Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Papua New Guinea

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,375 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Papua New Guinea

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,375 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Papua New Guinea $1,375

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,177 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Papua New Guinea $2,177

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,979 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Papua New Guinea $2,979

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Papua New Guinea ($817–$1,427), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 79% higher than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.15

$7.09 PGK 30.77

202.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$44.44 PGK 193

92.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.98

$5.49 PGK 23.84

93.26%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$2.29 PGK 9.97

114.41%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$0.78 PGK 3.38

241.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.66 PGK 2.85

183.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

$2.59 PGK 11.24

155.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$4.04 PGK 17.55

69.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.86 PGK 8.07

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.48 PGK 6.42

16.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.37 PGK 5.93

58.39%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$3.72 PGK 16.14

7.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.08

$6.26 PGK 27.20

50.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$5.72 PGK 24.86

60.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.10

$8.88 PGK 38.57

66.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$4.00 PGK 17.37

-25.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$3.33 PGK 14.47

-51.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$6.08 PGK 26.42

-53.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$5.24 PGK 22.74

-32.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$3.18 PGK 13.79

-42.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.73 PGK 11.86

-41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$2.01 PGK 8.74

-37.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.18 PGK 5.12

40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.77

$6.33 PGK 27.47

273.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

$10.82 PGK 47.00

-2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$2.43 PGK 10.55

22.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$3.63 PGK 15.75

-3.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$0.42 PGK 1.84

847.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

$26.21 PGK 114

309.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$5.04 PGK 21.91

2.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.16 PGK 9.39

8.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.17

$12.21 PGK 53.0

119.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.02 PGK 4.45

95.10%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$28.1K PGK 122.2K

40.20%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$22.2K PGK 96.5K

82.20%

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

$327 £246

$94.0 PGK 408

248.17%

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

$18.21 £13.69

$24.78 PGK 108

-26.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.77

$106 PGK 460

-58.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

$64.7 PGK 281

-34.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

$23.49 PGK 102

-22.44%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

$8.85 PGK 38.45

56.50%

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

$1,868 £1,404

$503 PGK 2,186

271.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$5,538 PGK 24.1K

308.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

$36.04 PGK 157

157.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

$33.40 PGK 145

37.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

$61.8 PGK 268

64.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

$85.3 PGK 370

19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,009

$1,367 PGK 5,939

-1.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £807

$503 PGK 2,184

113.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,677

$2,690 PGK 11.7K

-17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,309

$1,070 PGK 4,647

62.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

$2,036 PGK 8,843

175.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,205

$3,661 PGK 15.9K

16.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,517

$415 PGK 1,803

707.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

13.67

-61.08%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Papua New Guinea

$503 36.6% 53.1% $570

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Papua New Guinea

$225 16.3% 42.3% $164

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 61.1% $200

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Papua New Guinea

$296 21.6% 3.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Papua New Guinea

$97 7.1% 36.8% $57

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Papua New Guinea

$44 3.2% 68.8% $96

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Papua New Guinea

$82 6% 17.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $1,741 in Papua New Guinea. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $1,451 in Port Moresby.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $312 in Papua New Guinea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 35% higher in Papua New Guinea.

Dining out costs 98% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 288% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 10 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

20:42 8:42 PM

10 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

8,935,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Papua New Guinea 14,480 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Papua New Guinea

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

United Kingdom vs Papua New Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 44% lower on average.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 79% price gap.

Papua New Guinea is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.