Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Canterbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $899 a month against $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Port Moresby outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,469 per month in Port Moresby vs $899 in Canterbury, rent included.

Port Moresby $1,469
Canterbury $899

A couple spends around $2,315 per month in Port Moresby vs $1,491 in Canterbury, rent included.

Port Moresby $2,315
Canterbury $1,491

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Port Moresby vs $2,083 in Canterbury, rent included.

Port Moresby $3,161
Canterbury $2,083

Port Moresby costs about 63% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Port Moresby sits 9% above the global median, while Canterbury is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$14.25 NZ$25.20

-45.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$60.4 NZ$107

-26.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$11.29 NZ$19.97

-50.31%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$2.99 NZ$5.29

-15.05%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$2.11 NZ$3.74

-64.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-66.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$3.88 NZ$6.87

-21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$6.29 NZ$11.12

-41.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$2.16 NZ$3.82

-15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$1.99 NZ$3.52

-24.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-21.84%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$5.43 NZ$9.61

-31.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$8.55 NZ$15.12

4.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$8.96 NZ$15.84

-44.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$15.90 NZ$28.12

-39.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$3.01 NZ$5.33

46.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$2.26 NZ$3.99

44.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$3.20 NZ$5.66

127.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$5.14 NZ$9.09

25.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$1.81 NZ$3.19

70.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.77 NZ$3.13

68.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$2.27 NZ$4.01

3.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$0.55 NZ$0.96

141.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$21.04 NZ$37.20

-69.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$8.82 NZ$15.60

24.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$3.09 NZ$5.46

-12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$1.19 NZ$2.11

196.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$5.66 NZ$10.00

-13.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

$27.93 NZ$49.39

-47.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.61 NZ$2.84

-37.89%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

105.61%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$25.4K NZ$45.0K

-31.86%

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

$118 PGK 516

$109 NZ$192

8.29%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$28.43 NZ$50.3

-26.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$51.1 NZ$90.3

60.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$10.13 NZ$17.92

-13.13%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$570 NZ$1,008

-1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$58.6 NZ$104

-39.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$21.87 NZ$38.67

55.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$90.3 NZ$160

-22.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$134 NZ$238

-28.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$902 NZ$1,595

69.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

$2,721 NZ$4,813

-84.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

204.25%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

Canterbury

$315 35.1% 1.4% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

Canterbury

$188 20.9% 14.7% $33

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

Canterbury

$232 25.8% 68.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

Canterbury

$137 15.3% 29.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Canterbury

$20 * 2.3% 74.4% $59

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 86.1% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $902 in Canterbury. 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 537% higher in Canterbury, 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 $60.0 in Canterbury. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Port Moresby vs $315 in Canterbury – so Canterbury wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Moresby Canterbury 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,469 in Port Moresby, $899 in Canterbury – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,203 per month in Port Moresby and $1,349 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Port Moresby and $60.0 in Canterbury. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Port Moresby, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $899, than in Port Moresby at $1,469. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Moresby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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