Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea

😐 Solo nomad: Vanuatu is 24.4% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 132.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Vanuatu is 24.7% more expensive than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 87% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.21 VUV 1,329
$7.68 PGK 33.09
45.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.8 VUV 7,563
$48.05 PGK 207
32.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.63 VUV 1,142
$6.01 PGK 25.91
60.23%
Cappuccino
$5.04 VUV 598
$2.39 PGK 10.30
110.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 VUV 262
$0.86 PGK 3.71
156.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 VUV 201
$0.75 PGK 3.22
125.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.48 VUV 531
$2.95 PGK 12.72
51.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.09 VUV 485
$4.60 PGK 19.81
-11.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 VUV 290
$1.90 PGK 8.20
28.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.80 VUV 332
$1.54 PGK 6.64
81.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.80 VUV 450
$1.48 PGK 6.37
156.76%
Eggs
$5.23 VUV 620
$3.87 PGK 16.68
35.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.13 VUV 2,388
$6.10 PGK 26.31
230.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.87 VUV 2,002
$6.68 PGK 28.77
152.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.77 VUV 1,990
$9.12 PGK 39.30
83.88%
Apples (1kg)
$4.65 VUV 552
$4.06 PGK 17.50
14.53%
Banana (1kg)
$2.89 VUV 342
$2.81 PGK 12.09
2.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.34 VUV 633
$4.66 PGK 20.07
14.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 VUV 388
$3.90 PGK 16.79
-16.15%
Potato (1kg)
$5.24 VUV 622
$3.26 PGK 14.05
60.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.97 VUV 352
$2.51 PGK 10.81
18.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.46 VUV 292
$2.86 PGK 12.33
-13.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 VUV 160
$1.06 PGK 4.56
27.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.89 VUV 1,173
$6.58 PGK 28.34
50.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.88 VUV 2,002
$11.56 PGK 49.81
46.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.16 VUV 375
$2.63 PGK 11.35
20.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 VUV 340
$3.57 PGK 15.37
-19.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.66 VUV 197
$0.46 PGK 1.97
260.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.1 VUV 7,962
$28.19 PGK 121
138.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.07 VUV 246
$5.37 PGK 23.15
-61.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 VUV 101
$2.49 PGK 10.74
-65.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 VUV 590
$17.09 PGK 73.6
-70.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.88 VUV 223
$1.08 PGK 4.67
74.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K VUV 2.8M
$24.3K PGK 104.7K
-3.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.2K VUV 4.5M
$31.3K PGK 134.9K
21.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$526 VUV 62.4K
$101 PGK 436
419.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.18 VUV 2,987
$49.31 PGK 213
-48.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$231 VUV 27.4K
$212 PGK 912
9.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$63.9 PGK 275
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.83 VUV 1,996
$12.20 PGK 52.6
37.95%
Cinema Ticket
$12.43 VUV 1,474
$9.87 PGK 42.54
25.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$631 VUV 74.9K
$441 PGK 1,900
43.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,770 VUV 803.2K
$4,036 PGK 17.4K
67.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.16 VUV 5,594
$35.90 PGK 155
31.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.3 VUV 7,867
$36.17 PGK 156
83.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$66.8 PGK 288
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$66.0 PGK 285
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,865 VUV 221.2K
$3,146 PGK 13.6K
-40.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,795 VUV 213.0K
$471 PGK 2,030
281.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,322 VUV 394.1K
$3,173 PGK 13.7K
4.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,091 VUV 248.0K
$723 PGK 3,118
189.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,112 VUV 725.0K
$2,645 PGK 11.4K
131.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,264 VUV 268.5K
$3,986 PGK 17.2K
-43.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vanuatu
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$313 VUV 37.1K
$402 PGK 1,734
-22.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7
12.75
-45.10%

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

Last update for Vanuatu: March 2, 2026

Last update for Papua New Guinea: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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