Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Dargaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,427 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,427

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Port Moresby versus $2,134 in Dargaville.

Port Moresby $1,427
Dargaville $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,248 in Port Moresby versus $3,019 in Dargaville.

Port Moresby $2,248
Dargaville $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,068 in Port Moresby versus $3,904 in Dargaville.

Port Moresby $3,068
Dargaville $3,904

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 33% less than in Dargaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 5% above, Dargaville 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.55 PGK 32.81

$14.54 NZ$25.92

-48.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.49 PGK 189

$68.9 NZ$123

-36.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.39 PGK 23.41

$9.05 NZ$16.13

-40.44%

Cappuccino

$2.45 PGK 10.63

$3.69 NZ$6.58

-33.60%

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

$0.72 PGK 3.13

$2.18 NZ$3.89

-66.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PGK 2.77

$2.09 NZ$3.73

-69.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 PGK 12.51

$6.31 NZ$11.24

-54.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PGK 15.12

$5.63 NZ$10.04

-38.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PGK 7.90

$2.05 NZ$3.65

-11.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 PGK 6.41

$1.96 NZ$3.49

-24.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PGK 5.86

$1.52 NZ$2.71

-11.18%

Eggs

$3.70 PGK 16.06

$6.70 NZ$11.94

-44.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 PGK 37.63

$8.49 NZ$15.14

2.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 PGK 20.65

$10.47 NZ$18.66

-54.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 PGK 41.53

$12.69 NZ$22.62

-24.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 PGK 18.34

$2.65 NZ$4.72

59.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 PGK 13.95

$2.14 NZ$3.81

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.07 PGK 30.72

$2.92 NZ$5.20

142.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 PGK 27.83

$5.86 NZ$10.45

9.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 PGK 13.18

$1.73 NZ$3.08

75.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 PGK 12.57

$1.38 NZ$2.46

109.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 PGK 10.05

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-7.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.76

$1.18 NZ$2.10

12.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 PGK 27.83

$26.67 NZ$47.54

-75.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 PGK 45.72

$10.24 NZ$18.26

2.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 PGK 11.33

$3.02 NZ$5.38

-13.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 PGK 14.97

$3.13 NZ$5.57

10.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 PGK 1.99

$1.89 NZ$3.37

-75.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.84 PGK 104

$115 NZ$205

-79.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 PGK 21.85

$2.42 NZ$4.31

107.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 PGK 9.69

$1.81 NZ$3.22

23.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.04 PGK 61.0

$26.35 NZ$46.96

-46.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 PGK 4.23

$1.49 NZ$2.66

-34.90%

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

$49.7K PGK 215.7K

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

95.00%

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

$17.0K PGK 73.8K

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

-28.32%

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

$117 PGK 510

$128 NZ$228

-8.36%

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

$20.94 PGK 90.9

$29.15 NZ$52.0

-28.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.9 PGK 356

$51.3 NZ$91.4

59.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 PGK 259

$38.91 NZ$69.4

53.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.28 PGK 96.8

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 PGK 36.94

$11.48 NZ$20.45

-25.87%

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

$548 PGK 2,382

$659 NZ$1,174

-16.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,113 PGK 26.5K

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

-58.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.68 PGK 151

$67.3 NZ$120

-48.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.61 PGK 155

$39.09 NZ$69.7

-8.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 PGK 300

$90.9 NZ$162

-23.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 PGK 410

$115 NZ$205

-18.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 PGK 6,302

$1,125 NZ$2,006

28.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 PGK 2,333

$1,011 NZ$1,802

-46.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,809 PGK 12.2K

$1,404 NZ$2,503

100.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 PGK 4,869

$1,352 NZ$2,409

-17.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,009 PGK 8,728

$4,216 NZ$7,514

-52.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,717 PGK 16.1K

$3,111 NZ$5,544

19.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,863

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

5.83

108.75%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$537 37.6%

Dargaville

$1K 47.4% 88.3% $474

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$313 22%

Dargaville

$330 15.5% 5.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$220 15.4%

Dargaville

$209 9.8% 5.3% $12

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$133 9.3%

Dargaville

$248 11.6% 86.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$105 7.4%

Dargaville

$141 6.6% 33.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$77 5.4%

Dargaville

$62 2.9% 19.3% $15

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$42 2.9%

Dargaville

$134 6.3% 221% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,451 in Port Moresby and $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Port Moresby vs $69 in Dargaville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $330 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

4,600

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.84 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Dargaville 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Dargaville

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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,427 in Port Moresby and $2,134 in Dargaville, so Port Moresby is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,140 in Port Moresby and $3,201 in Dargaville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,451 in Port Moresby versus $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $548 in Port Moresby versus $659 in Dargaville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Dargaville. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.