Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Rolleston

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,142 a month against $1,469 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,469

/mo nomad

Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,469 in Port Moresby versus $1,142 in Rolleston.

Port Moresby $1,469
Rolleston $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,315 in Port Moresby versus $2,160 in Rolleston.

Port Moresby $2,315
Rolleston $2,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,161 in Port Moresby versus $3,178 in Rolleston.

Port Moresby $3,161
Rolleston $3,178

Living in Port Moresby is roughly 29% more expensive than in Rolleston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Moresby is 9% above, Rolleston is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.97

$14.22 NZ$25.14

-45.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 PGK 193

$68.1 NZ$120

-35.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 PGK 24.55

$8.79 NZ$15.54

-36.18%

Cappuccino

$2.54 PGK 11.13

$3.28 NZ$5.81

-22.56%

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

$0.74 PGK 3.23

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-65.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PGK 3.00

$1.76 NZ$3.12

-60.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 PGK 13.28

$6.62 NZ$11.70

-54.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 PGK 16.10

$6.18 NZ$10.93

-40.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 PGK 8.02

$1.65 NZ$2.92

10.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 PGK 6.55

$1.81 NZ$3.19

-17.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PGK 5.97

$1.50 NZ$2.66

-9.33%

Eggs

$3.74 PGK 16.38

$5.66 NZ$10.02

-33.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 PGK 39.08

$7.09 NZ$12.53

25.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 PGK 21.64

$9.38 NZ$16.58

-47.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 PGK 41.82

$13.71 NZ$24.25

-30.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 PGK 19.31

$2.57 NZ$4.55

71.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 PGK 14.29

$2.32 NZ$4.11

40.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 PGK 31.87

$2.73 NZ$4.82

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.46 PGK 28.27

$5.10 NZ$9.01

26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.49

$1.79 NZ$3.16

72.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 PGK 13.10

$1.45 NZ$2.57

106.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 PGK 10.29

$2.29 NZ$4.05

2.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PGK 5.82

$0.59 NZ$1.05

125.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$23.39 NZ$41.36

-72.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 PGK 47.88

$8.16 NZ$14.43

34.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 PGK 11.83

$3.33 NZ$5.89

-18.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 PGK 15.43

$3.30 NZ$5.83

6.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 PGK 2.05

$1.14 NZ$2.02

-58.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 PGK 99.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 PGK 21.51

$2.44 NZ$4.32

101.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$1.71 NZ$3.02

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.72 PGK 64.4

$27.51 NZ$48.65

-46.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 PGK 4.38

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-42.53%

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

$50.7K PGK 222.2K

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

104.74%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.9K

$24.0K NZ$42.5K

-27.80%

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

$118 PGK 516

$108 NZ$191

9.00%

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

$20.84 PGK 91.2

$22.38 NZ$39.58

-6.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.2 PGK 360

$45.15 NZ$79.9

82.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 PGK 270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.19 PGK 97.1

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 PGK 38.51

$10.08 NZ$17.82

-12.70%

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

$563 PGK 2,465

$341 NZ$602

65.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,239 PGK 27.3K

$6,755 NZ$11.9K

-7.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.46 PGK 155

$57.5 NZ$102

-38.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 PGK 149

$35.21 NZ$62.3

-3.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 PGK 305

$89.5 NZ$158

-22.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 PGK 422

$122 NZ$215

-20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 PGK 6,706

$278 NZ$491

451.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 PGK 2,470

$254 NZ$449

122.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,874 PGK 12.6K

$1,025 NZ$1,813

180.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 PGK 5,172

$1,082 NZ$1,914

9.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 PGK 9,129

$2,022 NZ$3,576

3.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 PGK 16.6K

$1,805 NZ$3,192

109.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$427 PGK 1,870

$4,358 NZ$7,707

-90.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

5.91

105.92%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rolleston: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$564 38.4%

Rolleston

$254 22.2% 55% $311

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.8%

Rolleston

$300 26.3% 6.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$221 15%

Rolleston

$176 15.4% 20.5% $45

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$138 9.4%

Rolleston

$241 21.1% 74.8% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$106 7.2%

Rolleston

$137 12% 29.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$79 5.4%

Rolleston

$20 * 1.8% 74.6% $59

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$41 2.8%

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4% 61.8% $25

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 $278 in Rolleston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolleston pays 920% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Port Moresby vs $68.0 in Rolleston. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $300, with Rolleston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

3 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

28,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Rolleston 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Rolleston

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 Rolleston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rolleston wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Port Moresby. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rolleston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 920% lower in Rolleston. 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 $278 in Rolleston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Port Moresby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,469 per month in Port Moresby versus $1,142 in Rolleston – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,142 in Rolleston versus $1,469 in Port Moresby, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rolleston but tight or insufficient in Port Moresby. The gap between the two cities makes Rolleston 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 Rolleston 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 Rolleston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Port Moresby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.