Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Majuro

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $2,127 in Majuro, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Majuro
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Majuro Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Majuro

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Port Moresby vs $2,127 in Majuro, rent included.

Port Moresby $1,532
Majuro $2,127

A couple spends around $2,418 per month in Port Moresby vs $2,970 in Majuro, rent included.

Port Moresby $2,418
Majuro $2,970

A family of three spends $3,305 per month in Port Moresby vs $3,812 in Majuro, rent included.

Port Moresby $3,305
Majuro $3,812

Port Moresby is about 28% cheaper than Majuro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Port Moresby and Majuro sit above the global median – Port Moresby by 14%, Majuro by 59%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.99

$9.92 $9.92

-21.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.89 PGK 192

$29.92 $29.92

46.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 PGK 23.59

$10.56 $10.56

-49.05%

Cappuccino

$2.44 PGK 10.69

$4.35 $4.35

-43.91%

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

$0.77 PGK 3.38

$1.79 $1.79

-56.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 PGK 2.95

$2.02 $2.02

-66.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 PGK 12.74

$4.48 $4.48

-35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 PGK 15.60

$5.14 $5.14

-30.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PGK 7.97

$2.23 $2.23

-18.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 PGK 6.74

$3.44 $3.44

-55.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 6.09

$1.77 $1.77

-21.47%

Eggs

$3.62 PGK 15.86

$5.14 $5.14

-29.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 PGK 37.85

$30.83 $30.83

-71.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 PGK 24.56

$11.07 $11.07

-49.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 43.47

$18.03 $18.03

-44.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 PGK 18.45

$4.28 $4.28

-1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 PGK 13.67

$7.14 $7.14

-56.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.01 PGK 30.72

$8.93 $8.93

-21.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 PGK 28.75

$12.84 $12.84

-48.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 PGK 14.92

$5.16 $5.16

-34.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 PGK 12.79

$5.60 $5.60

-47.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 PGK 10.21

$3.79 $3.79

-38.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 PGK 5.64

$1.88 $1.88

-31.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 PGK 27.45

$5.98 $5.98

4.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 PGK 47.05

$9.99 $9.99

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 PGK 11.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 PGK 15.39

$2.50 $2.50

40.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.86

$2.91 $2.91

-85.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 PGK 96.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 PGK 23.79

$2.68 $2.68

102.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.47 PGK 67.8

$5.11 $5.11

202.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 PGK 4.13

$1.77 $1.77

-46.89%

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

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

$25.1K $25.1K

95.91%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

$34.8K $34.8K

-50.42%

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

$117 PGK 513

$252 $252

-53.54%

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

$22.67 PGK 99.4

$37.28 $37.28

-39.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.2 PGK 400

$80.2 $80.2

13.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 PGK 264

$37.80 $37.80

59.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.04 PGK 96.6

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 PGK 38.31

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

$836 PGK 3,665

$148 $148

464.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

$2,635 $2,635

136.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.86 PGK 144

$70.8 $70.8

-53.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.67 PGK 139

$40.02 $40.02

-20.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 PGK 595

$30.23 $30.23

348.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 PGK 702

$50.1 $50.1

219.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 PGK 6,912

$790 $790

99.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 PGK 2,414

$883 $883

-37.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

$1,334 $1,334

128.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 PGK 4,946

$1,262 $1,262

-10.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 PGK 8,918

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,882

$1,007 $1,007

-57.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Last update for Majuro: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$551 36.3%

Majuro

$883 41.2% 60.3% $332

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.1%

Majuro

$540 * 25.2% 68.8% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$231 15.2%

Majuro

$370 17.3% 60% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$162 10.7%

Majuro

$86 4% 47% $76

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$135 8.9%

Majuro

$211 9.9% 56.5% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$78 5.1%

Majuro

$38 * 1.8% 51.4% $40

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$40 2.7%

Majuro

$14 * 0.7% 64.5% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Port Moresby versus $790 in Majuro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 135% higher in Majuro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Port Moresby versus $30.00 in Majuro. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Port Moresby vs $540 in Majuro – so Port Moresby wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇲🇭 Majuro

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

2 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

26,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Majuro 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Majuro

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 Majuro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Majuro is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Port Moresby and $3,190 in Majuro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Moresby, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,532 in Port Moresby and $2,127 in Majuro. That's a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $836 per month in Port Moresby and $148 in Majuro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Moresby, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Majuro at $2,127. In Port Moresby it covers expenses comfortably, while in Majuro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Moresby – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Port Moresby. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Majuro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.