Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sydney and in Port Moresby actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $1,532 in Port Moresby.

Sydney $3,182
Port Moresby $1,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $2,418 in Port Moresby.

Sydney $4,696
Port Moresby $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $3,305 in Port Moresby.

Sydney $6,210
Port Moresby $3,305

Living in Sydney is roughly 108% more expensive than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 137% above, Port Moresby 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$7.76 PGK 33.99

127.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$43.89 PGK 192

121.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.38 PGK 23.59

121.93%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.44 PGK 10.69

63.93%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.77 PGK 3.38

268.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.67 PGK 2.95

238.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$2.91 PGK 12.74

171.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$3.56 PGK 15.60

100.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.82 PGK 7.97

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.54 PGK 6.74

81.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.39 PGK 6.09

66.91%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$3.62 PGK 15.86

52.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$8.64 PGK 37.85

39.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$5.60 PGK 24.56

75.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$9.92 PGK 43.47

67.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$4.21 PGK 18.45

-4.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$3.12 PGK 13.67

0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$7.01 PGK 30.72

-50.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$6.56 PGK 28.75

-31.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$3.40 PGK 14.92

-2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$2.92 PGK 12.79

-21.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$2.33 PGK 10.21

0.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.29 PGK 5.64

-10.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$6.26 PGK 27.45

619.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$10.73 PGK 47.05

30.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$2.54 PGK 11.11

56.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$3.51 PGK 15.39

15.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.42 PGK 1.86

652.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$21.95 PGK 96.2

583.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$5.43 PGK 23.79

-36.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$15.47 PGK 67.8

158.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.94 PGK 4.13

48.94%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

-42.23%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

70.43%

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

$220 A$315

$117 PGK 513

87.75%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$22.67 PGK 99.4

22.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$91.2 PGK 400

-39.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$60.2 PGK 264

23.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$22.04 PGK 96.6

8.67%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$8.74 PGK 38.31

102.86%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$836 PGK 3,665

157.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

353.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$32.86 PGK 144

138.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$31.67 PGK 139

122.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$136 PGK 595

-17.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$160 PGK 702

-17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$1,577 PGK 6,912

59.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$551 PGK 2,414

214.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

60.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$1,129 PGK 4,946

169.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,035 PGK 8,918

549.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

116.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$429 PGK 1,882

850.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

12.17

-52.01%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Port Moresby

$551 36.3% 68.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Port Moresby

$320 21.1% 15.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Port Moresby

$231 15.2% 23.8% $72

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Port Moresby

$135 8.9% 54.9% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Port Moresby

$162 10.7% 8.1% $14

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Port Moresby

$40 2.7% 76.8% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Port Moresby

$78 5.1% 29.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 851% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $44.00 in Port Moresby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $320 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Port Moresby 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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

Sydney vs Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Moresby wins on cost – living expenses run 108% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Moresby the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 851% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,514 in Sydney versus $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Moresby – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $97.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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, Sydney and Port Moresby 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 108% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.