Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and New Caledonia

Name: New Caledonia
Address: NC

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $2,396 in New Caledonia, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in New Caledonia
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New Caledonia Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China 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 China and in New Caledonia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $800 in China versus $2,396 in New Caledonia.

China $800
New Caledonia $2,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,266 in China versus $3,796 in New Caledonia.

China $1,266
New Caledonia $3,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,731 in China versus $5,196 in New Caledonia.

China $1,731
New Caledonia $5,196

Living in China costs about 67% less than in New Caledonia on average.

China (41% below) and New Caledonia (77% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.50

$20.67 CFPF 2,187

-85.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.45 ¥150

$113 CFPF 12.0K

-80.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 ¥35.65

$14.06 CFPF 1,487

-62.09%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.34

$4.49 CFPF 475

-32.29%

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

$0.48 ¥3.23

$1.92 CFPF 203

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$1.26 CFPF 134

-76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.12

$9.65 CFPF 1,021

-88.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$7.36 CFPF 779

-69.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$1.23 CFPF 130

42.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$3.56 CFPF 377

-54.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$2.23 CFPF 236

-55.61%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.44

$6.31 CFPF 668

-75.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.6

$30.30 CFPF 3,206

-56.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ¥22.50

$28.72 CFPF 3,038

-88.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 ¥76.2

$28.51 CFPF 3,017

-60.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$4.74 CFPF 502

-61.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$7.20 CFPF 762

-82.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$6.02 CFPF 637

-74.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$7.82 CFPF 827

-83.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$5.67 CFPF 600

-87.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.75

$3.73 CFPF 395

-76.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$4.17 CFPF 442

-84.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$1.46 CFPF 155

-59.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥25.14

$19.28 CFPF 2,040

-80.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

$15.10 CFPF 1,597

-22.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$5.72 CFPF 605

-84.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$4.80 CFPF 508

-93.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.75 ¥152

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$6.89 CFPF 729

-77.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$1.12 CFPF 118

-66.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.66

$20.90 CFPF 2,211

-65.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.56 CFPF 165

-19.87%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

$32.8K CFPF 3.5M

-40.84%

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$37.3K CFPF 3.9M

-54.15%

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

$55.5 ¥371

$196 CFPF 20.7K

-71.62%

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

$8.29 ¥55.4

$43.44 CFPF 4,596

-80.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.97 ¥73.3

$52.4 CFPF 5,546

-79.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 ¥270

$49.92 CFPF 5,282

-19.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$8.45 CFPF 894

74.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.18

$14.17 CFPF 1,499

-52.29%

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

$465 ¥3,108

$754 CFPF 79.8K

-38.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$9,419 CFPF 996.5K

108.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.32 ¥310

$108 CFPF 11.5K

-57.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 ¥243

$65.7 CFPF 6,952

-44.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ¥510

$95.1 CFPF 10.1K

-19.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 ¥527

$249 CFPF 26.3K

-68.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 ¥2,646

$735 CFPF 77.7K

-46.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,604

$775 CFPF 82.0K

-69.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,499

$1,503 CFPF 159.0K

-45.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥3,116

$1,341 CFPF 141.9K

-65.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,544 ¥30.4K

$4,646 CFPF 491.6K

-2.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 ¥15.3K

$3,395 CFPF 359.2K

-32.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 ¥7,188

$2,766 CFPF 292.6K

-61.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.13

10.54%

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

Last update for China: 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

China

$240 30%

New Caledonia

$775 32.3% 223% $535

Groceries & Markets

China

$209 26.1%

New Caledonia

$650 * 27.1% 211% $441

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

New Caledonia

$233 9.7% 118% $126

Eating Out

China

$89 11.1%

New Caledonia

$337 14.1% 280% $248

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$75 9.3%

New Caledonia

$291 12.2% 290% $217

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.7%

New Caledonia

$78 3.3% 45.2% $24

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

New Caledonia

$32 * 1.3% 15.6% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $299 in China, $434 in New Caledonia. Capital cities: $945 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $739 in Noumea.

National salary averages: $870 in China, $2,798 in New Caledonia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 45% higher in New Caledonia.

Dining out costs 162% more in New Caledonia.

Salaries are 222% higher in New Caledonia.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

3 h ahead of China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

278,500

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China New Caledonia 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

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

At $800 per month in China and $2,396 in New Caledonia, there's a 199% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $434 in New Caledonia and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in New Caledonia it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; New Caledonia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.