Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between French Polynesia and Samoa

Name: Samoa
Address: WS

For one person, living is cheaper in Samoa: $847 a month against $2,339 in French Polynesia, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in French Polynesia
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French Polynesia Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Samoa
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Samoa Living Index

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🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,339

/mo nomad

🇼🇸 Samoa

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in French Polynesia and in Samoa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in French Polynesia and in Samoa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,339 in French Polynesia versus $847 in Samoa.

French Polynesia $2,339
Samoa $847

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,508 in French Polynesia versus $2,303 in Samoa.

French Polynesia $3,508
Samoa $2,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,677 in French Polynesia versus $3,758 in Samoa.

French Polynesia $4,677
Samoa $3,758

Living in French Polynesia is roughly 176% more expensive than in Samoa on average.

French Polynesia (73% above) and Samoa (37% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 CFPF 1,809

$46.41 WST 129

-63.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 CFPF 8,021

$37.03 WST 103

104.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.23 CFPF 1,505

$14.81 WST 41.26

-3.92%

Cappuccino

$4.20 CFPF 444

$2.83 WST 7.89

48.41%

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

$2.55 CFPF 270

$1.84 WST 5.11

38.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 CFPF 268

$1.39 WST 3.89

82.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 CFPF 496

$3.54 WST 9.85

32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 CFPF 591

$3.62 WST 10.08

54.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 CFPF 152

$1.77 WST 4.92

-18.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 CFPF 447

$0.84 WST 2.33

403.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 CFPF 173

$1.79 WST 4.99

-8.38%

Eggs

$6.91 CFPF 731

$4.35 WST 12.10

58.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.89 CFPF 3,692

$0.87 WST 2.43

3910.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.64 CFPF 1,654

$3.69 WST 10.26

323.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.52 CFPF 2,594

$8.54 WST 23.79

187.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 CFPF 535

$5.18 WST 14.42

-2.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 CFPF 302

$1.80 WST 5.01

58.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.53 CFPF 691

$1.84 WST 5.14

254.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.63 CFPF 807

$4.40 WST 12.24

73.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 CFPF 321

$3.61 WST 10.06

-16.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 CFPF 259

$1.10 WST 3.08

122.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.60 CFPF 381

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CFPF 124

$1.18 WST 3.30

-0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.05 CFPF 1,380

$6.21 WST 17.28

110.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.65 CFPF 2,503

$16.43 WST 45.77

43.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CFPF 300

$1.85 WST 5.15

52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 CFPF 388

$3.67 WST 10.22

-0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 CFPF 195

$3.58 WST 9.96

-48.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.22 CFPF 1,505

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 CFPF 999

$5.53 WST 15.40

70.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 CFPF 256

$5.44 WST 15.14

-55.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.23 CFPF 2,458

$21.96 WST 61.2

5.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 CFPF 158

$1.12 WST 3.11

33.04%

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

$18.2K CFPF 1.9M

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

$30.6K CFPF 3.2M

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

$172 CFPF 18.2K

$17.83 WST 49.65

866.80%

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

$18.99 CFPF 2,009

$18.05 WST 50.3

5.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 CFPF 7,639

$36.72 WST 102

96.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.8 CFPF 7,916

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 CFPF 1,519

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

$478 CFPF 50.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,401 CFPF 994.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 CFPF 7,150

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.3 CFPF 7,542

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 CFPF 8,409

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 CFPF 9,598

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 CFPF 130.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 CFPF 99.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,848 CFPF 195.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CFPF 161.7K

$1,794 WST 4,997

-14.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,976 CFPF 738.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,993 CFPF 951.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,885 CFPF 199.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

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

Last update for French Polynesia: October 20, 2026

Last update for Samoa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

French Polynesia

$940 40.2%

Samoa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

French Polynesia

$565 24.2%

Samoa

$240 * 28.3% 57.5% $325

Eating Out

French Polynesia

$285 12.2%

Samoa

$488 57.6% 71.3% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

French Polynesia

$264 11.3%

Samoa

$73 8.6% 72.5% $191

Clothing & Footwear

French Polynesia

$139 6%

Samoa

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

French Polynesia

$104 4.4%

Samoa

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

French Polynesia

$43 1.8%

Samoa

$47 * 5.6% 9% $3.9

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

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 64% more in Samoa.

Good to know

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

🇼🇸 Samoa

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

23 h ahead of French Polynesia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,786

200,010

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

1 WST = 0.359 USD

1 WST = 0.319 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 2.79 WST (1 WST = 0.359 USD). 1 EUR = 3.13 WST (1 WST = 0.319 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

French Polynesia Samoa 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

French Polynesia
Samoa

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

French Polynesia vs Samoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,339 per month in French Polynesia and $847 in Samoa, there's a 176% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

In Samoa, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in French Polynesia 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: Samoa wins on affordability; French Polynesia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.