Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Fiji

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $709 a month against $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Port Moresby
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
$1,532
/mo nomad
Fiji
🇫🇯 Fiji
$709
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $709 in Fiji.

  • Port Moresby $1,532
  • Fiji $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,418 in Port Moresby versus $1,144 in Fiji.

  • Port Moresby $2,418
  • Fiji $1,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,305 in Port Moresby versus $1,578 in Fiji.

  • Port Moresby $3,305
  • Fiji $1,578

Living in Port Moresby is roughly 116% more expensive than in Fiji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Moresby is 14% above, Fiji is 47% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.76 PGK 33.98
$4.32 FJD 9.67
79.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.89 PGK 192
$31.65 FJD 70.9
38.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.38 PGK 23.58
$6.54 FJD 14.64
-17.74%
Cappuccino
$2.44 PGK 10.69
$2.50 FJD 5.59
-2.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 PGK 3.38
$1.35 FJD 3.01
-42.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 PGK 2.95
$1.05 FJD 2.34
-36.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.91 PGK 12.74
$4.08 FJD 9.14
-28.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 PGK 15.59
$4.04 FJD 9.05
-11.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 PGK 7.97
$1.25 FJD 2.80
45.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 PGK 6.74
$0.26 FJD 0.59
492.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 PGK 6.09
$0.85 FJD 1.90
63.53%
Eggs
$3.62 PGK 15.86
$3.08 FJD 6.90
17.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.64 PGK 37.85
$10.64 FJD 23.82
-18.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 PGK 24.55
$5.30 FJD 11.87
5.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.92 PGK 43.46
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$4.21 PGK 18.45
$1.30 FJD 2.92
223.85%
Banana (1kg)
$3.12 PGK 13.67
$0.86 FJD 1.94
262.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.01 PGK 30.72
$1.83 FJD 4.10
283.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.56 PGK 28.75
$1.31 FJD 2.93
400.76%
Potato (1kg)
$3.40 PGK 14.92
$0.70 FJD 1.56
385.71%
Onion (1kg)
$2.92 PGK 12.79
$0.74 FJD 1.65
294.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.33 PGK 10.20
$0.88 FJD 1.96
164.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 PGK 5.64
$0.52 FJD 1.16
148.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.26 PGK 27.45
$10.95 FJD 24.51
-42.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.73 PGK 47.04
$6.19 FJD 13.86
73.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 PGK 11.11
$3.97 FJD 8.89
-36.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51 PGK 15.38
$4.12 FJD 9.22
-14.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 PGK 1.86
$0.93 FJD 2.07
-54.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.95 PGK 96.2
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.43 PGK 23.79
$1.12 FJD 2.52
384.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 PGK 9.87
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.47 PGK 67.8
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 PGK 4.13
$1.25 FJD 2.81
-24.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.2K PGK 215.6K
$46.1K FJD 103.2K
6.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.3K PGK 75.6K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 PGK 513
$53.5 FJD 120
119.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.67 PGK 99.4
$13.37 FJD 29.94
69.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$91.2 PGK 399
$17.80 FJD 39.86
412.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.2 PGK 264
$21.89 FJD 49.01
175.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.04 PGK 96.6
$4.42 FJD 9.89
398.64%
Cinema Ticket
$8.74 PGK 38.31
$4.10 FJD 9.18
113.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$836 PGK 3,665
$44.79 FJD 100
1767.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,242 PGK 27.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.86 PGK 144
$19.42 FJD 43.48
69.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.67 PGK 139
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$136 PGK 595
$30.25 FJD 67.7
348.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$160 PGK 702
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,577 PGK 6,911
$680 FJD 1,523
131.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$551 PGK 2,414
$270 FJD 604
104.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,049 PGK 13.4K
$1,095 FJD 2,452
178.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,129 PGK 4,945
$610 FJD 1,366
84.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,035 PGK 8,917
$1,289 FJD 2,886
57.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,755 PGK 16.5K
$1,293 FJD 2,896
190.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Port Moresby
Fiji
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$429 PGK 1,881
$538 FJD 1,205
-20.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.17
6
102.83%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Last update for Fiji: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Port Moresby
$551
Fiji
$270 51% $281
Groceries & Markets
Port Moresby
$320
Fiji
$169 * 47.3% $151
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Moresby
$231
Fiji
$85 63.4% $146
Clothing & Footwear
Port Moresby
$162
Fiji
$22 * 86.2% $140
Eating Out
Port Moresby
$135
Fiji
$122 9.4% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Port Moresby
$78
Fiji
$30 61.3% $48
Getting Around
Port Moresby
$40
Fiji
$4.8 * 88% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,577 in Port Moresby and $680 in Fiji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fiji pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Port Moresby vs $32.00 in Fiji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $169 per month, with Fiji cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇬 Port Moresby
🇫🇯 Fiji
🕒 Local time
18:06 6:06 PM
20:06 8:06 PM
2 h ahead of Port Moresby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
364,145 Capital
92,043
Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Port Moresby Fiji 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Port Moresby
  • Fiji

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 Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fiji cheaper than Port Moresby?
Fiji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Port Moresby or Fiji?
On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Fiji. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Port Moresby and Fiji?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,577 in Port Moresby versus $680 in Fiji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Port Moresby and in Fiji?
Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Port Moresby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Port Moresby and in Fiji?
All in, you'll spend $1,532 per month in Port Moresby versus $709 in Fiji – a 116% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Port Moresby or in Fiji?
At $709 in Fiji versus $1,532 in Port Moresby, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Port Moresby. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Port Moresby or in Fiji?
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.
Which city is safer, Port Moresby or Fiji?
Safety-wise, Port Moresby and Fiji are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Fiji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Port Moresby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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