Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $1,469 per month in Port Moresby vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Moresby $1,469
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,315 per month in Port Moresby vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Moresby $2,315
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,161 per month in Port Moresby vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Moresby $3,161
Chiang Mai $1,914

Port Moresby costs about 57% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port Moresby sits 9% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$2.26 ฿75.4

243.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$19.18 ฿641

129.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$5.59 ฿187

0.36%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$1.72 ฿57.6

47.67%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$0.64 ฿21.54

15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$0.33 ฿11.18

109.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$2.36 ฿78.7

28.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$3.90 ฿130

-5.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$2.05 ฿68.6

-10.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$1.40 ฿46.70

7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.28 ฿42.89

6.25%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$2.25 ฿75.3

66.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$16.94 ฿566

-47.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$2.74 ฿91.6

80.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$9.36 ฿313

2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$2.40 ฿80.3

83.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$1.01 ฿33.92

223.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$1.61 ฿53.9

352.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$1.52 ฿50.7

325.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$1.28 ฿42.90

140.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.11 ฿37.22

169.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$0.72 ฿24.09

226.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$0.52 ฿17.54

155.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$4.33 ฿145

50.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$17.73 ฿593

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$1.63 ฿54.4

65.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$2.85 ฿95.3

23.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

$0.85 ฿28.31

-44.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

$53.9 ฿1,801

-57.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$1.17 ฿39.18

319.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$0.57 ฿19.00

294.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

$2.37 ฿79.2

521.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.45 ฿48.32

-31.03%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

147.86%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-34.63%

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

$118 PGK 516

$62.3 ฿2,083

89.01%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$12.27 ฿410

69.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$19.97 ฿668

311.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

$37.91 ฿1,267

62.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

$3.76 ฿126

490.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$6.71 ฿224

31.15%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$797 ฿26.6K

-29.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-57.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$53.3 ฿1,780

-33.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$25.05 ฿837

35.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$91.6 ฿3,062

-23.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$73.5 ฿2,455

31.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$464 ฿15.5K

230.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

$305 ฿10.2K

85.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

$915 ฿30.6K

213.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

$552 ฿18.5K

113.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

$1,912 ฿63.9K

9.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

162.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

$595 ฿19.9K

-28.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

5.57

118.49%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 46% $260

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 25.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 57.2% $126

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 42.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 3.4% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 35.3% $28

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 50.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 39% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

3 h behind Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Chiang Mai 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby costs about 57% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $2,203 per month in Port Moresby and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $563 per month in Port Moresby and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Port Moresby at $1,469. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Moresby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,469 in Port Moresby. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. 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.