Pacific Islands on A Shoestring

Are there places in the pacific where people can travel relatively cheaply? As part of a trip I was thinking of spending some time in the South Pacific but unless I can do it relatively cheaply I'm not sure if it will be possible. By Cheap I mean between 40$-60$. If it gets higher than that I'm not sure I can go there.

Thank You

You can travel in most of the Pacific island countries on that budget if you are ready to stay at cheap, basic places and travel around each country by boat (international flights will have to be extra!).

Of course your budget will go a longer way in certain countries than in others.
In general, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Solomons are the cheapest countries, with the French territories being priciest. But even the latter can be reasonable if you want them to be, for example New Caledonia has great, cheap campsites and tribal village homestays.

Thank You for answering my question Laszlo. I'm glad I can fit some of oceania into my trip.

You can get a room in a Guest House in Honiara (Solomon Islands) with an en suite and a shared Kitchen and lounge within your budget if you book early - if you are interested, send me a PM and I'll send contact details.
Village stays (including food), or resthouses in the provinces are a similar price or even less. but you probably won't have your own bathroom, or even western-style facilities in some cases.
The biggest cost is travel. Local inter-island ferries and intra-island trucks where there are roads, are quite cheap, but anything involving petrol (eg outbpard motor travel) can be quite expensive in rural areas.

Fiji is very cheap, the Cooks are modest, but can be cheap if you stay in a hstel and cook most of your own meals. But I'd check out Fiji in particular if you want to spend a long time in one country, as there are lots of outer islands, etc.

Laszlo is correct re Melanesian islands usually being cheaper than Polynesia. But ssome islands are more expensive, and PNG can be very expensive (I haven't been, I rely on Laszlo and ozziegiraffe et al for good advice)

Actually, PNG has some real bargains by South Pacific standards, like village guesthouses for US$ 5-10.
But the cities can be pricey (why linger in them anyway?) and so are internal flights.
Transport by road and sea is still quite cheap by Pacific standards, I think.

And then, I rate the experience/diversity to be found in PNG far above anything else in the South Pacific!

I am interested to know if anyone know of a cheap place to stay in Pago Pago?