Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Cairns vs Port Vila

Cairns vs Port Vila

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Cairns 6% cheaper Low / N/A

Cairns

Jodi Nelson/Unsplash

Port Vila

Monika MG/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$3,473

Cairns

$3,696

Port Vila

Internet

Mbps

Safety

Low

Cairns

N/A

Port Vila

Air Quality

5/5

Cairns

5/5

Port Vila

Healthcare

Low

Cairns

N/A

Port Vila

Population

144.7k

Cairns

44.0k

Port Vila

Cairns (Australia) and Port Vila (Vanuatu) are both in Oceania, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

The cost difference is noticeable: Cairns at $3473/mo is 6% cheaper than Port Vila at $3696/mo, worth considering for extended stays.

For families, Cairns costs $3853.135118640259/mo compared to Port Vila's $5828.282921568195/mo.

Quality of Life

Both Cairns and Port Vila share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Cairns and Port Vila.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Cairns is June (around 26 degrees, 0mm rain, score 416), while Port Vila peaks in April (33 degrees, 2mm rain, score 340). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

CairnsPort Vila

Nomad$3,473/mo$3,696/mo

Expat$2,079/mo$2,399/mo

Local$1,101/mo$1,665/mo

Family$3,853/mo$5,828/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

CairnsPort Vila

City Speed

80 Mbps

0 Mbps

Country Speed80 Mbps0 Mbps

Environment & Health

CairnsPort Vila

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionLowN/A

ClimateHighN/A

Humidity9987

Quality of Life

CairnsPort Vila

SafetyLowN/A

HealthcareLowN/A

Monthly Weather Comparison

Cairns

Port Vila

Jan

37°

6mm191

37°

4mm186

Feb

35°

5mm206

36°

5mm109

Mar

33°

6mm175

35°

10mm94

Apr

30°

2mm313

33°

2mm340

May

27°

3mm160

28°

1mm278

Jun

26°

0mm416

29°

1mm283

Jul

25°

0mm412

28°

2mm268

Aug

26°

0mm404

26°

1mm322

Sep

27°

1mm350

28°

1mm283

Oct

31°

0mm392

30°

2mm268

Nov

33°

0mm406

32°

2mm247

Dec

37°

3mm252

36°

4mm186

Who Should Choose Cairns?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Smaller city feel with 144.7k residents
Peak season in June — 26 degrees, score 416

Who Should Choose Port Vila?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Smaller city feel with 44.0k residents
Peak season in April — 33 degrees, score 340

Overall Verdict

For the typical digital nomad, Cairns is the stronger pick. At $3473/mo it beats Port Vila's $3696/mo by 6%, and the 80 Mbps internet handles video calls without issues.

Granular Price Comparison

Cairns Port Vila

ItemCairnsPort VilaDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$15.97$12.71

20%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$67.28$55.06

18%

McMeal or equivalent combo$10.19$10.17

Cappuccino (regular)$3.57$3.34

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$5.78$3.81

34%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$5.1$4.66

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$2.21$2.14

Water (0.33L)$2.29$0.86

62%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.3$1.5

13%

White bread (500g)$1.95$2.04

White rice (1kg)$1.68$2.15

22%

Eggs (12)$3.35$3.9

14%

Chicken fillets (1kg)$7.65$17.47

56%

Beef round (1kg)$28.32$16.58

41%

Local cheese (1kg)$10.65$23.53

55%

Apples (1kg)$3.31$4.26

22%

Bananas (1kg)$2.45$0.47

81%

Oranges (1kg)$2.55$4.18

39%

Tomatoes (1kg)$8.32$4.48

46%

Potatoes (1kg)$2.17$4.26

49%

Onions (1kg)$1.9$2.64

28%

Lettuce (1 head)$2.54$2.34

Water (1.5L bottle)$4.76$1.33

72%

Wine, mid-range bottle$11.55$14.82

22%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$4.11$3.5

15%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$3.42$3.18

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$30.58$8.73

71%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$2.65$1.27

52%

Monthly transport pass$101.94—

—

Taxi start (normal tariff)$1.97$1.39

29%

Taxi per 1km$1.54$1.14

26%

Taxi 1hr waiting$33.44$4.24

87%

Gasoline (1L)$1.36$1.44

Volkswagen Golf (new)$20,383.99$18,262.78

10%

Toyota Corolla (new)$14,724.22$24,067.99

39%

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$129.12$285.2

55%

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$52.33$141.9

63%

Mobile prepaid per minute$0.42—

—

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$33.07$67.47

51%

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$12.46$0

100%

Cinema, 1 ticket$13.59$6.33

53%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$1,359.16$544.08

60%

International primary school/yr$3,295.96$6,158.73

46%

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$63.71$46.59

27%

Summer dress (chain store)$31.71$33.89

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$74.75$101.66

26%

Men's leather business shoes$62.86$50.83

19%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$790.01$995.46

21%

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$582.17$1,122.46

48%

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$1,165.26$2,022.55

42%

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$1,368.22$1,788.57

24%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre$2,718.32—

—

Price per m², outside centre$1,019.37—

—

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary$3,177.79$677.68

79%

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$3.6$7.5

52%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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