Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of California, you would:

Economy

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 65.2% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 11.4% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2024–2025), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: California vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 24.5% cheaper than California
→
Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 22 times bigger than New Caledonia.
→
Moving from California to New Caledonia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
Read more

How big is New Caledonia compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New Caledonia or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.