Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,469 a month against $1,833 in Nelson, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,833 in Nelson.

Port Moresby $1,469
Nelson $1,833

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,315 in Port Moresby versus $2,842 in Nelson.

Port Moresby $2,315
Nelson $2,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,161 in Port Moresby versus $3,852 in Nelson.

Port Moresby $3,161
Nelson $3,852

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 20% less than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 9% above, Nelson 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$13.86 NZ$24.51

-44.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$64.6 NZ$114

-31.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$8.53 NZ$15.08

-34.23%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$3.24 NZ$5.74

-21.60%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-56.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$1.65 NZ$2.91

-58.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$7.13 NZ$12.61

-57.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$5.53 NZ$9.79

-33.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$1.90 NZ$3.36

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$2.05 NZ$3.63

-26.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-25.68%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$5.70 NZ$10.08

-34.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$9.09 NZ$16.08

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$7.34 NZ$12.98

-32.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$13.70 NZ$24.22

-30.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$3.08 NZ$5.45

43.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$2.19 NZ$3.88

49.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$3.06 NZ$5.41

137.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$5.61 NZ$9.92

15.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$2.05 NZ$3.63

50.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.28 NZ$2.27

133.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$1.97 NZ$3.48

19.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$1.01 NZ$1.79

31.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$24.79 NZ$43.85

-73.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$9.44 NZ$16.69

15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$3.06 NZ$5.41

-11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$2.75 NZ$4.86

28.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

$2.22 NZ$3.92

-78.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$1.82 NZ$3.21

169.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$1.78 NZ$3.14

26.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

$33.41 NZ$59.1

-55.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.61 NZ$2.85

-37.89%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$17.1K NZ$30.2K

197.03%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$21.9K NZ$38.7K

-20.90%

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

$118 PGK 516

$131 NZ$231

-9.74%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$32.95 NZ$58.3

-36.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$41.79 NZ$73.9

96.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

$99.3 NZ$176

-37.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

$33.61 NZ$59.4

-33.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$11.01 NZ$19.48

-20.07%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$440 NZ$777

28.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

$12.7K NZ$22.4K

-50.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$52.4 NZ$92.6

-32.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$27.78 NZ$49.13

22.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$101 NZ$179

-31.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$138 NZ$245

-30.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$1,000 NZ$1,769

53.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

$795 NZ$1,406

-29.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

$1,704 NZ$3,014

68.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

$1,456 NZ$2,574

-18.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

$1,374 NZ$2,430

51.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

$827 NZ$1,462

357.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

$2,017 NZ$3,568

-78.83%

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 Nelson: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Nelson

$795 43.4% 40.8% $230

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

Nelson

$312 17% 2.5% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

Nelson

$205 11.2% 7.1% $16

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

Nelson

$236 12.9% 71.1% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

Nelson

$144 7.9% 36% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Nelson

$121 6.6% 52.9% $42

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 52% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,532 in Port Moresby and $1,000 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nelson pays 372% 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 $65.0 in Nelson. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $312, with Nelson cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

51,100

💱 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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Between locations

Port Moresby Nelson 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Nelson

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 Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Nelson. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Moresby the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 372% lower in Nelson. 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 $1,000 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $563 in Port Moresby versus $440 in Nelson. 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 $44.00 versus $65.0 in Nelson. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,833 in Nelson, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Nelson. 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 Nelson 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 25% less than in Nelson. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.