Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairbanks, AK and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,288 a month against $2,834 in Fairbanks, AK, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

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

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index

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Fairbanks, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,834

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,834 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $2,288 in Papeete, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $2,834
Papeete $2,288

A couple spends around $4,260 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $3,451 in Papeete, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $4,260
Papeete $3,451

A family of three spends $5,686 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $4,615 in Papeete, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $5,686
Papeete $4,615

Fairbanks, AK costs about 24% more than Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Fairbanks, AK and Papeete sit above the global median – Fairbanks, AK by 110%, Papeete by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$18.66 CFPF 1,988

34.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.1 $98.1

$94.0 CFPF 10.0K

4.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$14.69 CFPF 1,566

1.97%

Cappuccino

$6.19 $6.19

$3.41 CFPF 364

81.52%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$2.66 CFPF 283

4.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$3.32 CFPF 354

-40.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.27 CFPF 348

111.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.96 $9.96

$3.66 CFPF 390

172.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.51 CFPF 161

-25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.64 CFPF 281

107.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.60 CFPF 170

205.62%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$6.15 CFPF 655

-28.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.08 $22.08

$27.95 CFPF 2,978

-21.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 $9.02

$15.32 CFPF 1,632

-41.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.58 $20.58

$26.41 CFPF 2,814

-22.07%

Apples (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$4.61 CFPF 491

65.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.49 CFPF 266

-15.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$6.41 CFPF 683

-7.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$8.04 CFPF 857

-22.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.65 CFPF 283

41.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.19 CFPF 233

69.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.68 CFPF 392

-23.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.15 CFPF 122

71.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.13 $12.13

$12.91 CFPF 1,375

-6.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$21.44 CFPF 2,284

-44.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.83 CFPF 302

-37.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CFPF 329

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.84 CFPF 196

-19.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.98 $39.98

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 $3.53

$9.35 CFPF 996

-62.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.88 $44.88

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.45 CFPF 154

-10.34%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$18.9K CFPF 2.0M

34.66%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$28.3K CFPF 3.0M

-13.82%

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

$209 $209

$180 CFPF 19.2K

16.14%

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

$61.1 $61.1

$19.61 CFPF 2,089

211.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$143 $143

$70.9 CFPF 7,555

101.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 $58.6

$84.7 CFPF 9,029

-30.88%

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 $18.33

$13.79 CFPF 1,470

32.92%

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

$1,837 $1,837

$470 CFPF 50.1K

290.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K $13.2K

$9,485 CFPF 1.0M

39.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$67.6 CFPF 7,201

-12.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 $40.15

$71.1 CFPF 7,580

-43.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$79.1 CFPF 8,422

53.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$88.6 CFPF 9,437

32.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 $1,356

$1,332 CFPF 141.9K

1.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 $1,251

$949 CFPF 101.1K

31.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,666 $2,666

$1,839 CFPF 195.9K

45.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,177 $2,177

$1,509 CFPF 160.7K

44.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 $2,023

$7,054 CFPF 751.6K

-71.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,895 $1,895

$7,560 CFPF 805.6K

-74.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,096 $4,096

$2,191 CFPF 233.5K

86.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

4.5

49.11%

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

Last update for Fairbanks, 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

Fairbanks, AK

$1.3K 44.1%

Papeete

$949 41.5% 24.2% $302

Groceries & Markets

Fairbanks, AK

$468 * 16.5%

Papeete

$520 22.7% 11.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairbanks, AK

$413 14.6%

Papeete

$271 11.8% 34.5% $142

Eating Out

Fairbanks, AK

$394 13.9%

Papeete

$282 12.3% 28.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Fairbanks, AK

$152 5.4%

Papeete

$138 6% 9.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Fairbanks, AK

$95 3.4%

Papeete

$112 4.9% 17.9% $17

Getting Around

Fairbanks, AK

$60 2.1%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 72.2% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,356 in Fairbanks, AK versus $1,332 in Papeete. 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 87% higher in Fairbanks, AK. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Fairbanks, AK versus $94 in Papeete. Groceries tell a different story – $468 in Fairbanks, AK vs $520 in Papeete – so Fairbanks, AK wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

1 h behind Fairbanks, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,515

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.42 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.42 EUR).

XPF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fairbanks, AK Papeete 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairbanks, 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

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

Yes – Fairbanks, AK is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,251 per month in Fairbanks, AK and $3,432 in Papeete. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,356 in Fairbanks, AK and $1,332 in Papeete. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,834 in Fairbanks, AK and $2,288 in Papeete. That makes Papeete about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,837 per month in Fairbanks, AK and $470 in Papeete. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Papeete has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,288 in Papeete to $2,834 in Fairbanks, AK. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Papeete. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fairbanks, AK makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.