Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of California, you would:

Economy

be 49.6% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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make 96.4% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.

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Basic Needs

be 79.7% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2024–2025), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023). How we calculate this

Compare further: California vs. Papua New Guinea

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Papua New Guinea is 42.4% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is around the same size as Papua New Guinea.
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Moving from California to Papua New Guinea · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Papua New Guinea: At a glance

Papua New Guinea (sometimes abbreviated PNG) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 452,860 sq km. The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.
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How big is Papua New Guinea compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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