Cost of living comparison

French Polynesia

compared to

New Caledonia

New Caledonia vs. French Polynesia Cost of Living Summary

New Caledonia is 3.9% more expensive than French Polynesia overall.

Restaurants: pay 1.4% more in New Caledonia
Groceries: pay 28.6% more in New Caledonia
Transportation: pay 21.1% more in New Caledonia
Housing: pay 23.2% less in New Caledonia
Childcare: pay 26.5% more in New Caledonia
Entertainment and Sports: pay 13.4% more in New Caledonia
Clothing: pay 50.6% more in New Caledonia

The cost of clothing, groceries, childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in New Caledonia are more expensive than in French Polynesia.

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New Caledonia vs. French Polynesia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in New Caledonia instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 1.4% more for restaurants

	French Polynesia	New Caledonia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$16.89 CFPF1,794	$20.64 CFPF2,193	+22.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$13.02 CFPF1,383	$14.08 CFPF1,495	+8.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.39 CFPF254	$1.97 CFPF209	-17.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.90 CFPF308	$1.25 CFPF133	-56.9%
Average			+1.4%

French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia - Cost of restaurants

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pay 28.6% more for groceries

	French Polynesia	New Caledonia
Bread 1 loaf	$3.21 CFPF341	$3.47 CFPF369	+8.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.92 CFPF1,478	$14.86 CFPF1,578	+6.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.14 CFPF546	$4.55 CFPF483	-11.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.87 CFPF729	$6.20 CFPF659	-9.7%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$6.65 CFPF706	$12.77 CFPF1,356	+92.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.39 CFPF254	$2.13 CFPF226	-11.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.30 CFPF138	$3.25 CFPF345	+149.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.68 CFPF285	$2.77 CFPF294	+3.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.53 CFPF375	$3.62 CFPF384	+2.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.11 CFPF117	$2.50 CFPF265	+125.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.00 CFPF106	$1.70 CFPF181	+70.0%
Average			+28.6%

French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia - Cost of groceries

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pay 21.1% more for transportation

	French Polynesia	New Caledonia
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.53 CFPF587	$6.03 CFPF641	+9.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$14.08 CFPF1,495	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$18,297.59 CFPF2M	$32,607.24 CFPF3M	+78.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$28.90 CFPF3,070	$15.82 CFPF1,680	-45.3%
Average			+21.1%

French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia - Cost of transportation

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pay 23.2% less for housing

	French Polynesia	New Caledonia
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$72.32 CFPF7,681	$48.79 CFPF5,182	-32.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,184.65 CFPF126K	$750.67 CFPF79,728	-36.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$938.34 CFPF99,660	$774.13 CFPF82,220	-17.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$138.13 CFPF14,671	$153.08 CFPF16,258	+10.8%
Average			-23.2%

French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia - Cost of housing

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pay 26.5% more for childcare

	French Polynesia	New Caledonia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$469.17 CFPF49,830	$750.67 CFPF79,728	+60.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,383.38 CFPF997K	$9,383.38 CFPF997K
Average			+26.5%

French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia - Cost of childcare

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pay 13.4% more for entertainment and sports

	French Polynesia	New Caledonia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.93 CFPF523	$9.38 CFPF997	+90.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.18 CFPF444	$4.57 CFPF486	+9.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$12.86 CFPF1,365	$19.52 CFPF2,073	+51.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$68.01 CFPF7,223	$49.26 CFPF5,232	-27.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.14 CFPF1,395	$14.08 CFPF1,495	+7.1%
Average			+13.4%

French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 50.6% more for clothing

	French Polynesia	New Caledonia
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$68.78 CFPF7,305	$109.47 CFPF11,627	+59.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$71.91 CFPF7,637	$65.68 CFPF6,976	-8.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$78.16 CFPF8,302	$98.53 CFPF10,464	+26.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$89.14 CFPF9,468	$250.22 CFPF26,576	+180.7%
Average			+50.6%

French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia - Cost of clothing

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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

Compare further: French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in New Caledonia?

Quality of Life Comparison · 10 statistics

Make 30.2% more money in New Caledonia

Size Comparison · See true size

French Polynesia is about 4.5 times smaller than New Caledonia.

Moving from French Polynesia to New Caledonia · UN DESA 2020

563 people born in French Polynesia live in New Caledonia.

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