Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,821 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. The total is higher in Noumea despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $2,391 in Noumea.

New Plymouth $1,821
Noumea $2,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,787 in New Plymouth versus $3,791 in Noumea.

New Plymouth $2,787
Noumea $3,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in New Plymouth versus $5,191 in Noumea.

New Plymouth $3,753
Noumea $5,191

Living in New Plymouth costs roughly 24% less than in Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Plymouth 35% above, Noumea 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.79 NZ$20.86

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

-42.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$111 CFPF 11.8K

-40.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 NZ$14.89

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

-41.08%

Cappuccino

$3.31 NZ$5.85

$4.50 CFPF 477

-26.44%

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

$2.10 NZ$3.71

$1.92 CFPF 203

9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 NZ$3.25

$1.27 CFPF 135

44.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 NZ$9.28

$9.28 CFPF 982

-43.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NZ$9.75

$7.04 CFPF 745

-21.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.58

$1.22 CFPF 129

19.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.21

$3.50 CFPF 370

-64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$2.20 CFPF 233

-26.36%

Eggs

$5.35 NZ$9.47

$6.02 CFPF 637

-11.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.48 NZ$9.69

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

-81.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.23 NZ$12.79

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

-74.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

-59.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 NZ$4.33

$4.70 CFPF 497

-47.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.36

$7.18 CFPF 759

-73.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NZ$5.22

$6.04 CFPF 639

-51.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.26 NZ$11.08

$8.19 CFPF 866

-23.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$5.41 CFPF 572

-62.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$3.63 CFPF 384

-61.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$4.07 CFPF 430

-56.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.22

$1.50 CFPF 158

-16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.05 NZ$39.00

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

15.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 NZ$14.88

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

-50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.14

$5.80 CFPF 614

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 NZ$6.65

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$4.59 CFPF 486

-62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 NZ$131

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 NZ$6.39

$6.87 CFPF 726

-47.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.58 CFPF 167

4.43%

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

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

-17.89%

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

$22.6K NZ$39.9K

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

-39.09%

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

$127 NZ$225

$201 CFPF 21.3K

-36.74%

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

$27.63 NZ$48.87

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

-35.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.97 NZ$84.8

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

-2.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.55 NZ$75.3

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

-14.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 NZ$14.14

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

-42.49%

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

$669 NZ$1,183

$762 CFPF 80.6K

-12.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K NZ$40.2K

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

145.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 NZ$109

$107 CFPF 11.4K

-42.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.35 NZ$67.8

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

-40.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 NZ$155

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

-9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NZ$182

$249 CFPF 26.3K

-58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 NZ$1,612

$751 CFPF 79.4K

21.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$853 NZ$1,508

$773 CFPF 81.8K

10.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 NZ$3,040

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

15.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 NZ$2,727

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

13.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 NZ$5,547

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

-32.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,566 NZ$4,539

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

-26.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,766 NZ$4,891

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

3.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

3.13

89.46%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: October 12, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Plymouth

$853 46.8%

Noumea

$773 32.3% 9.3% $80

Groceries & Markets

New Plymouth

$279 15.3%

Noumea

$648 * 27.1% 132% $369

Eating Out

New Plymouth

$212 11.7%

Noumea

$335 14% 57.8% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Plymouth

$203 11.1%

Noumea

$293 12.3% 44.5% $90

Clothing & Footwear

New Plymouth

$131 7.2%

Noumea

$233 9.7% 78.3% $102

Getting Around

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7%

Noumea

$31 * 1.3% 63.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

New Plymouth

$59 3.2%

Noumea

$78 3.3% 32.8% $19

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 $911 in New Plymouth and $751 in Noumea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Plymouth pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in New Plymouth vs $111 in Noumea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $648 per month, with New Plymouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

2 h behind New Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

91,386 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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New Plymouth Noumea 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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New Plymouth
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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 Plymouth vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth and Noumea differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $2,391 including rent). New Plymouth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in New Plymouth, 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: $911 in New Plymouth versus $751 in Noumea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $669 in New Plymouth versus $762 in Noumea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in New Plymouth – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $111 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $3,000 budget is realistic in New Plymouth but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes New Plymouth 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.

Safety-wise, New Plymouth and Noumea are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find New Plymouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.