Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Fox Glacier

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,469 a month against $1,727 in Fox Glacier, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
Learn more

Port Moresby Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Fox Glacier
Learn more

Fox Glacier Living Index

Jump to prices

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Fox Glacier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in Fox Glacier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,727 in Fox Glacier.

Port Moresby $1,469
Fox Glacier $1,727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,315 in Port Moresby versus $2,835 in Fox Glacier.

Port Moresby $2,315
Fox Glacier $2,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,161 in Port Moresby versus $3,942 in Fox Glacier.

Port Moresby $3,161
Fox Glacier $3,942

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 15% less than in Fox Glacier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 9% above, Fox Glacier 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$13.32 NZ$23.55

-41.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$67.9 NZ$120

-35.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$8.34 NZ$14.75

-32.73%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$2.98 NZ$5.27

-14.77%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$2.21 NZ$3.90

-66.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$1.94 NZ$3.43

-64.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$5.44 NZ$9.62

-44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$6.46 NZ$11.42

-43.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$1.97 NZ$3.49

-7.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-21.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-27.27%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$6.59 NZ$11.66

-43.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$8.57 NZ$15.16

4.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$9.56 NZ$16.91

-48.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$12.70 NZ$22.46

-24.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$2.26 NZ$3.99

95.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$1.90 NZ$3.35

72.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$2.89 NZ$5.11

151.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$5.41 NZ$9.56

19.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$1.83 NZ$3.24

68.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.42 NZ$2.51

110.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$2.17 NZ$3.84

8.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$0.91 NZ$1.60

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$23.67 NZ$41.86

-72.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$10.13 NZ$17.91

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$3.15 NZ$5.57

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$3.10 NZ$5.48

13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

$1.56 NZ$2.75

-69.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

$76.2 NZ$135

-70.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$2.54 NZ$4.49

93.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$1.83 NZ$3.24

22.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

$31.31 NZ$55.4

-52.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.48 NZ$2.61

-32.43%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$28.5K NZ$50.5K

77.89%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

-21.03%

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

$118 PGK 516

$107 NZ$189

10.16%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$27.78 NZ$49.14

-24.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$50.4 NZ$89.1

63.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

$41.29 NZ$73.0

49.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$9.70 NZ$17.15

-9.28%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$629 NZ$1,112

-10.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

$18.4K NZ$32.6K

-66.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$61.9 NZ$109

-42.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$36.19 NZ$64.0

-6.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$104 NZ$183

-32.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$119 NZ$211

-19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$971 NZ$1,716

57.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

$703 NZ$1,243

-19.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

$1,594 NZ$2,819

80.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

$1,576 NZ$2,786

-25.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

$5,130 NZ$9,072

-59.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

$3,096 NZ$5,476

22.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

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 Fox Glacier: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Fox Glacier

$703 40.7% 24.6% $139

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

Fox Glacier

$316 18.3% 1.3% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

Fox Glacier

$185 10.7% 16.2% $36

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

Fox Glacier

$224 13% 62.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

Fox Glacier

$144 8.4% 36.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Fox Glacier

$61 3.5% 23.5% $19

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

Fox Glacier

$94 5.5% 131% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,532 in Port Moresby and $971 in Fox Glacier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Port Moresby vs $68.0 in Fox Glacier. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $316, with Fox Glacier cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 Fox Glacier

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

300

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Fox Glacier 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Fox Glacier

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 Fox Glacier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby and Fox Glacier differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,469 vs $1,727 including rent). Port Moresby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,203 in Port Moresby and $2,591 in Fox Glacier 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: $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $971 in Fox Glacier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port Moresby runs roughly 235% less than in Fox Glacier. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $563 in Port Moresby versus $629 in Fox Glacier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,727 in Fox Glacier, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Fox Glacier. The gap between the two cities makes Port Moresby the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Port Moresby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Fox Glacier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.