Cost of living comparison
compared to
Australia vs. Papua New Guinea Cost of Living Summary
Australia is 73.0% more expensive than Papua New Guinea overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.2 times more in Australia
- Groceries
- pay 4.5% less in Australia
- Transportation
- pay 66.3% more in Australia
- Housing
- pay 7.1% less in Australia
- Childcare
- pay 2.9 times more in Australia
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 93.4% more in Australia
- Clothing
- pay 49.2% more in Australia
The cost of childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in Australia are more expensive than in Papua New Guinea. Expenses including housing and groceries are lower in Australia. Notably, childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Australia.
Australia vs. Papua New Guinea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Australia instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
pay 2.2 times more for restaurants
Papua New Guinea | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.87 PGK78.50 | $17.15 A$24.87 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.92 PGK26.02 | $9.64 A$13.98 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.80 PGK3.53 | $2.63 A$3.82 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.70 PGK3.09 | $2.14 A$3.11 | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Australia - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.5% less for groceries
Papua New Guinea | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.55 PGK6.82 | $2.39 A$3.47 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.60 PGK15.83 | $4.21 A$6.11 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.76 PGK34.09 | $5.84 A$8.47 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.00 PGK17.59 | $4.36 A$6.33 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.63 PGK15.95 | $3.87 A$5.61 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.99 PGK8.74 | $1.48 A$2.15 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.32 PGK5.81 | $1.27 A$1.84 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.73 PGK12.01 | $1.32 A$1.91 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.62 PGK7.13 | $1.93 A$2.80 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.58 PGK6.94 | $1.10 A$1.60 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.18 PGK5.19 | $0.97 A$1.41 | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Australia - Cost of groceries
pay 66.3% more for transportation
Papua New Guinea | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.22 PGK18.52 | $4.48 A$6.49 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $23.69 PGK104.06 | $86.18 A$124.98 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $22,387.96 PGK98,338.44 | $27,666.22 A$40,125.04 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $24.88 PGK109.26 | $17.83 A$25.86 | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Australia - Cost of transportation
pay 7.1% less for housing
Papua New Guinea | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $165.84 PGK728.43 | $54.93 A$79.67 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,652.44 PGK11,650.74 | $1,188.50 A$1,723.72 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $758.54 PGK3,331.88 | $962.42 A$1,395.82 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $80.08 PGK351.73 | $133.71 A$193.93 | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Australia - Cost of housing
pay 2.9 times more for childcare
Papua New Guinea | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $631.76 PGK2,774.98 | $1,475.00 A$2,139.22 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $3,968.24 PGK17,430.36 | $13,848.50 A$20,084.83 | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Australia - Cost of childcare
pay 93.4% more for entertainment and sports
Papua New Guinea | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.98 PGK13.07 | $6.47 A$9.38 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.56 PGK11.24 | $3.56 A$5.17 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $6.96 PGK30.56 | $28.78 A$41.74 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $73.52 PGK322.94 | $51.13 A$74.16 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $10.30 PGK45.24 | $13.10 A$19.00 | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Australia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 49.2% more for clothing
Papua New Guinea | Australia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $31.15 PGK136.84 | $69.65 A$101.01 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $36.48 PGK160.26 | $48.53 A$70.39 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $76.40 PGK335.60 | $99.22 A$143.90 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $97.73 PGK429.26 | $107.98 A$156.60 | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Australia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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