Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Lae Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Lae

😐 Solo nomad: Port Moresby is 146.5% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 40.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Port Moresby is 71.6% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 139.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.42 PGK 38.46
$10.68 PGK 43.6
-11.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.68 PGK 199
$55.7 PGK 227
-12.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.09 PGK 24.87
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.31 PGK 9.43
$2.92 PGK 11.94
-20.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 PGK 3.07
$0.87 PGK 3.55
-13.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.8 PGK 3.25
$0.59 PGK 2.4
35.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.46 PGK 10.05
$3.68 PGK 15
-33.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.14 PGK 16.92
$5.63 PGK 22.99
-26.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 PGK 7.96
$2.11 PGK 8.61
-7.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 PGK 6.55
$1.55 PGK 6.33
3.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 PGK 6.4
$1.42 PGK 5.78
10.56%
Eggs
$3.91 PGK 15.95
$4.32 PGK 17.63
-9.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.57 PGK 18.66
$10.09 PGK 41.21
-54.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.18 PGK 25.23
$9.62 PGK 39.28
-35.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.68 PGK 39.53
$11.32 PGK 46.21
-14.49%
Apples (1kg)
$4.06 PGK 16.59
$4.71 PGK 19.24
-13.80%
Banana (1kg)
$2.94 PGK 11.99
$2.93 PGK 11.95
0.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.52 PGK 22.52
$6.41 PGK 26.17
-13.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.73 PGK 23.38
$1.64 PGK 6.69
249.39%
Potato (1kg)
$3.33 PGK 13.58
$3.67 PGK 14.96
-9.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.67 PGK 10.89
$2.55 PGK 10.4
4.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.94 PGK 11.99
$0.75 PGK 3.07
292.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 PGK 5.42
$0.94 PGK 3.84
41.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.65 PGK 27.15
$7.02 PGK 28.68
-5.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.78 PGK 48.11
$13.11 PGK 53.5
-10.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.9 PGK 11.82
$2.7 PGK 11.04
7.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 PGK 15.1
$4.8 PGK 19.58
-22.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 PGK 1.89
$0.34 PGK 1.41
35.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.45 PGK 99.8
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.86 PGK 23.93
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.53 PGK 10.32
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.48 PGK 67.3
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 PGK 4.65
$1.16 PGK 4.72
-1.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K PGK 92.1K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K PGK 101K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 PGK 426
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$48.05 PGK 196
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$378 PGK 1,543
-
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.3 PGK 271
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.25 PGK 82.7
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.88 PGK 40.32
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$643 PGK 2,627
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,071 PGK 16.6K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.29 PGK 128
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.43 PGK 149
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.1 PGK 311
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98 PGK 400
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,168 PGK 8,852
$7,981 PGK 32.6K
-72.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$486 PGK 1,982
$736 PGK 3,004
-34.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,450 PGK 14.1K
$1,456 PGK 5,942
137.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$836 PGK 3,413
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,064 PGK 4,342
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,440 PGK 18.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Port Moresby
Lae
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$416 PGK 1,698
$164 PGK 669
153.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.33
0
-

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 27, 2025

Last update for Lae: October 28, 2025

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