Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Lower Hutt

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,469 a month against $2,199 in Lower Hutt, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Lower Hutt
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Lower Hutt Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Lower Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in Lower Hutt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt.

Port Moresby $1,469
Lower Hutt $2,199

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,315 in Port Moresby versus $3,027 in Lower Hutt.

Port Moresby $2,315
Lower Hutt $3,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,161 in Port Moresby versus $3,854 in Lower Hutt.

Port Moresby $3,161
Lower Hutt $3,854

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 33% less than in Lower Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 9% above, Lower Hutt 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$10.42 NZ$18.43

-25.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$33.22 NZ$58.8

32.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$9.17 NZ$16.21

-38.82%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$2.99 NZ$5.28

-15.05%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-62.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-59.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$2.75 NZ$4.86

10.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$6.64 NZ$11.74

-44.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$1.85 NZ$3.27

-1.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.85 NZ$3.26

-26.49%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$6.98 NZ$12.34

-46.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$8.48 NZ$15.00

5.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$8.25 NZ$14.59

-40.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$12.41 NZ$21.95

-23.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$2.83 NZ$5.00

55.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$2.01 NZ$3.56

62.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$2.93 NZ$5.18

148.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$4.35 NZ$7.70

48.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$2.09 NZ$3.69

47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.28 NZ$2.26

133.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$2.06 NZ$3.64

14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$1.18 NZ$2.09

12.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$16.53 NZ$29.24

-60.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$8.49 NZ$15.01

28.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$2.81 NZ$4.97

25.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

$2.68 NZ$4.74

-82.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

$88.5 NZ$156

-74.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$1.79 NZ$3.16

174.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$1.74 NZ$3.08

29.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

$33.71 NZ$59.6

-56.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-39.02%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$25.3K NZ$44.7K

100.79%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

-29.93%

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

$118 PGK 516

$144 NZ$254

-18.04%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$32.73 NZ$57.9

-36.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$52.4 NZ$92.7

56.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

$38.70 NZ$68.5

59.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$9.59 NZ$16.96

-8.24%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$683 NZ$1,208

-17.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

$11.1K NZ$19.6K

-43.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$78.0 NZ$138

-54.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$28.28 NZ$50.0

20.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$101 NZ$178

-30.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$143 NZ$252

-32.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$1,396 NZ$2,469

9.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

$1,153 NZ$2,039

-51.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

$2,045 NZ$3,617

40.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

$1,653 NZ$2,923

-28.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

$4,821 NZ$8,526

-56.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

$3,282 NZ$5,804

15.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

$3,100 NZ$5,482

-86.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

5.39

125.79%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lower Hutt: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Lower Hutt

$1.2K 52.4% 104% $589

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

Lower Hutt

$304 13.8% 5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

Lower Hutt

$229 10.4% 3.6% $8.1

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

Lower Hutt

$188 8.6% 36.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

Lower Hutt

$157 7.2% 48.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Lower Hutt

$58 2.6% 27% $21

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

Lower Hutt

$110 5% 169% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,532 in Port Moresby and $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lower Hutt pays 626% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Port Moresby vs $33.00 in Lower Hutt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $304 per month, with Lower Hutt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 Lower Hutt

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

111,800

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Lower Hutt 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Lower Hutt

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 Lower Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 626% lower in Lower Hutt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port Moresby runs roughly 289% less than in Lower Hutt. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $563 in Port Moresby versus $683 in Lower Hutt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Lower Hutt. 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.

Safety-wise, Port Moresby and Lower Hutt are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Port Moresby gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lower Hutt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.