Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. French Polynesia Cost of Living Summary
California is 44.4% more expensive than French Polynesia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.2% more in California
- Groceries
-
pay 8.5% less in California
- Transportation
-
pay 73.0% more in California
- Housing
-
pay 88.0% more in California
- Childcare
-
pay 3.4 times more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.7% more in California
- Clothing
-
pay 2.7% less in California
The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in California are more expensive than in French Polynesia. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in California. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in California.
California vs. French Polynesia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of French Polynesia, you would:
pay 12.2% more for restaurants
|
French Polynesia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.89
CFPF1,794
|
$22.31
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.02
CFPF1,383
|
$12.78
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
CFPF254
|
$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.90
CFPF308
|
$2.26
|
|
French Polynesia vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.5% less for groceries
|
French Polynesia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.21
CFPF341
|
$4.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$13.92
CFPF1,478
|
$7.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.14
CFPF546
|
$4.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.87
CFPF729
|
$5.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.65
CFPF706
|
$6.10
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
CFPF254
|
$2.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.30
CFPF138
|
$0.94
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.68
CFPF285
|
$2.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.53
CFPF375
|
$2.60
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.11
CFPF117
|
$1.61
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.00
CFPF106
|
$1.39
|
|
French Polynesia vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 73.0% more for transportation
|
French Polynesia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.53
CFPF587
|
$5.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$14.08
CFPF1,495
|
$64.45
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$18,297.59
CFPF2M
|
$35,604.61
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$28.90
CFPF3,070
|
$20.97
|
|
French Polynesia vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 88.0% more for housing
|
French Polynesia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.32
CFPF7,681
|
$69.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,184.65
CFPF126K
|
$2,414.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$938.34
CFPF99,660
|
$2,061.17
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$138.13
CFPF14,671
|
$172.98
|
|
French Polynesia vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 3.4 times more for childcare
|
French Polynesia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$469.17
CFPF49,830
|
$1,659.26
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,383.38
CFPF997K
|
$30,706.19
|
|
French Polynesia vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 15.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
French Polynesia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.93
CFPF523
|
$7.15
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.18
CFPF444
|
$5.63
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.86
CFPF1,365
|
$11.42
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.01
CFPF7,223
|
$65.06
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.14
CFPF1,395
|
$15.07
|
|
French Polynesia vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.7% less for clothing
|
French Polynesia
|
California
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$68.78
CFPF7,305
|
$58.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$71.91
CFPF7,637
|
$43.96
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$78.16
CFPF8,302
|
$91.63
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$89.14
CFPF9,468
|
$130.37
|
|
French Polynesia vs. California - 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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