Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Moresby and Yaren

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaren: $531 a month against $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Yaren
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Yaren Living Index

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Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Yaren

🇳🇷 Nauru

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $531 in Yaren.

Port Moresby $1,532
Yaren $531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,418 in Port Moresby versus $2,918 in Yaren.

Port Moresby $2,418
Yaren $2,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,305 in Port Moresby versus $5,305 in Yaren.

Port Moresby $3,305
Yaren $5,305

Living in Port Moresby is roughly 189% more expensive than in Yaren, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Moresby is 14% above, Yaren is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 PGK 33.99

$10.72 A$15.34

-27.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.89 PGK 192

$24.65 A$35.28

78.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 PGK 23.59

Cappuccino

$2.44 PGK 10.69

$3.52 A$5.04

-30.68%

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

$0.77 PGK 3.38

$1.03 A$1.47

-25.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 PGK 2.95

$1.07 A$1.54

-37.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 PGK 12.74

$7.08 A$10.13

-58.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 PGK 15.60

$5.00 A$7.15

-28.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 PGK 7.97

$3.10 A$4.44

-41.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 PGK 6.74

$1.74 A$2.49

-11.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 6.09

Eggs

$3.62 PGK 15.86

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 PGK 37.85

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 PGK 24.56

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 43.47

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 PGK 18.45

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 PGK 13.67

Oranges (1kg)

$7.01 PGK 30.72

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 PGK 28.75

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 PGK 14.92

$3.41 A$4.88

-0.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 PGK 12.79

$3.45 A$4.94

-15.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 PGK 10.21

$3.52 A$5.04

-33.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 PGK 5.64

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 PGK 27.45

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 PGK 47.05

$17.72 A$25.36

-39.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 PGK 11.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 PGK 15.39

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.86

$1.43 A$2.04

-70.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 PGK 96.2

$87.2 A$125

-74.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 PGK 23.79

$7.01 A$10.03

-22.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 PGK 9.87

$3.55 A$5.08

-36.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.47 PGK 67.8

$42.35 A$60.6

-63.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 PGK 4.13

$1.70 A$2.43

-44.71%

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

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

$34.8K A$49.7K

41.54%

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

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

$10.4K A$14.9K

65.63%

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

$117 PGK 513

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

$22.67 PGK 99.4

$7.00 A$10.01

223.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.2 PGK 400

$27.63 A$39.54

229.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 PGK 264

$0.01 A$0.02

602300.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.04 PGK 96.6

$13.90 A$19.90

58.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 PGK 38.31

$7.17 A$10.26

21.90%

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

$836 PGK 3,665

$347 A$497

140.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

$10.6K A$15.1K

-40.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.86 PGK 144

$14.17 A$20.28

131.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.67 PGK 139

$10.66 A$15.25

197.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 PGK 595

$34.98 A$50.1

287.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 PGK 702

$69.6 A$99.6

130.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 PGK 6,912

$2,828 A$4,047

-44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 PGK 2,414

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

$5,101 A$7,300

-40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 PGK 4,946

$4,267 A$6,107

-73.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 PGK 8,918

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 PGK 1,882

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.17

204.25%

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

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Last update for Yaren: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Moresby

$551 36.3%

Yaren

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Port Moresby

$320 21.1%

Yaren

$115 * 22.1% 64% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Moresby

$231 15.2%

Yaren

$35 * 6.6% 85% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Port Moresby

$162 10.7%

Yaren

$58 11.2% 64.1% $104

Eating Out

Port Moresby

$135 8.9%

Yaren

$182 * 34.8% 34.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Port Moresby

$78 5.1%

Yaren

$14 2.8% 81.5% $63

Getting Around

Port Moresby

$40 2.7%

Yaren

$118 22.6% 192% $77

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 $1,577 in Port Moresby and $2,828 in Yaren. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Port Moresby vs $25.00 in Yaren for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $115 per month, with Yaren cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🇳🇷 Yaren

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

2 h ahead of Port Moresby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,145 Capital

1,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Moresby Yaren 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Moresby
Yaren

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 Yaren: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaren wins on cost – living expenses run 189% lower than in Port Moresby. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yaren the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,298 in Port Moresby and $796 in Yaren to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,577 in Port Moresby versus $2,828 in Yaren. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 178% higher in Port Moresby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Yaren – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $531 in Yaren versus $1,532 in Port Moresby, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yaren but tight or insufficient in Port Moresby. The gap between the two cities makes Yaren 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 Yaren 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 Yaren gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Port Moresby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.