Cost of living comparison
compared to
Papua New Guinea vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Papua New Guinea is 51.5% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.4% less in Papua New Guinea
- Groceries
-
pay 92.2% more in Papua New Guinea
- Transportation
-
pay 14.4% less in Papua New Guinea
- Housing
-
pay 2.0 times more in Papua New Guinea
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in Papua New Guinea
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.7% more in Papua New Guinea
- Clothing
-
pay 10.5% more in Papua New Guinea
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Papua New Guinea are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including restaurants and transportation are lower in Papua New Guinea. Notably, childcare, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 18.4% less for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Papua New Guinea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.21
ZAR168.45
|
$7.78
PGK35.37
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.91
ZAR97.49
|
$5.56
PGK25.27
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.08
ZAR17.88
|
$0.75
PGK3.41
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
ZAR13.78
|
$0.67
PGK3.03
|
|
South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea - Cost of restaurants
pay 92.2% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Papua New Guinea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR17.59
|
$1.52
PGK6.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.08
ZAR67.33
|
$4.32
PGK19.64
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.58
ZAR75.49
|
$7.10
PGK32.28
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
ZAR42.28
|
$3.69
PGK16.78
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.31
ZAR38.16
|
$2.58
PGK11.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.81
ZAR13.40
|
$1.95
PGK8.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
ZAR12.13
|
$1.44
PGK6.57
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
ZAR12.95
|
$3.29
PGK14.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
ZAR12.71
|
$2.92
PGK13.29
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR10.62
|
$1.51
PGK6.88
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.66
ZAR10.85
|
$1.31
PGK5.96
|
|
South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea - Cost of groceries
pay 14.4% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Papua New Guinea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
ZAR90.53
|
$3.78
PGK17.18
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.15
ZAR1,074.55
|
$22.22
PGK101.06
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,517.32
ZAR536K
|
$50,004.77
PGK227K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.35
ZAR121.20
|
$23.34
PGK106.12
|
|
South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea - Cost of transportation
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Papua New Guinea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$38.93
ZAR642.17
|
$91.68
PGK416.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$421.37
ZAR6,950.09
|
$1,603.86
PGK7,293.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$369.24
ZAR6,090.32
|
$555.61
PGK2,526.59
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$105.57
ZAR1,741.24
|
$89.65
PGK407.67
|
|
South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Papua New Guinea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$199.53
ZAR3,291.11
|
$842.47
PGK3,831.07
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
|
$6,176.41
PGK28,086.83
|
|
South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea - Cost of childcare
pay 43.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Papua New Guinea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.13
|
$3.00
PGK13.64
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.25
ZAR37.18
|
$2.47
PGK11.24
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.16
ZAR52.13
|
$6.45
PGK29.31
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.59
ZAR521.05
|
$61.49
PGK279.61
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.32
ZAR120.70
|
$8.89
PGK40.43
|
|
South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.5% more for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Papua New Guinea
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.66
ZAR868.55
|
$32.73
PGK148.82
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.13
ZAR562.92
|
$31.67
PGK144.02
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.75
ZAR1,645.29
|
$136.12
PGK619.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$86.61
ZAR1,428.49
|
$163.90
PGK745.35
|
|
South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea - 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: South Africa vs. Papua New Guinea
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Moving from South Africa to Papua New Guinea · Cost, visas & climate
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