Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in North Shore: $2,119 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Noumea despite lower rent and utilities.

102

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

Jump to prices

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,119

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,119 in North Shore versus $2,391 in Noumea.

North Shore $2,119
Noumea $2,391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,933 in North Shore versus $3,791 in Noumea.

North Shore $2,933
Noumea $3,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,746 in North Shore versus $5,191 in Noumea.

North Shore $3,746
Noumea $5,191

Living in North Shore costs roughly 11% less than in Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Shore 57% above, Noumea 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

-31.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 NZ$130

$111 CFPF 11.8K

-34.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 NZ$14.96

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

-40.80%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.78

$4.50 CFPF 477

-27.33%

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

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.92 CFPF 203

0.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.27 CFPF 135

40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 NZ$11.55

$9.28 CFPF 982

-29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 NZ$9.92

$7.04 CFPF 745

-20.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$1.22 CFPF 129

31.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 NZ$2.29

$3.50 CFPF 370

-62.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.33

$2.20 CFPF 233

-14.09%

Eggs

$5.68 NZ$10.05

$6.02 CFPF 637

-5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.74 NZ$13.69

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

-73.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 NZ$17.72

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

-64.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 NZ$20.45

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

-59.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.63

$4.70 CFPF 497

-44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$7.18 CFPF 759

-71.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$6.04 CFPF 639

-48.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 NZ$10.33

$8.19 CFPF 866

-28.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.67

$5.41 CFPF 572

-61.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 NZ$2.67

$3.63 CFPF 384

-58.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$4.07 CFPF 430

-41.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 NZ$1.68

$1.50 CFPF 158

-36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.48 NZ$45.06

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

33.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.33 NZ$18.26

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

-38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.84

$5.80 CFPF 614

-52.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 NZ$3.90

$4.59 CFPF 486

-51.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 NZ$105

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$6.87 CFPF 726

-67.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.39

$1.11 CFPF 117

72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.25 NZ$57.0

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

50.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$1.58 CFPF 167

8.23%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

-21.19%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.5K

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

-39.67%

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

$181 NZ$321

$201 CFPF 21.3K

-9.76%

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

$26.42 NZ$46.73

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

-38.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 NZ$89.5

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

3.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.16 NZ$48.03

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

-45.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 NZ$23.07

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

-6.18%

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

$672 NZ$1,188

$762 CFPF 80.6K

-11.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K NZ$25.5K

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

56.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 NZ$122

$107 CFPF 11.4K

-35.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.87 NZ$67.0

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

-41.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 NZ$165

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

-3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NZ$182

$249 CFPF 26.3K

-58.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 NZ$2,303

$751 CFPF 79.4K

73.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 NZ$1,856

$773 CFPF 81.8K

35.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,278 NZ$4,029

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

52.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 NZ$2,369

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

-1.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,194 NZ$12.7K

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

55.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,028 NZ$10.7K

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

72.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,774 NZ$4,905

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

4.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

3.13

111.82%

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

Last update for North Shore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Shore

$1K 49.5%

Noumea

$773 32.3% 26.3% $276

Groceries & Markets

North Shore

$306 14.4%

Noumea

$648 * 27.1% 112% $343

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Shore

$258 12.2%

Noumea

$293 12.3% 13.4% $35

Eating Out

North Shore

$236 11.1%

Noumea

$335 14% 42% $99

Clothing & Footwear

North Shore

$136 6.4%

Noumea

$233 9.7% 70.9% $97

Getting Around

North Shore

$80 3.8%

Noumea

$31 * 1.3% 61.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

North Shore

$53 2.5%

Noumea

$78 3.3% 46% $24

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 $1,302 in North Shore and $751 in Noumea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore 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: $73.0 in North Shore vs $111 in Noumea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $648 per month, with North Shore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 North Shore

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

2 h behind North Shore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,697

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

North Shore Noumea 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

North Shore
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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

North Shore vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Shore and Noumea differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,119 vs $2,391 including rent). North Shore is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in North Shore, 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: $1,302 in North Shore versus $751 in Noumea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $672 in North Shore 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 North Shore – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $111 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,119 in North Shore versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $3,000 budget is realistic in North Shore but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes North Shore 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, North Shore 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 North Shore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.