Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Papua New Guinea
Spain
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,375
/mo nomad
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,375 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $1,775 in Spain, rent included.

  • Papua New Guinea $1,375
  • Spain $1,775

A couple spends around $2,177 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $2,606 in Spain, rent included.

  • Papua New Guinea $2,177
  • Spain $2,606

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $3,438 in Spain, rent included.

  • Papua New Guinea $2,979
  • Spain $3,438

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($931–$2,610) than in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is roughly 23% lower than in Spain on average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.09 PGK 30.77
$16.69 €14.96
-57.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.44 PGK 193
$55.7 €49.91
-20.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.49 PGK 23.84
$11.37 €10.18
-51.72%
Cappuccino
$2.29 PGK 9.97
$2.42 €2.17
-5.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 PGK 3.38
$2.68 €2.40
-70.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 PGK 2.85
$1.79 €1.60
-63.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 PGK 11.24
$3.42 €3.07
-24.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 PGK 17.55
$3.88 €3.47
4.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 PGK 8.07
$1.20 €1.07
55.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.48 PGK 6.42
$1.48 €1.33
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.37 PGK 5.93
$1.67 €1.50
-17.96%
Eggs
$3.72 PGK 16.14
$3.42 €3.07
8.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.26 PGK 27.20
$14.17 €12.70
-55.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.72 PGK 24.86
$8.33 €7.46
-31.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.88 PGK 38.57
$16.20 €14.52
-45.19%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 PGK 17.37
$2.45 €2.20
63.27%
Banana (1kg)
$3.33 PGK 14.47
$2.03 €1.82
64.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.08 PGK 26.42
$2.08 €1.86
192.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.24 PGK 22.74
$2.58 €2.31
103.10%
Potato (1kg)
$3.18 PGK 13.79
$1.83 €1.64
73.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.73 PGK 11.86
$2.00 €1.79
36.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 PGK 8.74
$1.31 €1.17
53.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 PGK 5.12
$0.77 €0.69
53.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.33 PGK 27.47
$6.36 €5.70
-0.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.82 PGK 47.00
$5.64 €5.06
91.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 PGK 10.55
$1.30 €1.17
86.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 PGK 15.75
$2.09 €1.87
73.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 PGK 1.84
$1.64 €1.47
-74.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.21 PGK 114
$32.91 €29.49
-20.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.04 PGK 21.91
$4.43 €3.97
13.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.16 PGK 9.39
$1.47 €1.31
46.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.21 PGK 53.0
$24.98 €22.39
-51.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 PGK 4.45
$1.77 €1.59
-42.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K PGK 122.2K
$35.5K €31.8K
-20.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K PGK 96.5K
$30.6K €27.4K
-27.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.0 PGK 408
$149 €134
-37.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.78 PGK 108
$17.67 €15.84
40.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$106 PGK 460
$31.88 €28.57
232.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.7 PGK 281
$44.24 €39.64
46.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.49 PGK 102
$15.29 €13.70
53.63%
Cinema Ticket
$8.85 PGK 38.45
$9.66 €8.66
-8.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$503 PGK 2,186
$544 €488
-7.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,538 PGK 24.1K
$10.6K €9,504
-47.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.04 PGK 157
$84.9 €76.1
-57.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.40 PGK 145
$37.11 €33.26
-10.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.8 PGK 268
$89.2 €79.9
-30.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.3 PGK 370
$106 €94.8
-19.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,367 PGK 5,939
$1,056 €947
29.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 PGK 2,184
$808 €724
-37.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,690 PGK 11.7K
$1,621 €1,453
65.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,070 PGK 4,647
$1,246 €1,117
-14.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,036 PGK 8,843
$4,135 €3,706
-50.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,661 PGK 15.9K
$2,633 €2,359
39.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Papua New Guinea
Spain
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$415 PGK 1,803
$1,999 €1,791
-79.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.67
3.3
314.24%

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 Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Papua New Guinea
$503
Spain
$808 60.6% $305
Groceries & Markets
Papua New Guinea
$296
Spain
$272 8.4% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papua New Guinea
$225
Spain
$199 11.5% $26
Eating Out
Papua New Guinea
$127
Spain
$239 87.8% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Papua New Guinea
$97
Spain
$143 46.4% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Papua New Guinea
$82
Spain
$64 22.9% $19
Getting Around
Papua New Guinea
$44
Spain
$51 17.1% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,741 in Papua New Guinea vs $920 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,451 in Port Moresby and $1,508 in Madrid.

Average salary: $312 in Papua New Guinea vs $1,972 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 89% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 36% more in Spain.

Public transport is 19% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are about 6.3 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
🇪🇸 Spain
🕒 Local time
18:19 6:19 PM
09:19 9:19 AM
9 h behind Papua New Guinea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,935,000
47,415,750
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Papua New Guinea Spain 15,530 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Papua New Guinea more expensive than Spain?
Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 23% lower on average.
Is everything cheaper in Papua New Guinea?
Not necessarily. Overall, Spain costs about 29% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Spain. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.
Should I move to Papua New Guinea or to Spain?
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.

Papua New Guinea vs other spots: cost of living compared

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