Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,469 a month against $1,821 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,821 in New Plymouth.

Port Moresby $1,469
New Plymouth $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,315 in Port Moresby versus $2,787 in New Plymouth.

Port Moresby $2,315
New Plymouth $2,787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,161 in Port Moresby versus $3,753 in New Plymouth.

Port Moresby $3,161
New Plymouth $3,753

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 19% less than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 9% above, New Plymouth 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$11.79 NZ$20.86

-34.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$66.5 NZ$118

-33.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$8.42 NZ$14.89

-33.37%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$3.31 NZ$5.85

-23.26%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$2.10 NZ$3.71

-64.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$1.84 NZ$3.25

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$5.25 NZ$9.28

-42.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$5.51 NZ$9.75

-33.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$1.46 NZ$2.58

25.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$1.25 NZ$2.21

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.62 NZ$2.86

-16.05%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$5.35 NZ$9.47

-30.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$5.48 NZ$9.69

62.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$7.23 NZ$12.79

-31.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$11.60 NZ$20.52

-17.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$2.45 NZ$4.33

80.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$1.90 NZ$3.36

72.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$2.95 NZ$5.22

146.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$6.26 NZ$11.08

3.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$2.03 NZ$3.60

51.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.40 NZ$2.48

113.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$1.77 NZ$3.14

32.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$1.26 NZ$2.22

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$22.05 NZ$39.00

-70.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$8.41 NZ$14.88

30.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$2.90 NZ$5.14

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$3.76 NZ$6.65

-6.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-72.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

$74.3 NZ$131

-69.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$3.61 NZ$6.39

36.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-39.39%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

91.96%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$22.6K NZ$39.9K

-23.22%

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

$118 PGK 516

$127 NZ$225

-7.32%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$27.63 NZ$48.87

-24.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$47.97 NZ$84.8

71.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

$42.55 NZ$75.3

45.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$8.00 NZ$14.14

10.00%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$669 NZ$1,183

-15.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

$22.8K NZ$40.2K

-72.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$61.6 NZ$109

-42.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$38.35 NZ$67.8

-11.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$87.7 NZ$155

-20.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$103 NZ$182

-6.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$911 NZ$1,612

68.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

$853 NZ$1,508

-33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

$1,719 NZ$3,040

67.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

$1,542 NZ$2,727

-23.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

$3,136 NZ$5,547

-33.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

$2,566 NZ$4,539

47.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

$2,766 NZ$4,891

-84.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

5.93

105.23%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

New Plymouth

$853 46.8% 51.1% $289

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

New Plymouth

$279 15.3% 12.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

New Plymouth

$203 11.1% 8.2% $18

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

New Plymouth

$212 11.7% 54.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

New Plymouth

$131 7.2% 23.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

New Plymouth

$59 3.2% 26.2% $21

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 108% $44

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 $911 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Plymouth pays 548% 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 $67.0 in New Plymouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $279, with New Plymouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

58,400

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 New Plymouth 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
New Plymouth

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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby and New Plymouth differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,469 vs $1,821 including rent). Port Moresby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 548% lower in New Plymouth. 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 $911 in New Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port Moresby runs roughly 227% less than in New Plymouth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $563 in Port Moresby versus $669 in New Plymouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,821 in New Plymouth, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in New Plymouth. 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 New Plymouth 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 24% less than in New Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.