Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Boroko

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $868 a month against $1,427 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,427 per month in Port Moresby vs $868 in Boroko, rent included.

Port Moresby $1,427
Boroko $868

A couple spends around $2,248 per month in Port Moresby vs $1,259 in Boroko, rent included.

Port Moresby $2,248
Boroko $1,259

A family of three spends $3,068 per month in Port Moresby vs $1,649 in Boroko, rent included.

Port Moresby $3,068
Boroko $1,649

Port Moresby costs about 64% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port Moresby sits 5% above the global median, while Boroko is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.55 PGK 32.81

$7.29 PGK 31.67

3.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.49 PGK 189

$34.42 PGK 149

26.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.39 PGK 23.41

$5.35 PGK 23.26

0.75%

Cappuccino

$2.45 PGK 10.63

$2.48 PGK 10.76

-1.21%

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

$0.72 PGK 3.13

$0.71 PGK 3.06

1.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PGK 2.77

$0.64 PGK 2.78

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 PGK 12.51

$2.58 PGK 11.22

11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PGK 15.12

$3.42 PGK 14.85

1.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PGK 7.90

$1.50 PGK 6.51

21.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.41

$1.16 PGK 5.02

27.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PGK 5.86

$1.16 PGK 5.03

16.38%

Eggs

$3.70 PGK 16.06

$3.55 PGK 15.40

4.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 PGK 37.63

$4.98 PGK 21.65

73.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 PGK 20.65

$4.79 PGK 20.79

-0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 PGK 41.53

$6.61 PGK 28.72

44.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 PGK 18.34

$3.85 PGK 16.70

9.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 PGK 13.95

$3.08 PGK 13.38

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.07 PGK 30.72

$2.72 PGK 11.80

159.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 PGK 27.83

$2.70 PGK 11.74

137.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 PGK 13.18

$2.82 PGK 12.24

7.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 PGK 12.57

$0.84 PGK 3.65

244.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 PGK 10.05

$1.12 PGK 4.86

106.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.76

$0.42 PGK 1.83

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 PGK 27.83

$5.42 PGK 23.53

18.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 PGK 45.72

$4.95 PGK 21.52

112.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 PGK 11.33

$1.07 PGK 4.67

143.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 PGK 14.97

$1.49 PGK 6.48

131.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 PGK 1.99

$0.42 PGK 1.83

9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.84 PGK 104

$28.88 PGK 125

-17.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 PGK 21.85

$4.40 PGK 19.11

14.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 PGK 9.69

$1.34 PGK 5.83

66.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.04 PGK 61.0

$10.97 PGK 47.66

27.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 PGK 4.23

$0.80 PGK 3.47

21.25%

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

$49.7K PGK 215.7K

$35.7K PGK 155.0K

39.17%

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

$17.0K PGK 73.8K

$17.6K PGK 76.4K

-3.46%

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

$117 PGK 510

$61.6 PGK 267

90.55%

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

$20.94 PGK 90.9

$20.71 PGK 90.0

1.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 PGK 356

$82.1 PGK 357

-0.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 PGK 259

$41.86 PGK 182

42.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.28 PGK 96.8

$14.29 PGK 62.1

55.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 PGK 36.94

$6.47 PGK 28.09

31.53%

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

$548 PGK 2,382

$333 PGK 1,445

64.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,113 PGK 26.5K

$2,215 PGK 9,621

175.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.68 PGK 151

$34.50 PGK 150

0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.61 PGK 155

$12.91 PGK 56.1

175.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 PGK 300

$44.28 PGK 192

56.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 PGK 410

$26.31 PGK 114

258.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 PGK 6,302

$3,336 PGK 14.5K

-56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 PGK 2,333

$221 PGK 959

143.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,809 PGK 12.2K

$3,257 PGK 14.1K

-13.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 PGK 4,869

$218 PGK 947

414.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,009 PGK 8,728

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,717 PGK 16.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,863

$352 PGK 1,530

21.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

10.64%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 26, 2026

Last update for Boroko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$537 37.6%

Boroko

$221 25.4% 58.9% $316

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$313 22%

Boroko

$204 23.5% 34.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$220 15.4%

Boroko

$164 18.9% 25.3% $56

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$133 9.3%

Boroko

$129 14.9% 2.6% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$105 7.4%

Boroko

$53 6.1% 49.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$77 5.4%

Boroko

$55 6.3% 28.5% $22

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$42 2.9%

Boroko

$42 4.8% 0.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,451 in Port Moresby versus $3,336 in Boroko. 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 22% higher in Port Moresby, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Port Moresby versus $34 in Boroko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $204 – making Boroko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Boroko

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

Same time as Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Port Moresby Boroko 4 km

From you

Port Moresby
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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 Boroko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby costs about 64% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,140 per month in Port Moresby and $1,302 in Boroko. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,451 there versus $3,336 in Boroko.

Kindergarten costs $548 per month in Port Moresby and $333 in Boroko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Port Moresby, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,427 in Port Moresby and $868 in Boroko. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Port Moresby has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Boroko to $1,427 in Port Moresby. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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