Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Bikenibeu

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $1,741 in Bikenibeu, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bikenibeu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Bikenibeu
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Bikenibeu Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Bikenibeu

🇰🇮 Kiribati

$1,741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in Bikenibeu

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Port Moresby vs $1,741 in Bikenibeu, rent included.

Port Moresby $1,532
Bikenibeu $1,741

A couple spends around $2,418 per month in Port Moresby vs $2,710 in Bikenibeu, rent included.

Port Moresby $2,418
Bikenibeu $2,710

A family of three spends $3,305 per month in Port Moresby vs $3,679 in Bikenibeu, rent included.

Port Moresby $3,305
Bikenibeu $3,679

Port Moresby is about 12% cheaper than Bikenibeu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Port Moresby and Bikenibeu sit above the global median – Port Moresby by 14%, Bikenibeu by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.99

$5.20 KID 7.49

49.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.89 PGK 192

$31.03 KID 44.68

41.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 PGK 23.59

$10.34 KID 14.89

-47.97%

Cappuccino

$2.44 PGK 10.69

$3.25 KID 4.67

-24.92%

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

$0.77 PGK 3.38

$1.02 KID 1.47

-24.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 PGK 2.95

$0.80 KID 1.15

-16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 PGK 12.74

$1.95 KID 2.81

49.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 PGK 15.60

$3.47 KID 5.00

2.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PGK 7.97

$2.36 KID 3.40

-22.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 PGK 6.74

$2.00 KID 2.88

-23.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 6.09

$1.51 KID 2.17

-7.95%

Eggs

$3.62 PGK 15.86

$6.86 KID 9.88

-47.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 PGK 37.85

$17.33 KID 24.95

-50.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 PGK 24.56

$6.04 KID 8.69

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 43.47

$19.33 KID 27.84

-48.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 PGK 18.45

$6.77 KID 9.75

-37.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 PGK 13.67

$3.57 KID 5.14

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.01 PGK 30.72

$6.31 KID 9.09

11.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 PGK 28.75

$5.92 KID 8.52

10.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 PGK 14.92

$4.82 KID 6.95

-29.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 PGK 12.79

$3.08 KID 4.44

-5.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 PGK 10.21

$3.38 KID 4.87

-31.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 PGK 5.64

$0.34 KID 0.48

279.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 PGK 27.45

$6.17 KID 8.88

1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 PGK 47.05

$13.19 KID 19.00

-18.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 PGK 11.11

$1.80 KID 2.59

41.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 PGK 15.39

$3.43 KID 4.94

2.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.86

$1.73 KID 2.49

-75.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 PGK 96.2

$77.5 KID 112

-71.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 PGK 23.79

$2.15 KID 3.10

152.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$1.85 KID 2.66

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.47 PGK 67.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 PGK 4.13

$2.08 KID 3.00

-54.81%

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

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

$27.7K KID 39.9K

77.70%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

$24.5K KID 35.3K

-29.57%

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

$117 PGK 513

$319 KID 459

-63.26%

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

$22.67 PGK 99.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.2 PGK 400

$3.50 KID 5.04

2504.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 PGK 264

$34.46 KID 49.62

74.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.04 PGK 96.6

$24.59 KID 35.41

-10.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 PGK 38.31

$4.68 KID 6.74

86.75%

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

$836 PGK 3,665

$273 KID 393

206.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

$5,719 KID 8,235

9.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.86 PGK 144

$52.1 KID 75.0

-36.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.67 PGK 139

$52.6 KID 75.8

-39.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 PGK 595

$83.4 KID 120

62.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 PGK 702

$64.4 KID 92.7

148.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 PGK 6,912

$827 KID 1,191

90.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 PGK 2,414

$606 KID 872

-9.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

$1,458 KID 2,099

109.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 PGK 4,946

$1,349 KID 1,943

-16.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 PGK 8,918

$4,507 KID 6,490

-54.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

$3,434 KID 4,944

9.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,882

$349 KID 502

23.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bikenibeu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$551 36.3%

Bikenibeu

$606 35.1% 10% $55

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.1%

Bikenibeu

$408 23.6% 27.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$231 15.2%

Bikenibeu

$322 * 18.7% 39.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$162 10.7%

Bikenibeu

$114 6.6% 29.9% $49

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$135 8.9%

Bikenibeu

$136 7.9% 0.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$78 5.1%

Bikenibeu

$44 2.5% 43.6% $34

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$40 2.7%

Bikenibeu

$96 5.6% 138% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Port Moresby versus $827 in Bikenibeu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Port Moresby, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Port Moresby versus $31.00 in Bikenibeu. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Port Moresby vs $408 in Bikenibeu – so Port Moresby wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇰🇮 Bikenibeu

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

2 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

6,500

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Kiribati Dollar KID $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1 KID = 0.694 USD

1 KID = 0.619 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KID, 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Kiribati Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 KID (1 KID = 0.694 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 KID (1 KID = 0.619 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Bikenibeu 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Bikenibeu

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 Bikenibeu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bikenibeu is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Port Moresby and $2,612 in Bikenibeu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Moresby, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Bikenibeu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Port Moresby and $31.00 in Bikenibeu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Moresby, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Bikenibeu at $1,741. In Port Moresby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bikenibeu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Moresby – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Port Moresby. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bikenibeu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.