Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and New Caledonia

Name: New Caledonia
Address: NC

For one person, living is cheaper in New Caledonia: $2,396 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Australia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in New Caledonia
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New Caledonia Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in New Caledonia

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $2,396 in New Caledonia, rent included.

Australia $2,539
New Caledonia $2,396

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $3,796 in New Caledonia, rent included.

Australia $3,716
New Caledonia $3,796

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $5,196 in New Caledonia, rent included.

Australia $4,892
New Caledonia $5,196

The cost of living in Australia is about 6% higher than in New Caledonia on average.

Both Australia and New Caledonia are pricier than the global median – Australia by 87%, New Caledonia by 77%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$20.67 CFPF 2,187

-16.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$113 CFPF 12.0K

-25.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$14.06 CFPF 1,487

-21.91%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$4.49 CFPF 475

-14.48%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$1.92 CFPF 203

50.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.26 CFPF 134

81.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$9.65 CFPF 1,021

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$7.36 CFPF 779

14.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$1.23 CFPF 130

42.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$3.56 CFPF 377

-21.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$2.23 CFPF 236

3.59%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$6.31 CFPF 668

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$30.30 CFPF 3,206

-67.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$28.72 CFPF 3,038

-68.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$28.51 CFPF 3,017

-47.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$4.74 CFPF 502

-23.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$7.20 CFPF 762

-57.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$6.02 CFPF 637

-46.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$7.82 CFPF 827

-40.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$5.67 CFPF 600

-49.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$3.73 CFPF 395

-37.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$4.17 CFPF 442

-41.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$1.46 CFPF 155

13.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$19.28 CFPF 2,040

99.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$15.10 CFPF 1,597

-8.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$5.72 CFPF 605

-14.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$4.80 CFPF 508

-43.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$6.89 CFPF 729

-48.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.12 CFPF 118

45.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$20.90 CFPF 2,211

91.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.56 CFPF 165

-14.74%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$32.8K CFPF 3.5M

-11.16%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$37.3K CFPF 3.9M

-31.10%

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

$205 A$296

$196 CFPF 20.7K

5.04%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$43.44 CFPF 4,596

-34.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$52.4 CFPF 5,546

8.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$49.92 CFPF 5,282

10.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$8.45 CFPF 894

130.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$14.17 CFPF 1,499

6.28%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$754 CFPF 79.8K

178.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$9,419 CFPF 996.5K

91.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$108 CFPF 11.5K

-28.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$65.7 CFPF 6,952

-15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$95.1 CFPF 10.1K

17.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$249 CFPF 26.3K

-51.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$735 CFPF 77.7K

112.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$775 CFPF 82.0K

56.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$1,503 CFPF 159.0K

62.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$1,341 CFPF 141.9K

43.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$4,646 CFPF 491.6K

75.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$3,395 CFPF 359.2K

78.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$2,766 CFPF 292.6K

46.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

3.13

89.78%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for New Caledonia: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

New Caledonia

$775 32.3% 36.2% $440

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

New Caledonia

$650 * 27.1% 74.5% $277

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

New Caledonia

$337 14.1% 14.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

New Caledonia

$291 12.2% 0.3% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

New Caledonia

$233 9.7% 41.1% $68

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

New Caledonia

$32 * 1.3% 72.8% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

New Caledonia

$78 3.3% 8.5% $7.2

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $434 in New Caledonia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $739 in Noumea.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $2,798 in New Caledonia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 214% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 49% more in Australia.

Salaries are 38% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

Same time as Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

278,500

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia New Caledonia 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Australia
New Caledonia

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

Australia vs New Caledonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Caledonia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 6% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $434 in New Caledonia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in New Caledonia, adding to the overall 6% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in New Caledonia, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

New Caledonia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.