Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Caledonia and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in New Caledonia: $2,372 a month against $2,542 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Australia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in New Caledonia
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New Caledonia Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,372

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Caledonia and in Australia

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

A single person spends $2,372 per month in New Caledonia vs $2,542 in Australia, rent included.

New Caledonia $2,372
Australia $2,542

A couple spends around $3,753 per month in New Caledonia vs $3,717 in Australia, rent included.

New Caledonia $3,753
Australia $3,717

A family of three spends $5,134 per month in New Caledonia vs $4,893 in Australia, rent included.

New Caledonia $5,134
Australia $4,893

The cost of living in New Caledonia is roughly 7% lower than in Australia on average.

Both New Caledonia and Australia are pricier than the global median – New Caledonia by 76%, Australia by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 CFPF 2,210

$17.16 A$24.69

21.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 CFPF 12.1K

$83.9 A$121

36.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.78 CFPF 1,458

$11.20 A$16.12

23.04%

Cappuccino

$4.62 CFPF 488

$3.92 A$5.64

17.86%

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

$2.02 CFPF 213

$2.83 A$4.07

-28.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 CFPF 134

$2.30 A$3.31

-45.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 CFPF 1,007

$7.68 A$11.06

23.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CFPF 783

$8.25 A$11.87

-10.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 CFPF 125

$1.76 A$2.53

-32.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.41 CFPF 361

$2.77 A$3.99

23.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CFPF 235

$2.19 A$3.16

1.83%

Eggs

$6.00 CFPF 635

$4.99 A$7.18

20.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.42 CFPF 3,112

$9.94 A$14.31

195.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.64 CFPF 2,924

$9.03 A$12.99

206.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.21 CFPF 2,985

$15.25 A$21.94

84.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 CFPF 490

$3.67 A$5.28

26.16%

Banana (1kg)

$6.93 CFPF 733

$3.05 A$4.39

127.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.97 CFPF 631

$3.12 A$4.50

91.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.00 CFPF 846

$4.56 A$6.56

75.44%

Potato (1kg)

$5.34 CFPF 565

$2.81 A$4.04

90.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 CFPF 394

$2.39 A$3.44

55.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.00 CFPF 423

$2.35 A$3.39

70.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 CFPF 153

$1.64 A$2.36

-11.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.80 CFPF 1,989

$38.42 A$55.3

-51.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 CFPF 1,601

$13.77 A$19.82

9.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 CFPF 604

$4.69 A$6.75

21.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 A$7.31

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 CFPF 505

$2.72 A$3.91

75.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 A$138

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 CFPF 722

$3.54 A$5.10

92.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 CFPF 114

$1.55 A$2.23

-30.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.06 CFPF 2,228

$40.00 A$57.6

-47.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 CFPF 166

$1.30 A$1.87

20.77%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$28.2K A$40.5K

14.26%

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

$37.0K CFPF 3.9M

$28.5K A$40.9K

30.03%

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

$193 CFPF 20.4K

$198 A$285

-2.57%

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

$44.24 CFPF 4,680

$28.75 A$41.37

53.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 CFPF 5,460

$58.6 A$84.4

-11.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 CFPF 5,419

$56.7 A$81.6

-9.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 CFPF 898

$19.08 A$27.46

-55.50%

Cinema Ticket

$13.87 CFPF 1,468

$15.02 A$21.62

-7.66%

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

$751 CFPF 79.5K

$2,154 A$3,099

-65.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,263 CFPF 980.0K

$17.9K A$25.8K

-48.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 CFPF 11.7K

$78.0 A$112

41.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 CFPF 6,918

$54.8 A$78.8

19.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 CFPF 10.0K

$112 A$161

-15.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$245 CFPF 25.9K

$124 A$179

96.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 CFPF 75.1K

$1,540 A$2,215

-53.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 CFPF 81.2K

$1,222 A$1,758

-37.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 CFPF 159.1K

$2,478 A$3,566

-39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 CFPF 138.4K

$1,930 A$2,778

-32.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,696 CFPF 496.9K

$8,153 A$11.7K

-42.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,433 CFPF 363.3K

$6,053 A$8,711

-43.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,751 CFPF 291.0K

$3,944 A$5,676

-30.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

5.93

-47.22%

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

Last update for New Caledonia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Caledonia

$768 32.4%

Australia

$1.2K 48.1% 59.2% $454

Groceries & Markets

New Caledonia

$634 * 26.7%

Australia

$370 14.6% 41.6% $264

Eating Out

New Caledonia

$339 14.3%

Australia

$293 11.5% 13.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Caledonia

$289 12.2%

Australia

$286 11.2% 1.2% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

New Caledonia

$232 9.8%

Australia

$166 6.5% 28.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

New Caledonia

$79 3.3%

Australia

$87 3.4% 9.9% $7.8

Getting Around

New Caledonia

$31 * 1.3%

Australia

$118 4.6% 277% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $436 in New Caledonia vs $1,366 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $751 in Noumea and $1,716 in Canberra.

Average salary: $2,744 in New Caledonia vs $3,849 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 213% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 52% more in Australia.

Salaries are 40% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

Same time as New Caledonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,500

26,473,055

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Caledonia Australia 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New Caledonia
Australia

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

New Caledonia vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Caledonia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 7% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $436 in New Caledonia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in New Caledonia, adding to the overall 7% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in New Caledonia, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

New Caledonia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.