Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu

Name: Vanuatu
Address: VU

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,364 a month against $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Vanuatu
Learn more

Vanuatu Living Index

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🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,364

/mo nomad

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $1,364
Vanuatu $3,216

A couple spends around $2,170 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $4,324 in Vanuatu, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,170
Vanuatu $4,324

A family of three spends $2,976 per month in Papua New Guinea vs $5,432 in Vanuatu, rent included.

Papua New Guinea $2,976
Vanuatu $5,432

The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is roughly 58% lower than in Vanuatu on average.

Both Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu are pricier than the global median – Papua New Guinea by 1%, Vanuatu by 137%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 PGK 31.04

$12.42 VUV 1,457

-42.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.55 PGK 195

$55.9 VUV 6,553

-20.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 PGK 23.42

$14.15 VUV 1,660

-62.19%

Cappuccino

$2.33 PGK 10.18

$3.97 VUV 466

-41.31%

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

$0.79 PGK 3.44

$2.30 VUV 270

-65.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 PGK 2.92

$2.33 VUV 274

-71.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PGK 11.35

$5.03 VUV 590

-48.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 PGK 17.38

$7.35 VUV 863

-45.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 PGK 7.88

$3.13 VUV 367

-42.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.57

$2.50 VUV 293

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PGK 5.78

$3.86 VUV 452

-65.80%

Eggs

$3.63 PGK 15.89

$6.21 VUV 728

-41.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.49 PGK 28.42

$16.29 VUV 1,911

-60.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.76 PGK 25.21

$16.00 VUV 1,876

-64.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 PGK 40.19

$13.25 VUV 1,554

-30.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 PGK 17.52

$6.57 VUV 771

-39.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 PGK 14.39

$2.07 VUV 243

58.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.15 PGK 26.93

$3.91 VUV 459

57.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 PGK 22.42

$10.09 VUV 1,184

-49.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 PGK 14.41

$8.96 VUV 1,052

-63.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 PGK 12.20

$4.34 VUV 510

-35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 PGK 8.79

$2.60 VUV 305

-22.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 PGK 4.94

$1.16 VUV 137

-2.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 PGK 28.66

$9.57 VUV 1,122

-31.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 PGK 46.94

$12.45 VUV 1,460

-13.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 PGK 10.83

$2.94 VUV 344

-15.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 PGK 16.23

$2.99 VUV 351

24.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 PGK 2.01

$1.29 VUV 151

-64.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.35 PGK 111

$67.7 VUV 7,943

-62.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 PGK 21.07

$2.51 VUV 295

91.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 PGK 9.73

$0.81 VUV 95.4

174.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 PGK 53.5

$5.00 VUV 587

144.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 PGK 4.27

$1.84 VUV 216

-46.74%

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

$29.0K PGK 127.0K

$23.0K VUV 2.7M

25.86%

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

$22.7K PGK 99.3K

$37.3K VUV 4.4M

-39.20%

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

$93.6 PGK 410

$624 VUV 73.2K

-85.01%

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

$24.89 PGK 109

$22.95 VUV 2,692

8.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$104 PGK 454

$360 VUV 42.2K

-71.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 PGK 278

$67.9 VUV 7,963

-6.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.19 PGK 106

$16.80 VUV 1,971

43.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 PGK 37.82

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

$522 PGK 2,283

$632 VUV 74.1K

-17.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,363 PGK 23.5K

$6,850 VUV 803.5K

-21.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.28 PGK 159

$40.81 VUV 4,787

-11.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.70 PGK 148

$66.5 VUV 7,797

-49.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.1 PGK 281

$85.2 VUV 9,991

-24.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 PGK 374

$103 VUV 12.1K

-17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 PGK 5,855

$1,566 VUV 183.7K

-14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 PGK 2,167

$1,198 VUV 140.6K

-58.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 PGK 11.8K

$3,359 VUV 394.0K

-19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 PGK 4,678

$1,897 VUV 222.5K

-43.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,026 PGK 8,869

$6,080 VUV 713.1K

-66.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,702 PGK 16.2K

$2,184 VUV 256.2K

69.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$417 PGK 1,826

$345 VUV 40.4K

20.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.67

6.18

121.20%

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

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 19, 2026

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papua New Guinea

$495 36.3%

Vanuatu

$1.2K 37.3% 142% $703

Groceries & Markets

Papua New Guinea

$297 21.8%

Vanuatu

$482 15% 62.4% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papua New Guinea

$222 16.3%

Vanuatu

$1K 31.3% 353% $785

Eating Out

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3%

Vanuatu

$248 7.7% 94.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Papua New Guinea

$99 7.2%

Vanuatu

$133 4.1% 34.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Papua New Guinea

$81 5.9%

Vanuatu

$68 * 2.1% 16% $13

Getting Around

Papua New Guinea

$43 3.2%

Vanuatu

$79 2.5% 84.3% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $751 in Papua New Guinea vs $794 in Vanuatu. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,507 in Port Moresby and $1,587 in Port Vila.

Average salary: $311 in Papua New Guinea vs $488 in Vanuatu. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 6% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 47% more in Vanuatu.

Public transport is 371% more expensive in Vanuatu.

Salaries are 57% higher in Vanuatu.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

1 h ahead of Papua New Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,935,000

300,019

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Papua New Guinea Vanuatu 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Papua New Guinea
Vanuatu

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 Vanuatu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 136% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Vanuatu: a central one-bedroom averages $794 versus $751 in Papua New Guinea.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 136% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Papua New Guinea, but in Vanuatu it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Papua New Guinea is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.