Cost of living comparison

French Polynesia

compared to

New Caledonia

Noumea vs. Papeete Cost of Living Summary

Noumea is 25.4% more expensive than Papeete.

Restaurants: pay 37.8% less in Noumea
Groceries: pay 50.4% more in Noumea
Transportation: pay 9.7% less in Noumea
Housing: pay 18.3% less in Noumea
Childcare: pay 62.7% more in Noumea
Entertainment and Sports: pay 72.4% more in Noumea
Clothing: pay 58.4% more in Noumea

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

Noumea vs. Papeete Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 37.8% less for restaurants

	Papeete	Noumea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$19.58 CFPF2,003	$19.58 CFPF2,003
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$14.68 CFPF1,502	$14.68 CFPF1,502
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.13 CFPF320	$2.57 CFPF263	-18.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.77 CFPF284	$1.17 CFPF120	-57.6%
Average			-37.8%

Papeete vs. Noumea - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 50.4% more for groceries

	Papeete	Noumea
Bread 1 loaf	$0.78 CFPF80	$2.90 CFPF296	+270.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.05 CFPF1,335	$15.50 CFPF1,586	+18.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.30 CFPF644	$4.63 CFPF474	-26.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.48 CFPF663	$6.47 CFPF662	-0.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$7.66 CFPF784	$11.32 CFPF1,158	+47.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.37 CFPF242	$1.92 CFPF197	-18.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.22 CFPF125	$3.39 CFPF346	+177.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.66 CFPF273	$3.00 CFPF307	+12.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.55 CFPF363	$3.77 CFPF386	+6.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.37 CFPF140	$1.83 CFPF187	+34.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.22 CFPF125	$1.63 CFPF167	+33.3%
Average			+50.4%

Papeete vs. Noumea - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 9.7% less for transportation

	Papeete	Noumea
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.99 CFPF613	$6.29 CFPF644	+5.1%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$87.11 CFPF8,913
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,575.51 CFPF2M	$31,076.13 CFPF3M	+58.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$205.54 CFPF21,030	$14.59 CFPF1,493	-92.9%
Average			-9.7%

Papeete vs. Noumea - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 18.3% less for housing

	Papeete	Noumea
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$68.84 CFPF7,043	$51.39 CFPF5,257	-25.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,394.76 CFPF143K	$856.43 CFPF87,624	-38.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$978.78 CFPF100K	$783.02 CFPF80,114	-20.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$144.08 CFPF14,741	$159.67 CFPF16,337	+10.8%
Average			-18.3%

Papeete vs. Noumea - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 62.7% more for childcare

	Papeete	Noumea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$489.39 CFPF50,071	$796.07 CFPF81,449	+62.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,787.76 CFPF1M	??
Average			+62.7%

Papeete vs. Noumea - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 72.4% more for entertainment and sports

	Papeete	Noumea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.18 CFPF325	$10.52 CFPF1,077	+230.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.04 CFPF413	$4.91 CFPF503	+21.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$12.14 CFPF1,242	$20.36 CFPF2,083	+67.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$88.09 CFPF9,013	$61.17 CFPF6,259	-30.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$14.68 CFPF1,502	$14.68 CFPF1,502
Average			+72.4%

Papeete vs. Noumea - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 58.4% more for clothing

	Papeete	Noumea
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$71.74 CFPF7,340	$115.01 CFPF11,767	+60.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$75.01 CFPF7,674	$61.99 CFPF6,342	-17.4%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$81.53 CFPF8,342	$103.99 CFPF10,640	+27.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$92.98 CFPF9,513	$244.69 CFPF25,035	+163.2%
Average			+58.4%

Papeete vs. Noumea - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026

Compare further: Papeete vs. Noumea

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Noumea?

More cost comparisons

Papeete vs.

Ankara

Papeete vs.

Reykjavik

Papeete vs.

Moscow

Papeete vs.

Dodoma

Papeete vs.

Manila

Papeete vs.

Beijing

Papeete vs.

Cairo

Papeete vs.

Wellington

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in French Polynesia vs. New Caledonia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within French Polynesia and New Caledonia.

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 Papeete

Add prices for Noumea

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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