Cost of living comparison

French Polynesia

compared to

United States

United States vs. French Polynesia Cost of Living Summary

United States is 19.5% more expensive than French Polynesia overall.

Restaurants: pay 0.3% more in United States
Groceries: pay 19.0% less in United States
Transportation: pay 51.6% more in United States
Housing: pay 37.7% more in United States
Childcare: pay 2.8 times more in United States
Entertainment and Sports: pay 0.8% more in United States
Clothing: pay 9.8% less in United States

The cost of childcare, transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in United States are more expensive than in French Polynesia. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in United States. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in United States.

Planning a move to United States? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

United States vs. French Polynesia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in United States instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 0.3% more for restaurants

	French Polynesia	United States
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$16.89 CFPF1,794	$19.86	+17.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$13.02 CFPF1,383	$11.42	-12.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.39 CFPF254	$2.67	+11.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.90 CFPF308	$2.05	-29.4%
Average			+0.3%

French Polynesia vs. United States - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 19.0% less for groceries

	French Polynesia	United States
Bread 1 loaf	$3.21 CFPF341	$3.63	+12.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.92 CFPF1,478	$6.52	-53.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.14 CFPF546	$3.98	-22.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.87 CFPF729	$4.30	-37.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$6.65 CFPF706	$5.46	-17.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.39 CFPF254	$2.34	-2.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.30 CFPF138	$0.80	-39.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.68 CFPF285	$2.02	-24.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.53 CFPF375	$2.19	-37.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.11 CFPF117	$1.34	+21.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.00 CFPF106	$1.39	+38.5%
Average			-19.0%

French Polynesia vs. United States - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 51.6% more for transportation

	French Polynesia	United States
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.53 CFPF587	$4.01	-27.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$14.08 CFPF1,495	$66.70	+373.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$18,297.59 CFPF2M	$34,164.82	+86.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$28.90 CFPF3,070	$18.02	-37.6%
Average			+51.6%

French Polynesia vs. United States - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 37.7% more for housing

	French Polynesia	United States
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$72.32 CFPF7,681	$70.22	-2.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,184.65 CFPF126K	$1,681.01	+41.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$938.34 CFPF99,660	$1,404.28	+49.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$138.13 CFPF14,671	$157.64	+14.1%
Average			+37.7%

French Polynesia vs. United States - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.8 times more for childcare

	French Polynesia	United States
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$469.17 CFPF49,830	$1,450.99	+209.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,383.38 CFPF997K	$24,361.50	+159.6%
Average			+183.4%

French Polynesia vs. United States - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 0.8% more for entertainment and sports

	French Polynesia	United States
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.93 CFPF523	$6.00	+21.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.18 CFPF444	$5.31	+27.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$12.86 CFPF1,365	$10.42	-18.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$68.01 CFPF7,223	$50.68	-25.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.14 CFPF1,395	$13.95	+6.2%
Average			+0.8%

French Polynesia vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 9.8% less for clothing

	French Polynesia	United States
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$68.78 CFPF7,305	$53.15	-22.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$71.91 CFPF7,637	$41.88	-41.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$78.16 CFPF8,302	$89.76	+14.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$89.14 CFPF9,468	$114.01	+27.9%
Average			-9.8%

French Polynesia vs. United States - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

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. United States

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in United States?

Quality of Life Comparison · 9 statistics

Make 4.0 times more money in United States

Size Comparison · See true size

French Polynesia is about 2,360 times smaller than United States.

Moving from French Polynesia to United States · Cost, visas & climate

Compare cost of living, salary and climate.

More cost comparisons

French Polynesia vs.

Hawaii

French Polynesia vs.

Australia

French Polynesia vs.

New Caledonia

French Polynesia vs.

Mali

French Polynesia vs.

Canada

French Polynesia vs.

Cook Islands

French Polynesia vs.

United Kingdom

French Polynesia vs.

Belgium

Share this

Compare by city

For example, try comparing the cost of living in Papeete vs. Washington

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for French Polynesia

Add prices for United States

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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