MigrantoCost of living in Papua New Guinea
Average monthly spending, by standard of living and against other countries
Monthly cost
PGK 657
what a typical person spends
Spending by standard of living
PGK 278richest 20%
PGK 1,680
Papua New Guinea is best understood as a divided economy — a resource trade built on mining and gas alongside a vast rural population that grows most of what it eats. For the majority, a life here costs little, because so much of it never passes through a shop at all. That same divide opens a wide gap: between a comfortable urban existence and a subsistence one, daily life can mean almost entirely different things.
Living-cost calculator
What it costs to live in Papua New Guinea
Tell us what you earn and spend today — we'll estimate what the same lifestyle would cost in Papua New Guinea and how much you could have left each month
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Cost of living in Papua New Guinea
PGK 278/mo
vs PGK 3,530 in your country
Take-home
PGK 2,790
vs PGK 5,290 in your country
Potential savings
PGK 2,510
more than in your country
Standard of living
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How living costs in Papua New Guinea compare
Measured against its neighbors, Papua New Guinea is among the cheapest in the region, and it stays low against the world as a whole. The resource money moving through the country is real, but it reaches relatively few; for everyone else, life is met largely off the land, and that is what holds the overall cost down.
Data source: household consumption 2024 (World Bank, regional estimate), price levels (income-anchored estimate), adjusted to 2026 using IMF GDP-per-capita growth
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of living in Papua New Guinea?
A typical person in Papua New Guinea spends about PGK 657 a month — around PGK 7,880 a year — on housing, groceries, transport and other everyday costs. It's a nationwide average across different regions, cities and types of housing.
What is the cost of living in Papua New Guinea in US dollars?
The cost of living in Papua New Guinea is about $149 a month, or roughly $1,788 a year per person.
How much money do you need to live comfortably in Papua New Guinea?
It all depends on your standard of living. A modest budget runs about PGK 278 a month per person, a typical one around PGK 657, and a comfortable life around PGK 926. In big cities and for a family, costs are usually higher.
Is Papua New Guinea an expensive country to live in?
No. Papua New Guinea is more expensive than 26% of countries worldwide and ranks 10th of 11 in Oceania by cost of living.
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Living in Papua New Guinea
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