Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: Papua New Guinea
Address: PG

For one person, living is cheaper in Papua New Guinea: $1,364 a month against $2,727 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in the United States
Learn more

United States Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Papua New Guinea
Learn more

Papua New Guinea Living Index

Jump to prices

🇺🇸 United States

$2,727

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States 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 States and in Papua New Guinea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,727 per month in the United States vs $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

United States $2,727
Papua New Guinea $1,364

A couple spends around $4,009 per month in the United States vs $2,170 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

United States $4,009
Papua New Guinea $2,170

A family of three spends $5,291 per month in the United States vs $2,976 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

United States $5,291
Papua New Guinea $2,976

The cost of living in the United States is about 100% higher than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Both the United States and Papua New Guinea are pricier than the global median – the United States by 101%, Papua New Guinea by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.73 $19.73

$7.09 PGK 31.04

178.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$44.55 PGK 195

81.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$5.35 PGK 23.42

123.93%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$2.33 PGK 10.18

139.91%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$0.79 PGK 3.44

251.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.67 PGK 2.92

213.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$2.59 PGK 11.35

130.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$3.97 PGK 17.38

99.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.80 PGK 7.88

-42.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.50 PGK 6.57

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.32 PGK 5.78

237.88%

Eggs

$4.34 $4.34

$3.63 PGK 15.89

19.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$6.49 PGK 28.42

96.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$5.76 PGK 25.21

113.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$9.18 PGK 40.19

88.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$4.00 PGK 17.52

32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.29 PGK 14.39

-49.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$6.15 PGK 26.93

-29.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$5.12 PGK 22.42

-1.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.29 PGK 14.41

-14.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.79 PGK 12.20

9.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.01 PGK 8.79

10.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.13 PGK 4.94

107.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.92 $10.92

$6.55 PGK 28.66

66.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$10.72 PGK 46.94

38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.47 PGK 10.83

-14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.71 PGK 16.23

-2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.46 PGK 2.01

434.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.7 $65.7

$25.35 PGK 111

159.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$4.81 PGK 21.07

-25.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.22 PGK 9.73

-14.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.51 $29.51

$12.21 PGK 53.5

141.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.98 PGK 4.27

4.08%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$29.0K PGK 127.0K

-2.42%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$22.7K PGK 99.3K

14.42%

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

$221 $221

$93.6 PGK 410

135.98%

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

$61.3 $61.3

$24.89 PGK 109

146.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$104 PGK 454

-29.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 $44.89

$63.6 PGK 278

-29.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.65 $22.65

$24.19 PGK 106

-6.37%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$8.64 PGK 37.82

75.46%

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

$1,471 $1,471

$522 PGK 2,283

182.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$5,363 PGK 23.5K

366.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$36.28 PGK 159

47.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 $43.76

$33.70 PGK 148

29.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$64.1 PGK 281

43.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$85.4 PGK 374

33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$1,337 PGK 5,855

23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$495 PGK 2,167

169.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,669 $2,669

$2,689 PGK 11.8K

-0.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$1,069 PGK 4,678

106.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,054 $3,054

$2,026 PGK 8,869

50.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,522 $2,522

$3,702 PGK 16.2K

-31.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$417 PGK 1,826

952.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

13.67

-52.08%

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

Last update for the United States: October 18, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.9%

Papua New Guinea

$495 36.3% 62.8% $837

Groceries & Markets

United States

$413 15.1%

Papua New Guinea

$297 21.8% 28.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Papua New Guinea

$222 16.3% 37.5% $133

Eating Out

United States

$326 12%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 60.9% $199

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Papua New Guinea

$99 7.2% 27.7% $38

Getting Around

United States

$89 3.3%

Papua New Guinea

$43 3.2% 51.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

Papua New Guinea

$81 5.9% 7.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,612 in the United States vs $751 in Papua New Guinea. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,743 in Washington, DC and $1,507 in Port Moresby.

Average salary: $4,548 in the United States vs $311 in Papua New Guinea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 115% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 295% more in the United States.

Public transport is 286% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are 1362% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

20:53 8:53 PM

14 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

8,935,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

PGK to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United States Papua New Guinea 13,830 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 100% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,612 versus $751 in Papua New Guinea.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 100% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Papua New Guinea, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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