Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashburton and in Noumea

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Ashburton vs $2,391 in Noumea, rent included.

Ashburton $1,806
Noumea $2,391

A couple spends around $2,897 per month in Ashburton vs $3,791 in Noumea, rent included.

Ashburton $2,897
Noumea $3,791

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Ashburton vs $5,191 in Noumea, rent included.

Ashburton $3,987
Noumea $5,191

Ashburton is about 24% cheaper than Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ashburton and Noumea sit above the global median – Ashburton by 34%, Noumea by 77%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

-32.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 NZ$120

$111 CFPF 11.8K

-39.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 NZ$15.65

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

-38.07%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NZ$5.77

$4.50 CFPF 477

-27.56%

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

$2.32 NZ$4.10

$1.92 CFPF 203

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$1.27 CFPF 135

42.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 NZ$12.19

$9.28 CFPF 982

-25.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$7.04 CFPF 745

-3.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$1.22 CFPF 129

36.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$3.50 CFPF 370

-46.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.64

$2.20 CFPF 233

-31.82%

Eggs

$5.80 NZ$10.26

$6.02 CFPF 637

-3.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.23

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

-74.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.53

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

-67.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 NZ$23.96

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

-52.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$4.70 CFPF 497

-47.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.51

$7.18 CFPF 759

-72.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$6.04 CFPF 639

-54.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.37

$8.19 CFPF 866

-62.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$5.41 CFPF 572

-72.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$3.63 CFPF 384

-59.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 NZ$3.83

$4.07 CFPF 430

-46.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.33

$1.50 CFPF 158

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 NZ$42.70

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

26.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 NZ$14.94

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

-50.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$5.80 CFPF 614

-39.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NZ$7.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$4.59 CFPF 486

-64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 NZ$132

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 NZ$4.38

$6.87 CFPF 726

-63.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.93

$1.11 CFPF 117

49.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.91 NZ$49.35

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

30.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$1.58 CFPF 167

22.15%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

-23.24%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

-35.47%

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

$156 NZ$276

$201 CFPF 21.3K

-22.46%

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

$22.75 NZ$40.23

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

-47.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.32 NZ$78.4

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

-9.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 NZ$71.0

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

-19.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 NZ$19.66

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

-20.06%

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

$659 NZ$1,165

$762 CFPF 80.6K

-13.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

137.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 NZ$102

$107 CFPF 11.4K

-46.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 NZ$70.4

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

-38.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

2.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NZ$214

$249 CFPF 26.3K

-51.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,792

$751 CFPF 79.4K

34.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 NZ$1,317

$773 CFPF 81.8K

-3.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 NZ$2,506

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

-5.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 NZ$2,830

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

17.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,546 NZ$8,039

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

-1.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 NZ$5,479

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

-11.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

3.13

88.82%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$745 41.2%

Noumea

$773 32.3% 3.8% $28

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 16.6%

Noumea

$648 * 27.1% 116% $349

Eating Out

Ashburton

$242 13.4%

Noumea

$335 14% 38.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$223 12.3%

Noumea

$293 12.3% 31.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$143 7.9%

Noumea

$233 9.7% 62.6% $90

Getting Around

Ashburton

$92 5.1%

Noumea

$31 * 1.3% 66.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$62 3.5%

Noumea

$78 3.3% 24.6% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Ashburton versus $751 in Noumea. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton versus $111 in Noumea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $648 – making Ashburton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

2 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

91,386 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburton Noumea 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
Noumea

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

Ashburton vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Ashburton, $2,391 in Noumea – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Ashburton and $3,587 in Noumea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton and $111 in Noumea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Noumea, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Noumea at $2,391. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noumea it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Noumea has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,806 in Ashburton to $2,391 in Noumea. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ashburton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Noumea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.