Cost of living comparison

New Caledonia

compared to

French Polynesia

Papeete vs. Noumea Cost of Living Summary

Papeete is 3.3% cheaper than Noumea.

Restaurants: pay 10.7% more in Papeete
Groceries: pay 23.7% less in Papeete
Transportation: pay 25.3% less in Papeete
Housing: pay 36.4% more in Papeete
Childcare: pay 20.9% less in Papeete
Entertainment and Sports: pay 16.2% less in Papeete
Clothing: pay 33.6% less in Papeete

The cost of housing and restaurants in Papeete are more expensive than in Noumea. Expenses including clothing, transportation, groceries, childcare, and entertainment and sports are lower in Papeete.

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Papeete vs. Noumea Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Papeete instead of Noumea, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 10.7% more for restaurants

	Noumea	Papeete
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$20.64 CFPF2,193	$18.77 CFPF1,993	-9.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$14.08 CFPF1,495	$14.78 CFPF1,570	+5.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.97 CFPF209	$2.67 CFPF284	+35.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.25 CFPF133	$3.28 CFPF349	+162.5%
Average			+10.7%

Noumea vs. Papeete - Cost of restaurants

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pay 23.7% less for groceries

	Noumea	Papeete
Bread 1 loaf	$3.47 CFPF369	$2.67 CFPF284	-23.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$14.86 CFPF1,578	$13.92 CFPF1,478	-6.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.55 CFPF483	$5.55 CFPF589	+22.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.20 CFPF659	$6.27 CFPF666	+1.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$12.77 CFPF1,356	$6.92 CFPF735	-45.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.13 CFPF226	$2.13 CFPF226
Bananas (1 lb)	$3.25 CFPF345	$1.12 CFPF119	-65.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.77 CFPF294	$2.98 CFPF316	+7.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.62 CFPF384	$3.56 CFPF379	-1.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$2.50 CFPF265	$1.22 CFPF130	-51.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.70 CFPF181	$1.01 CFPF107	-40.6%
Average			-23.7%

Noumea vs. Papeete - Cost of groceries

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pay 25.3% less for transportation

	Noumea	Papeete
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.03 CFPF641	$5.64 CFPF599	-6.5%
Monthly public transit pass	??	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,607.24 CFPF3M	$18,766.76 CFPF2M	-42.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$15.82 CFPF1,680	??
Average			-25.3%

Noumea vs. Papeete - Cost of transportation

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pay 36.4% more for housing

	Noumea	Papeete
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.79 CFPF5,182	$69.67 CFPF7,400	+42.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$750.67 CFPF79,728	$1,337.13 CFPF142K	+78.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$774.13 CFPF82,220	$938.34 CFPF99,660	+21.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$153.08 CFPF16,258	$138.13 CFPF14,671	-9.8%
Average			+36.4%

Noumea vs. Papeete - Cost of housing

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pay 20.9% less for childcare

	Noumea	Papeete
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$750.67 CFPF79,728	$469.17 CFPF49,830	-37.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,383.38 CFPF997K	$9,383.38 CFPF997K
Average			-20.9%

Noumea vs. Papeete - Cost of childcare

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pay 16.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Noumea	Papeete
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$9.38 CFPF997	$3.28 CFPF349	-65.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.57 CFPF486	$3.40 CFPF361	-25.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$19.52 CFPF2,073	$12.86 CFPF1,365	-34.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$49.26 CFPF5,232	$84.45 CFPF8,969	+71.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$14.08 CFPF1,495	$14.08 CFPF1,495
Average			-16.2%

Noumea vs. Papeete - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 33.6% less for clothing

	Noumea	Papeete
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$109.47 CFPF11,627	$68.78 CFPF7,305	-37.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$65.68 CFPF6,976	$71.91 CFPF7,637	+9.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$98.53 CFPF10,464	$78.16 CFPF8,302	-20.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$250.22 CFPF26,576	$89.14 CFPF9,468	-64.4%
Average			-33.6%

Noumea vs. Papeete - 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

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