Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,469 a month against $2,119 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
102

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Moresby and in North Shore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $2,119 in North Shore.

Port Moresby $1,469
North Shore $2,119

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,315 in Port Moresby versus $2,933 in North Shore.

Port Moresby $2,315
North Shore $2,933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,161 in Port Moresby versus $3,746 in North Shore.

Port Moresby $3,161
North Shore $3,746

Living in Port Moresby costs roughly 31% less than in North Shore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Moresby 9% above, North Shore 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$14.08 NZ$24.90

-44.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$73.5 NZ$130

-40.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$8.46 NZ$14.96

-33.69%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$3.27 NZ$5.78

-22.32%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-61.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$6.53 NZ$11.55

-53.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$5.61 NZ$9.92

-34.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$1.61 NZ$2.85

13.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$1.30 NZ$2.29

15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.89 NZ$3.33

-28.04%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$5.68 NZ$10.05

-34.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$7.74 NZ$13.69

15.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$10.02 NZ$17.72

-50.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$11.56 NZ$20.45

-17.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$2.62 NZ$4.63

68.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$2.05 NZ$3.63

59.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$3.14 NZ$5.56

131.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$5.84 NZ$10.33

10.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$2.08 NZ$3.67

48.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.51 NZ$2.67

98.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$2.39 NZ$4.22

-1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$0.95 NZ$1.68

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$25.48 NZ$45.06

-74.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$10.33 NZ$18.26

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$2.74 NZ$4.84

-1.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$3.34 NZ$5.90

5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

$2.21 NZ$3.90

-78.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

$59.5 NZ$105

-61.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$2.22 NZ$3.93

121.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$1.92 NZ$3.39

17.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

$32.25 NZ$57.0

-54.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.71 NZ$3.02

-41.52%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

99.99%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$22.4K NZ$39.5K

-22.47%

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

$118 PGK 516

$181 NZ$321

-35.03%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$26.42 NZ$46.73

-21.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$50.6 NZ$89.5

62.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

$27.16 NZ$48.03

127.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$13.05 NZ$23.07

-32.57%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$672 NZ$1,188

-16.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

$14.4K NZ$25.5K

-56.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$68.9 NZ$122

-48.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$37.87 NZ$67.0

-10.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$93.1 NZ$165

-25.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$103 NZ$182

-6.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$1,302 NZ$2,303

17.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

$1,050 NZ$1,856

-46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

$2,278 NZ$4,029

26.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

$1,339 NZ$2,369

-11.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

$7,194 NZ$12.7K

-71.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

$6,028 NZ$10.7K

-37.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

$2,774 NZ$4,905

-84.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

6.63

83.56%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Last update for North Shore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

North Shore

$1K 49.5% 86% $485

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

North Shore

$306 14.4% 4.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

North Shore

$258 12.2% 17% $38

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

North Shore

$236 11.1% 71.5% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

North Shore

$136 6.4% 28.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

North Shore

$53 2.5% 32.9% $26

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

North Shore

$80 3.8% 96.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,532 in Port Moresby and $1,302 in North Shore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore pays 549% 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 $73.0 in North Shore. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $306, with North Shore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

258,697

💱 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 North Shore 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby and North Shore differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,469 vs $2,119 including rent). Port Moresby is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 549% lower in North Shore. 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 $1,302 in North Shore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Moresby – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $73.0 in North Shore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,469 per month in Port Moresby versus $2,119 in North Shore – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $2,119 in North Shore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in North Shore. 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 North Shore 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 44% less than in North Shore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.