Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,532 a month against $2,342 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wellington 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 Wellington and in Port Moresby actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,342 in Wellington versus $1,532 in Port Moresby.

Wellington $2,342
Port Moresby $1,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,316 in Wellington versus $2,418 in Port Moresby.

Wellington $3,316
Port Moresby $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,291 in Wellington versus $3,305 in Port Moresby.

Wellington $4,291
Port Moresby $3,305

Living in Wellington is roughly 53% 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: Wellington 75% above, Port Moresby 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 NZ$24.77

$7.76 PGK 33.98

78.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 NZ$114

$43.89 PGK 192

46.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.97

$5.38 PGK 23.58

66.36%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$2.44 PGK 10.69

34.84%

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

$2.35 NZ$4.20

$0.77 PGK 3.38

205.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 NZ$2.98

$0.67 PGK 2.95

149.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.24 NZ$12.91

$2.91 PGK 12.74

148.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 NZ$12.04

$3.56 PGK 15.59

89.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 NZ$3.38

$1.82 PGK 7.97

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$1.54 PGK 6.74

39.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.39 PGK 6.09

30.94%

Eggs

$6.73 NZ$12.00

$3.62 PGK 15.86

85.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.15

$8.64 PGK 37.85

4.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$17.02

$5.60 PGK 24.55

70.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 NZ$27.29

$9.92 PGK 43.46

54.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.64

$4.21 PGK 18.45

-24.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.98

$3.12 PGK 13.67

-28.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.29

$7.01 PGK 30.72

-57.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 NZ$11.28

$6.56 PGK 28.75

-3.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.67

$3.40 PGK 14.92

-39.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 NZ$2.20

$2.92 PGK 12.79

-57.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$2.33 PGK 10.20

-14.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 NZ$2.13

$1.29 PGK 5.64

-7.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.25

$6.26 PGK 27.45

305.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.37 NZ$20.28

$10.73 PGK 47.04

5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.66

$2.54 PGK 11.11

24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 NZ$4.92

$3.51 PGK 15.38

-21.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 NZ$4.89

$0.42 PGK 1.86

552.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$182

$21.95 PGK 96.2

364.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$5.43 PGK 23.79

-66.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.17

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-21.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 NZ$59.2

$15.47 PGK 67.8

114.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.27

$0.94 PGK 4.13

94.68%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

-47.90%

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

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

47.32%

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

$199 NZ$354

$117 PGK 513

69.69%

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

$32.79 NZ$58.5

$22.67 PGK 99.4

44.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 NZ$95.4

$91.2 PGK 399

-41.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.58 NZ$68.8

$60.2 PGK 264

-35.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.40 NZ$29.25

$22.04 PGK 96.6

-25.59%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 NZ$21.66

$8.74 PGK 38.31

38.90%

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

$1,036 NZ$1,849

$836 PGK 3,665

23.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

106.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 NZ$140

$32.86 PGK 144

138.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$50.4

$31.67 PGK 139

-10.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$184

$136 PGK 595

-23.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 NZ$276

$160 PGK 702

-3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 NZ$2,190

$1,577 PGK 6,911

-22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 NZ$2,032

$551 PGK 2,414

106.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 NZ$3,873

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

-28.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 NZ$2,978

$1,129 PGK 4,945

47.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

$2,035 PGK 8,917

230.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,505 NZ$6,252

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

-6.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,818 NZ$5,027

$429 PGK 1,881

556.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

12.17

-55.71%

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

Last update for Wellington: 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

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

Port Moresby

$551 36.3% 51.6% $589

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$343 14.5%

Port Moresby

$320 21.1% 6.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$285 12.1%

Port Moresby

$231 15.2% 19% $54

Eating Out

Wellington

$243 10.3%

Port Moresby

$135 8.9% 44.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7%

Port Moresby

$162 10.7% 1.2% $1.9

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.2%

Port Moresby

$40 2.7% 67.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$63 2.7%

Port Moresby

$78 5.1% 23.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,228 in Wellington and $1,577 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 556% 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: $64.0 in Wellington vs $44.00 in Port Moresby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $320 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

13:00 1:00 PM

3 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wellington Port Moresby 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
Port Moresby

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

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

Port Moresby wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Wellington. 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 556% higher in Wellington, 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: $1,228 in Wellington 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 7% higher in Wellington. 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 $64.0 in Wellington. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,532 in Port Moresby versus $2,342 in Wellington, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Moresby but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Port Moresby the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Port Moresby delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,532 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Port Moresby hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Wellington 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 53% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.