Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethel, AK and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,288 a month against $2,752 in Bethel, AK, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bethel, AK outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Bethel, AK
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Bethel, AK Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index

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Bethel, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,752

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bethel, 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 Bethel, AK and in Papeete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,752 in Bethel, AK versus $2,288 in Papeete.

Bethel, AK $2,752
Papeete $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,714 in Bethel, AK versus $3,451 in Papeete.

Bethel, AK $3,714
Papeete $3,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,677 in Bethel, AK versus $4,615 in Papeete.

Bethel, AK $4,677
Papeete $4,615

Living in Bethel, AK is roughly 20% more expensive than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bethel, AK 104% above, Papeete 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.93 $20.93

$18.66 CFPF 1,978

12.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 $64.8

$94.0 CFPF 9,964

-31.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 $11.15

$14.69 CFPF 1,558

-24.10%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$3.41 CFPF 362

40.76%

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

$2.81 $2.81

$2.66 CFPF 282

5.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$3.32 CFPF 352

-46.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.27 CFPF 347

86.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 $7.26

$3.66 CFPF 388

98.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.51 CFPF 160

-36.42%

White Bread (500g)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.64 CFPF 280

52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.60 CFPF 169

203.12%

Eggs

$3.83 $3.83

$6.15 CFPF 652

-37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.83 $12.83

$27.95 CFPF 2,963

-54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 $10.90

$15.32 CFPF 1,624

-28.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 $15.30

$26.41 CFPF 2,800

-42.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.61 CFPF 489

2.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.49 CFPF 264

-34.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$6.41 CFPF 679

-28.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$8.04 CFPF 853

-47.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.65 CFPF 281

-0.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.19 CFPF 232

44.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.68 CFPF 390

-34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.15 CFPF 122

66.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 $11.21

$12.91 CFPF 1,368

-13.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 $13.96

$21.44 CFPF 2,273

-34.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.83 CFPF 300

-25.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.09 CFPF 328

16.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.84 CFPF 195

7.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 $55.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 $3.12

$9.35 CFPF 991

-66.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 $28.55

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 CFPF 153

-32.41%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$18.9K CFPF 2.0M

26.11%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$28.3K CFPF 3.0M

1.11%

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

$203 $203

$180 CFPF 19.1K

12.91%

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

$61.5 $61.5

$19.61 CFPF 2,079

213.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$70.9 CFPF 7,518

-7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.30 $38.30

$84.7 CFPF 8,984

-54.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 $15.42

$13.79 CFPF 1,462

11.82%

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

$1,169 $1,169

$470 CFPF 49.8K

148.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$9,485 CFPF 1.0M

116.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$67.6 CFPF 7,165

-22.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.06 $36.06

$71.1 CFPF 7,542

-49.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 $91.7

$79.1 CFPF 8,380

16.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$88.6 CFPF 9,390

31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 $1,706

$1,332 CFPF 141.2K

28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 $1,432

$949 CFPF 100.6K

51.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,329 $2,329

$1,839 CFPF 194.9K

26.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 $1,830

$1,509 CFPF 159.9K

21.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,065 $3,065

$7,054 CFPF 747.9K

-56.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 $2,019

$7,560 CFPF 801.5K

-73.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,191 CFPF 232.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

4.5

46.44%

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

Last update for Bethel, 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

Bethel, AK

$1.4K 52.1%

Papeete

$949 41.5% 33.8% $484

Groceries & Markets

Bethel, AK

$389 14.1%

Papeete

$520 22.7% 33.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethel, AK

$331 12%

Papeete

$271 11.8% 18.2% $60

Eating Out

Bethel, AK

$322 11.7%

Papeete

$282 12.3% 12.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Bethel, AK

$134 4.9%

Papeete

$138 6% 3.1% $4.1

Getting Around

Bethel, AK

$75 2.7%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 77.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Bethel, AK

$69 2.5%

Papeete

$112 4.9% 62.5% $43

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 $1,706 in Bethel, AK and $1,332 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Bethel, AK vs $94 in Papeete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $520 per month, with Bethel, AK cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethel, AK

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

1 h behind Bethel, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,300

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.43 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.44 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 = 0.895 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.43 USD). 1 EUR = 118 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.44 EUR).

XPF to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bethel, AK Papeete 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethel, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,752 in Bethel, AK and $2,288 in Papeete, so Papeete is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,128 in Bethel, AK and $3,432 in Papeete to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,706 in Bethel, AK versus $1,332 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bethel, AK pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,752 per month in Bethel, AK versus $2,288 in Papeete – Papeete is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.