Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and French Polynesia

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $2,315 in French Polynesia, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Italy
French Polynesia
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
$2,315
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy 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 Italy and in French Polynesia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $2,315 in French Polynesia.

  • Italy $1,843
  • French Polynesia $2,315

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $3,464 in French Polynesia.

  • Italy $2,816
  • French Polynesia $3,464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $4,613 in French Polynesia.

  • Italy $3,788
  • French Polynesia $4,613

Internal cost variation is higher in French Polynesia: monthly costs span $14 to $2,283, compared to $1,038–$2,555 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in French Polynesia.

Living in Italy costs about 20% less than in French Polynesia on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, French Polynesia 70% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.46 €18.38
$16.95 CFPF 1,809
20.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5 €71.4
$76.4 CFPF 8,146
4.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.15 €10.02
$14.24 CFPF 1,520
-21.70%
Cappuccino
$2.04 €1.83
$4.14 CFPF 441
-50.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 €2.79
$2.64 CFPF 281
17.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 €1.26
$2.49 CFPF 266
-43.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.51 €4.95
$4.75 CFPF 507
16.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.74 €5.16
$5.58 CFPF 595
2.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 €1.41
$1.43 CFPF 153
9.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 €2.14
$4.40 CFPF 470
-45.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.90 €2.60
$1.73 CFPF 185
67.63%
Eggs
$4.07 €3.66
$6.74 CFPF 719
-39.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.44 €15.67
$35.28 CFPF 3,764
-50.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.56 €11.28
$15.39 CFPF 1,643
-18.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.17 €18.12
$24.37 CFPF 2,600
-17.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 €2.32
$4.93 CFPF 526
-47.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 €1.97
$2.88 CFPF 308
-23.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.68 €2.41
$6.35 CFPF 678
-57.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 €2.94
$7.63 CFPF 814
-57.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 €1.71
$2.92 CFPF 312
-34.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$2.42 CFPF 259
-24.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 €1.41
$3.65 CFPF 390
-56.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$1.16 CFPF 123
-52.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.69 €6.01
$13.06 CFPF 1,393
-48.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.99 €7.18
$23.36 CFPF 2,493
-65.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 €1.59
$2.92 CFPF 312
-39.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 €2.11
$3.76 CFPF 401
-37.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.91 €1.72
$1.82 CFPF 194
4.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.44 €39.03
$14.33 CFPF 1,529
203.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 €5.05
$9.51 CFPF 1,014
-40.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 €1.54
$2.39 CFPF 255
-28.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.64 €30.22
$22.96 CFPF 2,450
46.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 €1.82
$1.44 CFPF 153
40.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K €31.7K
$18.6K CFPF 2.0M
90.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K €33.0K
$30.4K CFPF 3.2M
20.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$227 €204
$174 CFPF 18.5K
30.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 €10.41
$18.73 CFPF 1,998
-38.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38 €27.30
$69.8 CFPF 7,445
-56.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.8 €46.52
$73.0 CFPF 7,793
-29.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.70 €21.29
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.60 €9.53
$14.25 CFPF 1,521
-25.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$568 €510
$468 CFPF 49.9K
21.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K €10.4K
$9,405 CFPF 1.0M
22.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.5 €81.3
$69.1 CFPF 7,376
30.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.55 €34.64
$72.3 CFPF 7,716
-46.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €92.2
$78.0 CFPF 8,319
31.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 €118
$89.4 CFPF 9,542
46.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$826 €742
$1,233 CFPF 131.5K
-33.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$646 €581
$922 CFPF 98.4K
-29.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,400 €1,258
$1,868 CFPF 199.3K
-25.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,054 €947
$1,473 CFPF 157.2K
-28.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,662 €3,290
$7,062 CFPF 753.5K
-48.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,301 €2,068
$9,027 CFPF 963.2K
-74.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
French Polynesia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,886 €1,695
$1,876 CFPF 200.2K
0.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
4.6
-22.61%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for French Polynesia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Italy
$646
French Polynesia
$922 42.7% $276
Groceries & Markets
Italy
$348
French Polynesia
$565 62.3% $217
Eating Out
Italy
$279
French Polynesia
$283 1.7% $4.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$269
French Polynesia
$262 2.4% $6.5
Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163
French Polynesia
$139 14.9% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$73
French Polynesia
$102 39.1% $29
Getting Around
Italy
$65
French Polynesia
$43 34.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $1,170 in French Polynesia. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $1,328 in Papeete.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $1,977 in French Polynesia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 60% higher in French Polynesia.

Public transport is 207% more expensive in Italy.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Italy
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
🕒 Local time
15:24 3:24 PM
04:24 4:24 AM
11 h behind Italy
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,850,717
278,786
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.37 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.42 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Italy French Polynesia 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Italy
  • 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
Italy vs French Polynesia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How does the cost of living in French Polynesia compare to the cost in Italy?
At $2,315 per month in French Polynesia and $1,843 in Italy, there’s a 26% 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 Italy?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,170 in French Polynesia and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Which country is better for expats: French Polynesia or Italy?
It depends on what you’re after: Italy wins on affordability; French Polynesia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

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