Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guam and French Polynesia

For one person, living is cheaper in French Polynesia: $2,339 a month against $3,333 in Guam, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guam
French Polynesia
🇬🇺 Guam
$3,333
/mo nomad
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
$2,339
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,333 in Guam versus $2,339 in French Polynesia.

  • Guam $3,333
  • French Polynesia $2,339

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,755 in Guam versus $3,508 in French Polynesia.

  • Guam $4,755
  • French Polynesia $3,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,178 in Guam versus $4,677 in French Polynesia.

  • Guam $6,178
  • French Polynesia $4,677

Guam ($151–$2,734) and French Polynesia ($14–$2,284) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Guam is roughly 42% more expensive than in French Polynesia on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Guam 146% above, French Polynesia 73% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.87 $24.87
$17.10 CFPF 1,815
45.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.9 $60.9
$75.8 CFPF 8,050
-19.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.28 $15.28
$14.23 CFPF 1,511
7.38%
Cappuccino
$5.46 $5.46
$4.20 CFPF 446
30.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 $2.49
$2.55 CFPF 271
-2.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 $1.91
$2.53 CFPF 269
-24.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.97 $5.97
$4.68 CFPF 497
27.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.09 $10.09
$5.59 CFPF 593
80.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.30 $3.30
$1.44 CFPF 153
129.17%
White Bread (500g)
$6.94 $6.94
$4.23 CFPF 449
64.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.45 $2.45
$1.64 CFPF 174
49.39%
Eggs
$6.62 $6.62
$6.91 CFPF 734
-4.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$23.48 $23.48
$34.89 CFPF 3,705
-32.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.40 $10.40
$15.64 CFPF 1,660
-33.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.56 $13.56
$24.52 CFPF 2,604
-44.70%
Apples (1kg)
$7.25 $7.25
$5.06 CFPF 537
43.28%
Banana (1kg)
$4.45 $4.45
$2.85 CFPF 303
56.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.59 $5.59
$6.53 CFPF 693
-14.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.95 $7.95
$7.63 CFPF 810
4.19%
Potato (1kg)
$4.89 $4.89
$3.03 CFPF 322
61.39%
Onion (1kg)
$4.60 $4.60
$2.45 CFPF 260
87.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.37 $4.37
$3.60 CFPF 383
21.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 $2.01
$1.17 CFPF 124
71.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.58 $9.58
$13.05 CFPF 1,385
-26.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.15 $12.15
$23.65 CFPF 2,512
-48.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$2.83 CFPF 301
-14.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 $2.71
$3.66 CFPF 389
-25.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.84 CFPF 195
60.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.6 $54.6
$14.22 CFPF 1,510
284.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$10.15 $10.15
$9.44 CFPF 1,003
7.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 $2.04
$2.42 CFPF 257
-15.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.38 $32.38
$23.23 CFPF 2,467
39.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 $1.31
$1.49 CFPF 158
-12.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K $29.2K
$18.2K CFPF 1.9M
60.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K $30.6K
$30.6K CFPF 3.2M
0.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$380 $380
$172 CFPF 18.3K
120.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$79.9 $79.9
$18.99 CFPF 2,017
320.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$83.4 $83.4
$72.2 CFPF 7,667
15.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$78.3 $78.3
$74.8 CFPF 7,945
4.64%
Cinema Ticket
$13.16 $13.16
$14.36 CFPF 1,525
-8.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$566 $566
$478 CFPF 50.8K
18.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$9,401 CFPF 998.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 $59.8
$67.6 CFPF 7,175
-11.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$98.5 $98.5
$71.3 CFPF 7,569
38.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 $101
$79.5 CFPF 8,439
26.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 $130
$90.7 CFPF 9,633
43.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,866 $1,866
$1,234 CFPF 131.0K
51.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,511 $1,511
$940 CFPF 99.8K
60.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,808 $2,808
$1,848 CFPF 196.2K
51.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,453 $2,453
$1,528 CFPF 162.3K
60.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,976 CFPF 740.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$295 $295
$8,993 CFPF 954.9K
-96.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guam
French Polynesia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,615 $4,615
$1,885 CFPF 200.1K
144.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
4.6
-

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

Last update for Guam: October 19, 2026

Last update for French Polynesia: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guam
$1.5K
French Polynesia
$940 37.8% $571
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guam
$543
French Polynesia
$264 51.4% $279
Groceries & Markets
Guam
$534
French Polynesia
$565 5.8% $31
Eating Out
Guam
$378
French Polynesia
$285 24.7% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Guam
$175
French Polynesia
$139 20.6% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Guam
$105
French Polynesia
$104 1% $1.1
Getting Around
Guam
$87
French Polynesia
$43 50.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,777 in Guam, $1,192 in French Polynesia. Capital cities: $2,215 in Hagatna vs $1,360 in Papeete.

National salary averages: $4,987 in Guam, $1,976 in French Polynesia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 49% higher in Guam.

Dining out costs 17% more in French Polynesia.

Public transport is 329% more expensive in Guam.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in Guam, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Guam.

Good to know
🇬🇺 Guam
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
🕒 Local time
23:48 11:48 PM
03:48 3:48 AM
20 h behind Guam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
153,836
278,786
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.42 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.39 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guam French Polynesia 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guam
  • French Polynesia

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
Guam vs French Polynesia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How does the cost of living in French Polynesia compare to the cost in Guam?
At $2,339 per month in French Polynesia and $3,333 in Guam, there’s a 42% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Is rent more expensive in French Polynesia or in Guam?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,777 in Guam and $1,192 in French Polynesia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Which country is better for expats: French Polynesia or Guam?
It depends on what you’re after: French Polynesia wins on affordability; Guam may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

Guam vs other spots: cost of living compared

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