Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,821 a month against $2,410 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Dunedin versus $2,410 in Noumea.

Dunedin $1,821
Noumea $2,410

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,717 in Dunedin versus $3,800 in Noumea.

Dunedin $2,717
Noumea $3,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,613 in Dunedin versus $5,190 in Noumea.

Dunedin $3,613
Noumea $5,190

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 24% less than in Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 36% above, Noumea 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 NZ$24.50

$20.86 CFPF 2,220

-34.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 NZ$110

$114 CFPF 12.1K

-45.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.37

$13.85 CFPF 1,474

-17.55%

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.75

$4.68 CFPF 498

-30.98%

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

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$2.01 CFPF 214

3.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$1.27 CFPF 135

64.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 NZ$12.22

$9.50 CFPF 1,011

-27.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 NZ$10.73

$7.26 CFPF 773

-17.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$1.17 CFPF 125

86.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$3.58 CFPF 381

-45.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$2.16 CFPF 230

-18.98%

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.40

$6.13 CFPF 653

-4.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.54

$30.21 CFPF 3,215

-73.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.81

$27.65 CFPF 2,942

-65.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 NZ$29.52

$28.19 CFPF 3,000

-41.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.13

$4.58 CFPF 487

-37.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.17

$7.29 CFPF 776

-67.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NZ$5.52

$6.27 CFPF 668

-50.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 NZ$9.00

$7.98 CFPF 849

-36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$5.55 CFPF 591

-67.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.29

$3.86 CFPF 411

-52.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.25

$4.04 CFPF 430

-41.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$1.50 CFPF 160

-63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.93 NZ$37.33

$19.46 CFPF 2,070

7.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 NZ$15.82

$17.03 CFPF 1,812

-47.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.65

$5.54 CFPF 590

-42.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$4.62 CFPF 491

-76.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

$6.96 CFPF 741

-18.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 119

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.88

$21.46 CFPF 2,284

30.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$1.63 CFPF 174

4.91%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

$32.5K CFPF 3.5M

-22.71%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.7K

$37.3K CFPF 4.0M

-32.83%

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

$111 NZ$197

$205 CFPF 21.8K

-45.90%

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

$44.24 CFPF 4,707

-36.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.1

$48.09 CFPF 5,117

6.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.7

$48.48 CFPF 5,158

-0.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.25 CFPF 878

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.60

$14.26 CFPF 1,517

-26.86%

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

$591 NZ$1,054

$759 CFPF 80.8K

-22.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,318 CFPF 991.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$103

$111 CFPF 11.9K

-48.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.6

$65.0 CFPF 6,912

-46.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$166

$100 CFPF 10.7K

-7.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

$247 CFPF 26.3K

-46.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,562

$761 CFPF 80.9K

15.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,339

$761 CFPF 81.0K

-1.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,630

$1,520 CFPF 161.7K

-3.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,051

$1,349 CFPF 143.6K

-14.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,777 CFPF 508.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,023

$3,453 CFPF 367.4K

-34.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,379

$2,726 CFPF 290.1K

-9.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

3.13

125.88%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Noumea

$761 31.9% 1.4% $10

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Noumea

$646 * 27.1% 102% $326

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Noumea

$340 14.2% 38.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Noumea

$297 12.4% 56.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Noumea

$236 9.9% 65.1% $93

Getting Around

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Noumea

$31 * 1.3% 60.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

Noumea

$77 3.2% 11.7% $8.1

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 $876 in Dunedin and $761 in Noumea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Noumea pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $114 in Noumea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $646 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

18:20 6:20 PM

2 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

91,386 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Noumea 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

Dunedin vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Noumea differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $2,410 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Noumea. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $876 in Dunedin versus $761 in Noumea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 102% higher in Noumea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,821 per month in Dunedin versus $2,410 in Noumea – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,821 in Dunedin versus $2,410 in Noumea, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dunedin and Noumea are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.