Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,427 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Moresby and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Port Moresby versus $2,607 in Austin, TX.

Port Moresby $1,427
Austin, TX $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,248 in Port Moresby versus $4,031 in Austin, TX.

Port Moresby $2,248
Austin, TX $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,068 in Port Moresby versus $5,454 in Austin, TX.

Port Moresby $3,068
Austin, TX $5,454

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 45% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 5% above, Austin, TX 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.55 PGK 32.81

$20.35 $20.35

-62.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.49 PGK 189

$84.7 $84.7

-48.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.39 PGK 23.41

$12.12 $12.12

-55.53%

Cappuccino

$2.45 PGK 10.63

$5.65 $5.65

-56.64%

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

$0.72 PGK 3.13

$3.68 $3.68

-80.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PGK 2.77

$2.36 $2.36

-72.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 PGK 12.51

$7.87 $7.87

-63.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PGK 15.12

$8.82 $8.82

-60.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PGK 7.90

$1.14 $1.14

59.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.41

$3.69 $3.69

-59.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PGK 5.86

$3.31 $3.31

-59.21%

Eggs

$3.70 PGK 16.06

$4.15 $4.15

-10.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 PGK 37.63

$12.98 $12.98

-33.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 PGK 20.65

$13.86 $13.86

-65.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 PGK 41.53

$16.34 $16.34

-41.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 PGK 18.34

$4.69 $4.69

-10.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 PGK 13.95

$1.45 $1.45

121.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.07 PGK 30.72

$5.11 $5.11

38.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 PGK 27.83

$4.52 $4.52

41.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 PGK 13.18

$3.08 $3.08

-1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 PGK 12.57

$2.38 $2.38

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 PGK 10.05

$1.80 $1.80

28.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.76

$2.22 $2.22

-40.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 PGK 27.83

$9.97 $9.97

-35.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 PGK 45.72

$15.05 $15.05

-30.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 PGK 11.33

$2.91 $2.91

-10.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 PGK 14.97

$3.33 $3.33

3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 PGK 1.99

$1.22 $1.22

-62.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.84 PGK 104

$40.53 $40.53

-41.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 PGK 21.85

$2.78 $2.78

80.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 PGK 9.69

$1.65 $1.65

35.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.04 PGK 61.0

$35.39 $35.39

-60.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 PGK 4.23

$0.95 $0.95

2.11%

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

$49.7K PGK 215.7K

$34.2K $34.2K

45.24%

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

$17.0K PGK 73.8K

$26.8K $26.8K

-36.51%

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

$117 PGK 510

$223 $223

-47.37%

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

$20.94 PGK 90.9

$58.5 $58.5

-64.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 PGK 356

$71.2 $71.2

15.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 PGK 259

$53.0 $53.0

12.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.28 PGK 96.8

$16.75 $16.75

33.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 PGK 36.94

$14.06 $14.06

-39.47%

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

$548 PGK 2,382

$1,459 $1,459

-62.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,113 PGK 26.5K

$21.3K $21.3K

-71.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.68 PGK 151

$52.5 $52.5

-33.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.61 PGK 155

$42.75 $42.75

-16.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 PGK 300

$86.4 $86.4

-19.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 PGK 410

$104 $104

-9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 PGK 6,302

$2,112 $2,112

-31.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 PGK 2,333

$1,230 $1,230

-56.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,809 PGK 12.2K

$3,863 $3,863

-27.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 PGK 4,869

$2,407 $2,407

-53.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,009 PGK 8,728

$7,426 $7,426

-72.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,717 PGK 16.1K

$3,060 $3,060

21.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,863

$5,179 $5,179

-91.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

6.82

78.45%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 26, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$537 37.6%

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2% 129% $693

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$313 22%

Austin, TX

$410 15.7% 30.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$220 15.4%

Austin, TX

$353 13.5% 60.2% $132

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$133 9.3%

Austin, TX

$348 13.4% 162% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$105 7.4%

Austin, TX

$128 4.9% 22.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$77 5.4%

Austin, TX

$81 3.1% 5.9% $4.5

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$42 2.9%

Austin, TX

$56 2.2% 34.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,451 in Port Moresby and $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Port Moresby vs $85 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $410 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

04:15 4:15 AM

15 h behind Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Austin, TX 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Austin, TX

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

Port Moresby vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Port Moresby the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Port Moresby. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,451 in Port Moresby versus $2,112 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,427 per month in Port Moresby versus $2,607 in Austin, TX – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Port Moresby runs roughly 41% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Port Moresby is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Port Moresby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.