Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Juneau, AK and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,288 a month against $3,142 in Juneau, AK, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

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

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index

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Juneau, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,142

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,142 in Juneau, AK versus $2,288 in Papeete.

Juneau, AK $3,142
Papeete $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,903 in Juneau, AK versus $3,451 in Papeete.

Juneau, AK $4,903
Papeete $3,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,664 in Juneau, AK versus $4,615 in Papeete.

Juneau, AK $6,664
Papeete $4,615

Living in Juneau, AK is roughly 37% more expensive than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Juneau, AK 132% above, Papeete 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.20 $16.20

$18.66 CFPF 1,978

-13.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.4 $91.4

$94.0 CFPF 9,964

-2.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.93 $15.93

$14.69 CFPF 1,558

8.44%

Cappuccino

$6.96 $6.96

$3.41 CFPF 362

104.11%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$2.66 CFPF 282

4.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$3.32 CFPF 352

-33.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.27 CFPF 347

118.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.66 CFPF 388

96.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.51 CFPF 160

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$6.66 $6.66

$2.64 CFPF 280

152.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.60 CFPF 169

197.50%

Eggs

$5.04 $5.04

$6.15 CFPF 652

-18.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.52 $22.52

$27.95 CFPF 2,963

-19.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.54 $15.54

$15.32 CFPF 1,624

1.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.70 $18.70

$26.41 CFPF 2,800

-29.19%

Apples (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$4.61 CFPF 489

45.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.49 CFPF 264

53.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$6.41 CFPF 679

-23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$8.04 CFPF 853

-26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.65 CFPF 281

13.58%

Onion (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.19 CFPF 232

97.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.68 CFPF 390

-23.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.15 CFPF 122

126.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.24 $15.24

$12.91 CFPF 1,368

18.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.94 $16.94

$21.44 CFPF 2,273

-20.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.83 CFPF 300

-11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.09 CFPF 328

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.84 CFPF 195

8.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.48 $39.48

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 CFPF 991

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.45 CFPF 153

-15.17%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$18.9K CFPF 2.0M

25.18%

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

$31.6K $31.6K

$28.3K CFPF 3.0M

11.47%

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

$391 $391

$180 CFPF 19.1K

116.99%

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

$75.8 $75.8

$19.61 CFPF 2,079

286.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$120 $120

$70.9 CFPF 7,518

68.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$132 $132

$84.7 CFPF 8,984

55.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 $15.23

$13.79 CFPF 1,462

10.44%

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

$1,579 $1,579

$470 CFPF 49.8K

235.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,485 CFPF 1.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 $59.7

$67.6 CFPF 7,165

-11.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 $44.22

$71.1 CFPF 7,542

-37.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 $86.2

$79.1 CFPF 8,380

8.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$88.6 CFPF 9,390

71.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 $1,534

$1,332 CFPF 141.2K

15.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$949 CFPF 100.6K

39.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,127 $3,127

$1,839 CFPF 194.9K

70.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,880 $2,880

$1,509 CFPF 159.9K

90.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,625 $3,625

$7,054 CFPF 747.9K

-48.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,506 $3,506

$7,560 CFPF 801.5K

-53.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,029 $4,029

$2,191 CFPF 232.3K

83.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

4.5

45.78%

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

Last update for Juneau, AK: November 1, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Juneau, AK

$1.3K 42.1%

Papeete

$949 41.5% 28.2% $373

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Juneau, AK

$586 18.7%

Papeete

$271 11.8% 53.8% $315

Groceries & Markets

Juneau, AK

$540 17.2%

Papeete

$520 22.7% 3.7% $20

Eating Out

Juneau, AK

$331 10.5%

Papeete

$282 12.3% 14.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Juneau, AK

$162 5.2%

Papeete

$112 4.9% 30.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Juneau, AK

$154 4.9%

Papeete

$138 6% 10.5% $16

Getting Around

Juneau, AK

$47 * 1.5%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 64.8% $31

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 $1,534 in Juneau, AK and $1,332 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Juneau, AK pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Juneau, AK vs $94 in Papeete. Groceries flip the comparison at $540 vs $520, with Papeete cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Juneau, AK

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h behind Juneau, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,000

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.43 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.4 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.43 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.4 EUR).

XPF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Juneau, AK Papeete 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Juneau, 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

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

Papeete wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Juneau, AK. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Papeete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Juneau, AK, 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: $1,534 in Juneau, AK versus $1,332 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Juneau, AK. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,142 per month in Juneau, AK versus $2,288 in Papeete – Papeete is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Juneau, AK and Papeete are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Papeete wins on affordability, Juneau, AK on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.