Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Locarno and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in Noumea: $2,676 a month against $2,935 in Locarno, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Locarno outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

140

Cost of Living Index in Locarno
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Locarno Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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Locarno

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,935

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,935 per month in Locarno vs $2,676 in Noumea, rent included.

Locarno $2,935
Noumea $2,676

A couple spends around $4,633 per month in Locarno vs $4,200 in Noumea, rent included.

Locarno $4,633
Noumea $4,200

A family of three spends $6,332 per month in Locarno vs $5,724 in Noumea, rent included.

Locarno $6,332
Noumea $5,724

Locarno costs about 10% more than Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Locarno and Noumea sit above the global median – Locarno by 116%, Noumea by 97%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.17 CHF 22.50

$20.74 CFPF 2,216

31.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 100

$112 CFPF 12.0K

8.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.38 CHF 15.22

$14.07 CFPF 1,503

30.63%

Cappuccino

$5.07 CHF 4.20

$4.48 CFPF 479

13.17%

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

$5.26 CHF 4.36

$1.96 CFPF 209

168.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 CHF 3.60

$1.23 CFPF 132

253.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.48 CHF 7.02

$9.59 CFPF 1,025

-11.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 CHF 5.02

$7.14 CFPF 763

-15.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.82

$1.19 CFPF 127

84.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 CHF 3.04

$3.42 CFPF 365

7.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.62

$2.24 CFPF 240

41.52%

Eggs

$7.07 CHF 5.86

$6.21 CFPF 664

13.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.74 CHF 22.14

$29.94 CFPF 3,199

-10.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.64 CHF 13.78

$28.58 CFPF 3,054

-41.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.18 CHF 29.95

$27.62 CFPF 2,951

30.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 CHF 2.55

$4.71 CFPF 504

-34.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$6.93 CFPF 741

-76.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$6.18 CFPF 661

-65.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 CHF 3.06

$8.08 CFPF 864

-54.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 CHF 1.02

$5.65 CFPF 604

-78.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CHF 1.51

$3.83 CFPF 409

-52.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$4.09 CFPF 437

-51.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.45 CFPF 155

-23.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.92 CHF 9.04

$19.14 CFPF 2,045

-42.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.07

$16.58 CFPF 1,772

-26.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CHF 2.34

$5.56 CFPF 594

-49.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 CHF 2.54

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 CHF 2.24

$4.75 CFPF 507

-43.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.7 CHF 79.2

$285 CFPF 30.5K

-66.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 CHF 3.84

$7.08 CFPF 756

-34.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$1.12 CFPF 120

119.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.7 CHF 50.2

$21.24 CFPF 2,270

185.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.55 CFPF 165

44.52%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.1K

$32.8K CFPF 3.5M

18.30%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

$38.0K CFPF 4.1M

3.48%

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

$486 CHF 402

$196 CFPF 21.0K

147.48%

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

$27.41 CHF 22.69

$44.13 CFPF 4,715

-37.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 CHF 48.09

$48.00 CFPF 5,129

21.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 CHF 59.8

$50.1 CFPF 5,348

44.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.51 CHF 25.26

$8.54 CFPF 913

257.26%

Cinema Ticket

$19.60 CHF 16.23

$14.25 CFPF 1,523

37.54%

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

$1,472 CHF 1,219

$740 CFPF 79.1K

98.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K CHF 15.7K

$9,264 CFPF 989.9K

104.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.4 CHF 79.8

$109 CFPF 11.6K

-11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 CHF 46.60

$65.4 CFPF 6,984

-13.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 CHF 81.3

$97.1 CFPF 10.4K

1.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 CHF 99.0

$254 CFPF 27.1K

-52.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 CHF 853

$749 CFPF 80.0K

37.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 CHF 860

$774 CFPF 82.7K

34.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 CHF 1,995

$1,508 CFPF 161.2K

59.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 CHF 1,841

$1,311 CFPF 140.1K

69.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,402 CHF 7,785

$4,760 CFPF 508.6K

97.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,564 CHF 6,263

$3,387 CFPF 361.9K

123.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,878 CHF 4,866

$2,657 CFPF 283.9K

121.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

3.13

-37.06%

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

Last update for Locarno: October 25, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Locarno

$1K 35.4%

Noumea

$774 28.9% 25.5% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Locarno

$572 19.5%

Noumea

$289 10.8% 49.5% $283

Groceries & Markets

Locarno

$497 16.9%

Noumea

$645 * 24.1% 29.8% $148

Eating Out

Locarno

$426 14.5%

Noumea

$337 12.6% 21% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Locarno

$167 5.7%

Noumea

$236 8.8% 41.8% $70

Getting Around

Locarno

$123 4.2%

Noumea

$317 11.8% 157% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Locarno

$111 3.8%

Noumea

$79 2.9% 29.5% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,031 in Locarno versus $749 in Noumea. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Locarno are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Locarno versus $112 in Noumea. Groceries tell a different story – $497 in Locarno vs $645 in Noumea – so Locarno wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Locarno

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

10 h ahead of Locarno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,000

91,386 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.39 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Locarno Noumea 16,680 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Locarno
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

Locarno vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Locarno is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,402 per month in Locarno and $4,014 in Noumea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Noumea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $749 there versus $1,031 in Locarno.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Locarno. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,472 per month in Locarno and $740 in Noumea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,935 in Locarno and $2,676 in Noumea. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Noumea – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Noumea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Locarno makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.