Cost of living comparison
compared to
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Papua New Guinea Cost of Living Summary
Northern Mariana Islands is 0.1% cheaper than Papua New Guinea overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2 times more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 37.9% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 6.7% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Housing
-
pay 23.0% less in Northern Mariana Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 55.3% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 75.6% less in Northern Mariana Islands
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation in Northern Mariana Islands are more expensive than in Papua New Guinea. Expenses including clothing and housing are lower in Northern Mariana Islands. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Northern Mariana Islands.
Northern Mariana Islands vs. Papua New Guinea Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Northern Mariana Islands instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
pay 2.2 times more for restaurants
|
Papua New Guinea
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.78
PGK35.37
|
$15.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.56
PGK25.27
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.75
PGK3.41
|
$2.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.67
PGK3.03
|
$1.38
|
|
Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.9% more for groceries
|
Papua New Guinea
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.52
PGK6.91
|
$5.63
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.32
PGK19.64
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.10
PGK32.28
|
$9.87
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.69
PGK16.78
|
$5.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.58
PGK11.75
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.95
PGK8.88
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.44
PGK6.57
|
?? | |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.29
PGK14.97
|
$2.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.92
PGK13.29
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.51
PGK6.88
|
$0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.31
PGK5.96
|
$1.03
|
|
Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 6.7% more for transportation
|
Papua New Guinea
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.78
PGK17.18
|
$5.52
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$22.22
PGK101.06
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$50,004.77
PGK227K
|
$36,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$23.34
PGK106.12
|
?? | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 23.0% less for housing
|
Papua New Guinea
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$91.68
PGK416.89
|
$90.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,603.86
PGK7,293.44
|
$800.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.61
PGK2,526.59
|
$375.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$89.65
PGK407.67
|
$286.76
|
|
Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Papua New Guinea
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$842.47
PGK3,831.07
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,176.41
PGK28,086.83
|
?? |
Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 55.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Papua New Guinea
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.00
PGK13.64
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.47
PGK11.24
|
$5.33
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.45
PGK29.31
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.49
PGK279.61
|
$60.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.89
PGK40.43
|
?? | |
Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 75.6% less for clothing
|
Papua New Guinea
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$32.73
PGK148.82
|
?? | |
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.67
PGK144.02
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$136.12
PGK619.02
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$163.90
PGK745.35
|
$40.00
|
|
Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Northern Mariana Islands
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Moving from Papua New Guinea to Northern Mariana Islands · Cost, visas & climate
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