Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lautoka and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lautoka and in Noumea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $333 in Lautoka versus $2,391 in Noumea.

Lautoka $333
Noumea $2,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $722 in Lautoka versus $3,791 in Noumea.

Lautoka $722
Noumea $3,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,112 in Lautoka versus $5,191 in Noumea.

Lautoka $1,112
Noumea $5,191

Living in Lautoka costs roughly 86% less than in Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lautoka is 75% below, Noumea is 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.19 FJD 11.61

$20.61 CFPF 2,189

-74.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 FJD 177

$111 CFPF 11.8K

-28.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 FJD 17.47

$14.29 CFPF 1,518

-45.42%

Cappuccino

$2.56 FJD 5.72

$4.50 CFPF 478

-43.11%

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

$2.12 FJD 4.74

$1.92 CFPF 204

10.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 FJD 3.38

$1.27 CFPF 135

18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 FJD 5.44

$9.28 CFPF 986

-73.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 FJD 6.84

$7.04 CFPF 748

-56.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 FJD 3.72

$1.22 CFPF 130

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 FJD 1.64

$3.50 CFPF 372

-79.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 FJD 1.95

$2.20 CFPF 234

-60.45%

Eggs

$3.44 FJD 7.70

$6.02 CFPF 640

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.80 FJD 12.98

$29.56 CFPF 3,140

-80.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 FJD 17.06

$28.42 CFPF 3,018

-73.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 FJD 16.98

$28.43 CFPF 3,019

-73.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 FJD 9.90

$4.70 CFPF 499

-5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 762

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 FJD 2.91

$6.04 CFPF 642

-78.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 869

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 FJD 2.09

$5.41 CFPF 574

-82.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 FJD 1.93

$3.63 CFPF 386

-76.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 FJD 1.96

$4.07 CFPF 432

-78.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 FJD 1.03

$1.50 CFPF 159

-69.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.93 FJD 24.46

$19.12 CFPF 2,031

-42.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 FJD 12.22

$16.93 CFPF 1,798

-67.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 FJD 5.74

$5.80 CFPF 616

-55.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 FJD 7.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 729

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 118

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,278

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.99

$1.58 CFPF 167

-15.82%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

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

$13.14 FJD 29.43

$42.95 CFPF 4,561

-69.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,204

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,300

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 913

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,477

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

$762 CFPF 80.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 982.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,869

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 FJD 1,007

$751 CFPF 79.7K

-40.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 82.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 FJD 1,952

$1,494 CFPF 158.7K

-41.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 144.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 490.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 370.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$688 FJD 1,541

$2,663 CFPF 282.8K

-74.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

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

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5%

Noumea

$648 * 27.1% 240% $457

Eating Out

Lautoka

$128 38.6%

Noumea

$335 14% 161% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lautoka

$13 * 4%

Noumea

$293 12.3% 2129% $280

Getting Around

Lautoka

- * 0%

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Lautoka

- * 0%

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Lautoka

- * 0%

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Accommodation & Living

Lautoka

- * 0%

Noumea

$773 32.3%

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 $450 in Lautoka and $751 in Noumea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Noumea pays 287% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Lautoka vs $111 in Noumea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $648 per month, with Lautoka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

1 h behind Lautoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

91,386 Capital

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.42 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.42 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.4 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lautoka Noumea 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lautoka
Noumea

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

Lautoka vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lautoka and Noumea differ by about 619% in total monthly costs ($333 vs $2,391 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 287% lower in Noumea. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $450 in Lautoka versus $751 in Noumea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $111 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $333 per month in Lautoka versus $2,391 in Noumea – a 619% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka 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.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 619% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.