Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu 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 $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Vanuatu
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Vanuatu Living Index
67

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

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🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,216

/mo nomad

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,216 per month in Vanuatu vs $1,364 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Vanuatu $3,216
Papua New Guinea $1,364

A couple spends around $4,324 per month in Vanuatu vs $2,170 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Vanuatu $4,324
Papua New Guinea $2,170

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Vanuatu vs $2,976 in Papua New Guinea, rent included.

Vanuatu $5,432
Papua New Guinea $2,976

The cost of living in Vanuatu is about 136% higher than in Papua New Guinea on average.

Both Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea are pricier than the global median – Vanuatu by 137%, Papua New Guinea by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 VUV 1,457

$7.09 PGK 31.04

75.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,553

$44.55 PGK 195

25.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 VUV 1,660

$5.35 PGK 23.42

164.49%

Cappuccino

$3.97 VUV 466

$2.33 PGK 10.18

70.39%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$0.79 PGK 3.44

191.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 274

$0.67 PGK 2.92

247.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 VUV 590

$2.59 PGK 11.35

94.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 VUV 863

$3.97 PGK 17.38

85.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.13 VUV 367

$1.80 PGK 7.88

73.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 VUV 293

$1.50 PGK 6.57

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 452

$1.32 PGK 5.78

192.42%

Eggs

$6.21 VUV 728

$3.63 PGK 15.89

71.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 VUV 1,911

$6.49 PGK 28.42

151.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.00 VUV 1,876

$5.76 PGK 25.21

177.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 VUV 1,554

$9.18 PGK 40.19

44.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 VUV 771

$4.00 PGK 17.52

64.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 VUV 243

$3.29 PGK 14.39

-37.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 VUV 459

$6.15 PGK 26.93

-36.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.09 VUV 1,184

$5.12 PGK 22.42

97.07%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,052

$3.29 PGK 14.41

172.34%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 VUV 510

$2.79 PGK 12.20

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 305

$2.01 PGK 8.79

29.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 137

$1.13 PGK 4.94

2.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 VUV 1,122

$6.55 PGK 28.66

46.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.45 VUV 1,460

$10.72 PGK 46.94

16.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 VUV 344

$2.47 PGK 10.83

19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 VUV 351

$3.71 PGK 16.23

-19.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$0.46 PGK 2.01

180.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 VUV 7,943

$25.35 PGK 111

167.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 VUV 295

$4.81 PGK 21.07

-47.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 VUV 95.4

$2.22 PGK 9.73

-63.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 VUV 587

$12.21 PGK 53.5

-59.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 VUV 216

$0.98 PGK 4.27

87.76%

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

$23.0K VUV 2.7M

$29.0K PGK 127.0K

-20.55%

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

$37.3K VUV 4.4M

$22.7K PGK 99.3K

64.49%

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

$624 VUV 73.2K

$93.6 PGK 410

567.31%

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

$22.95 VUV 2,692

$24.89 PGK 109

-7.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$360 VUV 42.2K

$104 PGK 454

246.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 VUV 7,963

$63.6 PGK 278

6.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 VUV 1,971

$24.19 PGK 106

-30.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 PGK 37.82

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

$632 VUV 74.1K

$522 PGK 2,283

21.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,850 VUV 803.5K

$5,363 PGK 23.5K

27.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.81 VUV 4,787

$36.28 PGK 159

12.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.5 VUV 7,797

$33.70 PGK 148

97.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 VUV 9,991

$64.1 PGK 281

32.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.1K

$85.4 PGK 374

20.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 VUV 183.7K

$1,337 PGK 5,855

17.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 VUV 140.6K

$495 PGK 2,167

142.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,359 VUV 394.0K

$2,689 PGK 11.8K

24.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 VUV 222.5K

$1,069 PGK 4,678

77.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,080 VUV 713.1K

$2,026 PGK 8,869

200.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 VUV 256.2K

$3,702 PGK 16.2K

-41.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$345 VUV 40.4K

$417 PGK 1,826

-17.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

13.67

-54.79%

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

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 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

Vanuatu

$1.2K 37.3%

Papua New Guinea

$495 36.3% 58.7% $703

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vanuatu

$1K 31.3%

Papua New Guinea

$222 16.3% 77.9% $785

Groceries & Markets

Vanuatu

$482 15%

Papua New Guinea

$297 21.8% 38.4% $185

Eating Out

Vanuatu

$248 7.7%

Papua New Guinea

$127 9.3% 48.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Vanuatu

$133 4.1%

Papua New Guinea

$99 7.2% 25.7% $34

Getting Around

Vanuatu

$79 2.5%

Papua New Guinea

$43 3.2% 45.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Vanuatu

$68 * 2.1%

Papua New Guinea

$81 5.9% 19.1% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $794 in Vanuatu vs $751 in Papua New Guinea. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,587 in Port Vila and $1,507 in Port Moresby.

Average salary: $488 in Vanuatu 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 6% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 47% more in Vanuatu.

Public transport is 371% more expensive in Vanuatu.

Salaries are 57% higher in Vanuatu.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

23:23 11:23 PM

1 h behind Vanuatu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,019

8,935,000

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vanuatu Papua New Guinea 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Vanuatu
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

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

Papua New Guinea is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 136% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Vanuatu: a central one-bedroom averages $794 versus $751 in Papua New Guinea.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Papua New Guinea, adding to the overall 136% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Papua New Guinea, but in Vanuatu 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.