Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anchorage, AK and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,288 a month against $3,231 in Anchorage, AK, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Anchorage, AK
Learn more

Anchorage, AK Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
Learn more

Papeete Living Index

Jump to prices

Anchorage, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,231

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anchorage, AK and in Papeete

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Anchorage, AK and in Papeete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,231 in Anchorage, AK versus $2,288 in Papeete.

Anchorage, AK $3,231
Papeete $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,772 in Anchorage, AK versus $3,451 in Papeete.

Anchorage, AK $4,772
Papeete $3,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,314 in Anchorage, AK versus $4,615 in Papeete.

Anchorage, AK $6,314
Papeete $4,615

Living in Anchorage, AK is roughly 41% more expensive than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Anchorage, AK 139% above, Papeete 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.20 $25.20

$18.66 CFPF 1,978

35.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$94.0 CFPF 9,964

6.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.83 $16.83

$14.69 CFPF 1,558

14.57%

Cappuccino

$7.07 $7.07

$3.41 CFPF 362

107.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.66 CFPF 282

21.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.32 CFPF 352

-20.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$3.27 CFPF 347

140.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 $9.28

$3.66 CFPF 388

153.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.51 CFPF 160

-17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.64 CFPF 280

89.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.29 $6.29

$1.60 CFPF 169

293.12%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$6.15 CFPF 652

-31.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 $13.56

$27.95 CFPF 2,963

-51.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$15.32 CFPF 1,624

-18.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.58 $23.58

$26.41 CFPF 2,800

-10.72%

Apples (1kg)

$7.99 $7.99

$4.61 CFPF 489

73.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.49 CFPF 264

-4.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$6.41 CFPF 679

-13.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$8.04 CFPF 853

-24.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.65 CFPF 281

12.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.19 CFPF 232

42.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.68 CFPF 390

-27.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.15 CFPF 122

104.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.15 $13.15

$12.91 CFPF 1,368

1.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.99 $18.99

$21.44 CFPF 2,273

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.83 CFPF 300

-40.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.09 CFPF 328

12.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.84 CFPF 195

10.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$9.35 CFPF 991

-34.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.70 $3.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 $42.11

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.45 CFPF 153

-10.34%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.7K $25.7K

$18.9K CFPF 2.0M

35.88%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.2K $25.2K

$28.3K CFPF 3.0M

-11.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$383 $383

$180 CFPF 19.1K

112.74%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$87.8 $87.8

$19.61 CFPF 2,079

347.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$137 $137

$70.9 CFPF 7,518

92.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.6 $83.6

$84.7 CFPF 8,984

-1.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.70 $39.70

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$13.79 CFPF 1,462

5.29%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$470 CFPF 49.8K

174.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$9,485 CFPF 1.0M

64.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$67.6 CFPF 7,165

-21.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.41 $45.41

$71.1 CFPF 7,542

-36.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$79.1 CFPF 8,380

51.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$88.6 CFPF 9,390

35.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 $1,644

$1,332 CFPF 141.2K

23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 $1,354

$949 CFPF 100.6K

42.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 $2,576

$1,839 CFPF 194.9K

40.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$1,509 CFPF 159.9K

55.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,217 $4,217

$7,054 CFPF 747.9K

-40.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,818 $2,818

$7,560 CFPF 801.5K

-62.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,887 $4,887

$2,191 CFPF 232.3K

123.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

4.5

44.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Anchorage, AK: October 31, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Anchorage, AK

$1.4K 41.9%

Papeete

$949 41.5% 30% $406

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anchorage, AK

$607 18.8%

Papeete

$271 11.8% 55.5% $337

Groceries & Markets

Anchorage, AK

$492 15.2%

Papeete

$520 22.7% 5.6% $28

Eating Out

Anchorage, AK

$418 13%

Papeete

$282 12.3% 32.6% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Anchorage, AK

$152 4.7%

Papeete

$138 6% 9.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Anchorage, AK

$113 3.5%

Papeete

$112 4.9% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Anchorage, AK

$93 2.9%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 82.1% $77

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,644 in Anchorage, AK and $1,332 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anchorage, AK pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Anchorage, AK vs $94 in Papeete. Groceries flip the comparison at $492 vs $520, with Anchorage, AK cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Anchorage, AK

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

04:55 4:55 AM

1 h behind Anchorage, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,600

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.43 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.43 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.4 EUR).

XPF to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Anchorage, AK Papeete 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Anchorage, AK
Papeete

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Anchorage, AK vs Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papeete wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Anchorage, AK. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Papeete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Anchorage, AK is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,644 in Anchorage, AK versus $1,332 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,292 in Anchorage, AK versus $470 in Papeete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Papeete – a meal for two runs $94 versus $100 in Anchorage, AK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Papeete wins on affordability, Anchorage, AK on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.