Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heerlen and Papeete

For one person, living costs are similar in Heerlen and in Papeete: $2,255 and $2,284 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Heerlen
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Heerlen Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index

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Heerlen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,255

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,255 in Heerlen versus $2,284 in Papeete.

Heerlen $2,255
Papeete $2,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,463 in Heerlen versus $3,466 in Papeete.

Heerlen $3,463
Papeete $3,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,672 in Heerlen versus $4,647 in Papeete.

Heerlen $4,672
Papeete $4,647

Living in Heerlen costs roughly 1% less than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heerlen 66% above, Papeete 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.76 €21.13

$18.60 CFPF 1,968

27.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.9 €87.0

$95.8 CFPF 10.1K

2.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.01 €16.90

$14.67 CFPF 1,552

29.58%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.64

$3.37 CFPF 357

21.36%

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

$3.24 €2.88

$2.65 CFPF 280

22.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.03

$3.38 CFPF 357

-32.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 €5.42

$3.33 CFPF 352

82.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.97

$3.68 CFPF 390

51.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.49 CFPF 157

-10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.15

$2.63 CFPF 278

-8.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.59 CFPF 168

59.75%

Eggs

$4.47 €3.97

$6.46 CFPF 683

-30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 €10.43

$27.78 CFPF 2,939

-57.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 €12.45

$15.37 CFPF 1,626

-8.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.91

$26.82 CFPF 2,838

-33.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$4.61 CFPF 488

-50.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.41 CFPF 255

4.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$6.62 CFPF 700

-68.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 €3.84

$7.98 CFPF 844

-45.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.73 CFPF 289

-32.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.26 CFPF 239

-7.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.76 CFPF 398

-63.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.15 CFPF 122

-27.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.87 €12.34

$12.80 CFPF 1,355

8.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.41

$21.25 CFPF 2,248

-66.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.84 CFPF 301

-50.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$3.17 CFPF 335

-16.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.60 €3.20

$1.84 CFPF 195

95.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 €53.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 €5.58

$9.32 CFPF 986

-32.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.38 €19.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.47 CFPF 156

67.35%

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

$29.7K €26.4K

$19.0K CFPF 2.0M

56.17%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$28.1K CFPF 3.0M

24.53%

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

$191 €170

$183 CFPF 19.4K

4.54%

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

$26.36 €23.45

$19.84 CFPF 2,099

32.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.78

$68.8 CFPF 7,277

-18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.46 €31.54

$84.2 CFPF 8,911

-57.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.63 €24.58

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 €11.92

$14.23 CFPF 1,505

-5.83%

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

$671 €597

$468 CFPF 49.6K

43.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,507 €4,898

$9,296 CFPF 983.5K

-40.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 €88.6

$67.7 CFPF 7,166

47.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.56 €44.08

$71.2 CFPF 7,528

-30.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.1

$79.4 CFPF 8,402

27.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$193 €172

$87.6 CFPF 9,270

120.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 €996

$1,360 CFPF 143.9K

-17.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$938 €834

$942 CFPF 99.6K

-0.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,913 €1,701

$1,849 CFPF 195.6K

3.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 €1,411

$1,524 CFPF 161.2K

4.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,938 €3,502

$6,919 CFPF 732.0K

-43.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,810 €2,500

$7,397 CFPF 782.6K

-62.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,947 €2,622

$2,200 CFPF 232.8K

33.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

4.5

-3.33%

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

Last update for Heerlen: October 18, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heerlen

$938 41.6%

Papeete

$942 41.2% 0.4% $3.8

Eating Out

Heerlen

$360 16%

Papeete

$281 12.3% 21.8% $79

Groceries & Markets

Heerlen

$333 14.8%

Papeete

$522 22.9% 57% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heerlen

$274 12.1%

Papeete

$272 11.9% 0.7% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Heerlen

$200 8.9%

Papeete

$138 6% 31% $62

Getting Around

Heerlen

$89 3.9%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 81.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Heerlen

$62 2.8%

Papeete

$113 4.9% 81% $50

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 $1,120 in Heerlen and $1,360 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heerlen pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $98.0 in Heerlen vs $96.0 in Papeete. Groceries flip the comparison at $333 vs $522, with Heerlen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Heerlen

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

12 h behind Heerlen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,086

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Heerlen Papeete 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Heerlen
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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

Heerlen vs Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heerlen wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Papeete. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Heerlen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Heerlen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,120 in Heerlen versus $1,360 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $671 in Heerlen versus $468 in Papeete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Heerlen – a meal for two runs $98.0 versus $96.0 in Papeete. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,255 in Heerlen versus $2,284 in Papeete, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Heerlen but tight or insufficient in Papeete. The gap between the two cities makes Heerlen 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, Heerlen and Papeete 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 Heerlen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Papeete. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.