Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in Noumea: $2,410 a month against $2,560 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane 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 Brisbane and in Noumea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Brisbane vs $2,410 in Noumea, rent included.

Brisbane $2,560
Noumea $2,410

A couple spends around $3,774 per month in Brisbane vs $3,800 in Noumea, rent included.

Brisbane $3,774
Noumea $3,800

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Brisbane vs $5,190 in Noumea, rent included.

Brisbane $4,987
Noumea $5,190

Brisbane costs about 6% more than Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brisbane and Noumea sit above the global median – Brisbane by 91%, Noumea by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.46

$20.86 CFPF 2,220

-15.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 A$107

$114 CFPF 12.1K

-34.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 A$15.72

$13.85 CFPF 1,474

-21.01%

Cappuccino

$4.24 A$6.10

$4.68 CFPF 498

-9.40%

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

$2.84 A$4.08

$2.01 CFPF 214

41.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.27 CFPF 135

95.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 A$12.33

$9.50 CFPF 1,011

-9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.85

$7.26 CFPF 773

13.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.17 CFPF 125

39.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.76

$3.58 CFPF 381

-26.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.16 CFPF 230

4.17%

Eggs

$4.91 A$7.05

$6.13 CFPF 653

-19.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.59

$30.21 CFPF 3,215

-68.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.93

$27.65 CFPF 2,942

-67.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 A$20.02

$28.19 CFPF 3,000

-50.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.00

$4.58 CFPF 487

-8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$7.29 CFPF 776

-58.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.25

$6.27 CFPF 668

-52.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.87

$7.98 CFPF 849

-40.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.95

$5.55 CFPF 591

-50.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 A$3.41

$3.86 CFPF 411

-38.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 A$3.39

$4.04 CFPF 430

-41.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 A$1.80

$1.50 CFPF 160

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.83 A$55.8

$19.46 CFPF 2,070

99.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 A$17.74

$17.03 CFPF 1,812

-27.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.51

$5.54 CFPF 590

-5.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$4.62 CFPF 491

-92.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 A$30.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 A$4.22

$6.96 CFPF 741

-57.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.57

$1.11 CFPF 119

61.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.65 A$59.8

$21.46 CFPF 2,284

94.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.08

$1.63 CFPF 174

-11.04%

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

$26.9K A$38.7K

$32.5K CFPF 3.5M

-17.12%

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

$28.0K A$40.3K

$37.3K CFPF 4.0M

-24.76%

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

$156 A$224

$205 CFPF 21.8K

-23.68%

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

$25.94 A$37.26

$44.24 CFPF 4,707

-41.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 A$85.7

$48.09 CFPF 5,117

24.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 A$87.3

$48.48 CFPF 5,158

25.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 A$33.12

$8.25 CFPF 878

179.39%

Cinema Ticket

$17.49 A$25.12

$14.26 CFPF 1,517

22.65%

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

$1,943 A$2,791

$759 CFPF 80.8K

155.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K A$18.4K

$9,318 CFPF 991.4K

37.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 A$118

$111 CFPF 11.9K

-26.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.63 A$64.1

$65.0 CFPF 6,912

-31.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$100 CFPF 10.7K

10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$161

$247 CFPF 26.3K

-54.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 A$2,835

$761 CFPF 80.9K

159.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 A$1,952

$761 CFPF 81.0K

78.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,333 A$4,788

$1,520 CFPF 161.7K

119.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,293

$1,349 CFPF 143.6K

69.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,100 A$11.6K

$4,777 CFPF 508.3K

69.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,066 A$8,714

$3,453 CFPF 367.4K

75.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,133 A$5,937

$2,726 CFPF 290.1K

51.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

3.13

85.62%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 4, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 53.2%

Noumea

$761 31.9% 44% $598

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$359 14.1%

Noumea

$646 * 27.1% 79.8% $287

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12%

Noumea

$340 14.2% 11% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$242 9.5%

Noumea

$297 12.4% 22.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$157 6.2%

Noumea

$236 9.9% 49.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$96 3.8%

Noumea

$77 3.2% 19.6% $19

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.4%

Noumea

$31 * 1.3% 10.1% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,974 in Brisbane versus $761 in Noumea. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 52% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Brisbane versus $114 in Noumea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $646 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

91,386 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Noumea 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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

Brisbane vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 6% more than Noumea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Brisbane and $3,614 in Noumea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,560 in Brisbane and $2,410 in Noumea. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $1,943 per month in Brisbane and $759 in Noumea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Noumea, where all-in costs run around $2,410, than in Brisbane at $2,560. In Noumea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Noumea costs $2,410 versus $2,560 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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