Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,459 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,459

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,459 in Port Moresby versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Port Moresby $1,459
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,302 in Port Moresby versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Port Moresby $2,302
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,146 in Port Moresby versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Port Moresby $3,146
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 13% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 8% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.85 PGK 34.38

$10.59 MX$199

-25.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.10 PGK 193

$52.0 MX$976

-15.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.64 PGK 24.69

$10.73 MX$201

-47.44%

Cappuccino

$2.46 PGK 10.75

$3.80 MX$71.3

-35.26%

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

$0.78 PGK 3.40

$1.61 MX$30.28

-51.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PGK 2.80

$1.21 MX$22.76

-47.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 PGK 12.85

$3.18 MX$59.7

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 PGK 15.85

$5.44 MX$102

-33.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 PGK 8.33

$1.72 MX$32.26

10.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 PGK 6.59

$2.97 MX$55.7

-49.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 PGK 6.21

$1.93 MX$36.17

-26.42%

Eggs

$3.62 PGK 15.87

$2.77 MX$52.1

30.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 PGK 38.42

$11.67 MX$219

-24.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 PGK 22.45

$9.48 MX$178

-45.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 PGK 43.40

$15.37 MX$289

-35.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 PGK 19.07

$3.10 MX$58.3

40.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.24 PGK 14.19

$1.96 MX$36.82

65.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 PGK 31.75

$1.98 MX$37.22

266.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 PGK 27.90

$2.34 MX$43.86

172.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.94 PGK 12.88

$2.02 MX$38.00

45.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 PGK 12.44

$1.82 MX$34.26

56.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 PGK 9.95

$1.54 MX$29.00

47.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 PGK 5.87

$1.31 MX$24.64

2.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.40 PGK 28.01

$5.35 MX$100

19.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 PGK 47.73

$16.19 MX$304

-32.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 PGK 11.63

$1.96 MX$36.79

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 PGK 15.20

$4.35 MX$81.7

-20.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 PGK 1.92

$0.30 MX$5.72

46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.01 PGK 109

$19.49 MX$366

28.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 PGK 21.52

$1.92 MX$36.01

156.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 PGK 6.42

$0.47 MX$8.88

212.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 PGK 62.6

$5.41 MX$102

164.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 PGK 4.54

$1.48 MX$27.86

-29.73%

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

$50.2K PGK 219.9K

$21.4K MX$401.4K

135.02%

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

$17.5K PGK 76.8K

$23.8K MX$446.1K

-26.14%

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

$120 PGK 523

$62.0 MX$1,164

92.82%

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

$20.89 PGK 91.5

$28.47 MX$535

-26.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.4 PGK 365

$34.11 MX$641

144.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 PGK 268

$58.4 MX$1,097

4.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.28 PGK 97.5

$24.50 MX$460

-9.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 PGK 38.92

$6.59 MX$124

34.90%

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

$570 PGK 2,495

$434 MX$8,155

31.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,351 PGK 36.6K

$14.0K MX$263.6K

-40.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 PGK 153

$68.4 MX$1,284

-48.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.81 PGK 157

$54.8 MX$1,029

-34.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 PGK 301

$111 MX$2,082

-37.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 PGK 429

$116 MX$2,178

-15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 PGK 6,588

$1,179 MX$22.1K

27.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 PGK 2,422

$771 MX$14.5K

-28.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,858 PGK 12.5K

$2,570 MX$48.3K

11.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 PGK 5,107

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-17.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,098 PGK 9,184

$3,586 MX$67.3K

-41.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,757 PGK 16.4K

$2,064 MX$38.8K

82.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$430 PGK 1,882

$1,003 MX$18.8K

-57.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

11.35

7.22%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$553 37.9%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 39.3% $218

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.9%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 1.2% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$224 15.4%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 44.3% $99

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$137 9.4%

Mexico City

$201 12% 46.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$107 7.3%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 47.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 9.3% $7.4

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$39 2.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 35.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,505 in Port Moresby and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Port Moresby vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $324 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

05:02 5:02 AM

16 h behind Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Mexico City 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,459 in Port Moresby and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Port Moresby is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Port Moresby. 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: $1,505 in Port Moresby versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $570 in Port Moresby versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Moresby – a meal for two runs $44 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Port Moresby is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Port Moresby wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.