Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Economy

make 59.3% less money

Washington has a GDP per capita of $87,768 as of 2024, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $35,700 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Washington, 5.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 11.9% less likely to have internet access

In Washington, approximately 93.1% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: Washington vs. New Caledonia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
New Caledonia is 14.7% more expensive than Washington
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Size Comparison · See true size
Washington is about 9 times bigger than New Caledonia.
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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.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Washington? See an in-depth size comparison.

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