Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu

🙂 Solo nomad: Papua New Guinea is 19.6% cheaper than Vanuatu without rent, and 57% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Papua New Guinea is 19.8% cheaper than Vanuatu without rent, and 46.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.68 PGK 33.09
$11.21 VUV 1,329
-31.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.05 PGK 207
$63.8 VUV 7,563
-24.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.01 PGK 25.91
$9.63 VUV 1,142
-37.59%
Cappuccino
$2.39 PGK 10.30
$5.04 VUV 598
-52.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 PGK 3.71
$2.21 VUV 262
-61.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 PGK 3.22
$1.69 VUV 201
-55.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.95 PGK 12.72
$4.48 VUV 531
-34.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 PGK 19.81
$4.09 VUV 485
12.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 PGK 8.20
$2.44 VUV 290
-22.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 PGK 6.64
$2.80 VUV 332
-45.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 PGK 6.37
$3.80 VUV 450
-61.05%
Eggs
$3.87 PGK 16.68
$5.23 VUV 620
-26.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.10 PGK 26.31
$20.13 VUV 2,388
-69.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.68 PGK 28.77
$16.87 VUV 2,002
-60.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.12 PGK 39.30
$16.77 VUV 1,990
-45.62%
Apples (1kg)
$4.06 PGK 17.50
$4.65 VUV 552
-12.69%
Banana (1kg)
$2.81 PGK 12.09
$2.89 VUV 342
-2.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.66 PGK 20.07
$5.34 VUV 633
-12.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 PGK 16.79
$3.27 VUV 388
19.27%
Potato (1kg)
$3.26 PGK 14.05
$5.24 VUV 622
-37.79%
Onion (1kg)
$2.51 PGK 10.81
$2.97 VUV 352
-15.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.86 PGK 12.33
$2.46 VUV 292
16.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 PGK 4.56
$1.35 VUV 160
-21.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 PGK 28.34
$9.89 VUV 1,173
-33.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.56 PGK 49.81
$16.88 VUV 2,002
-31.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 PGK 11.35
$3.16 VUV 375
-16.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 PGK 15.37
$2.87 VUV 340
24.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 PGK 1.97
$1.66 VUV 197
-72.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.19 PGK 121
$67.1 VUV 7,962
-58.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.37 PGK 23.15
$2.07 VUV 246
159.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 PGK 10.74
$0.85 VUV 101
192.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.09 PGK 73.6
$4.97 VUV 590
243.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 PGK 4.67
$1.88 VUV 223
-42.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K PGK 104.7K
$23.4K VUV 2.8M
3.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.3K PGK 134.9K
$38.2K VUV 4.5M
-18.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 PGK 436
$526 VUV 62.4K
-80.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.31 PGK 213
$25.18 VUV 2,987
95.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$212 PGK 912
$231 VUV 27.4K
-8.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.9 PGK 275
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.20 PGK 52.6
$16.83 VUV 1,996
-27.51%
Cinema Ticket
$9.87 PGK 42.54
$12.43 VUV 1,474
-20.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$441 PGK 1,900
$631 VUV 74.9K
-30.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,036 PGK 17.4K
$6,770 VUV 803.2K
-40.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.90 PGK 155
$47.16 VUV 5,594
-23.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.17 PGK 156
$66.3 VUV 7,867
-45.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.8 PGK 288
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$66.0 PGK 285
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,146 PGK 13.6K
$1,865 VUV 221.2K
68.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$471 PGK 2,030
$1,795 VUV 213.0K
-73.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,173 PGK 13.7K
$3,322 VUV 394.1K
-4.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$723 PGK 3,118
$2,091 VUV 248.0K
-65.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,645 PGK 11.4K
$6,112 VUV 725.0K
-56.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,986 PGK 17.2K
$2,264 VUV 268.5K
76.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$402 PGK 1,734
$313 VUV 37.1K
28.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.75
7
82.14%

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

Last update for Papua New Guinea: March 3, 2026

Last update for Vanuatu: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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