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 PGK 14.48

$1.78 WST 4.93

87.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.08 PGK 26.44

$1.79 WST 4.98

239.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 PGK 22.75

$4.33 WST 12.00

21.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 PGK 13.80

$3.62 WST 10.03

-12.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 PGK 11.87

$1.08 WST 2.99

152.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.74

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 PGK 5.12

$1.17 WST 3.24

0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 PGK 27.48

$6.03 WST 16.73

4.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 PGK 47.02

$16.49 WST 45.75

-34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.56

$1.81 WST 5.01

34.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 PGK 15.76

$3.69 WST 10.25

-1.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.85

$3.58 WST 9.93

-88.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.21 PGK 114

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 PGK 21.92

$5.41 WST 15.00

-6.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 PGK 9.40

$5.33 WST 14.79

-59.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.1

$22.19 WST 61.6

-44.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 PGK 4.45

$1.08 WST 2.99

-5.56%

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

$28.1K PGK 122.3K

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

$22.2K PGK 96.6K

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

$94.0 PGK 408

$18.44 WST 51.2

409.60%

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

$24.78 PGK 108

$17.90 WST 49.65

38.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 PGK 460

$35.84 WST 99.4

195.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 PGK 281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 PGK 102

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 PGK 38.47

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

$503 PGK 2,187

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.04 PGK 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.40 PGK 145

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 PGK 268

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 PGK 371

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 PGK 5,942

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 PGK 2,185

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 PGK 4,649

$1,778 WST 4,933

-39.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 PGK 8,847

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$415 PGK 1,803

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 Samoa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6%

Samoa

–

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6%

Samoa

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3%

Samoa

–

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Samoa

–

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1%

Samoa

–

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$82 6%

Samoa

–

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2%

Samoa

–

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 17% more in Papua New Guinea.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇼🇸 Samoa

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

02:33 2:33 AM

3 h ahead of Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

200,010

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

1 WST = 0.361 USD

1 WST = 0.323 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.35 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.77 WST (1 WST = 0.361 USD). 1 EUR = 3.1 WST (1 WST = 0.323 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea Samoa 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
Samoa

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 Samoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samoa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 38% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Papua New Guinea costs about 61% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Papua New Guinea. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Samoa, but in Papua New Guinea it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Samoa is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.