Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Apia

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $851 a month against $2,410 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,410

/mo nomad

Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Apia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,410 in Noumea versus $851 in Apia.

Noumea $2,410
Apia $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,800 in Noumea versus $2,281 in Apia.

Noumea $3,800
Apia $2,281

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,190 in Noumea versus $3,711 in Apia.

Noumea $5,190
Apia $3,711

Living in Noumea is roughly 183% more expensive than in Apia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Noumea is 80% above, Apia is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.86 CFPF 2,220

$47.76 WST 133

-56.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 CFPF 12.1K

$36.89 WST 103

208.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.85 CFPF 1,474

$14.51 WST 40.39

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$4.68 CFPF 498

$2.93 WST 8.15

59.73%

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

$2.01 CFPF 214

$1.80 WST 5.01

11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.39 WST 3.88

-8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 CFPF 1,011

$3.51 WST 9.78

170.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CFPF 773

$3.67 WST 10.20

97.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 CFPF 125

$1.83 WST 5.09

-36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 CFPF 381

$0.84 WST 2.34

326.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 CFPF 230

$1.86 WST 5.17

16.13%

Eggs

$6.13 CFPF 653

$4.15 WST 11.55

47.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.21 CFPF 3,215

$0.94 WST 2.62

3113.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.65 CFPF 2,942

$3.67 WST 10.21

653.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.19 CFPF 3,000

$8.60 WST 23.92

227.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 CFPF 487

$5.22 WST 14.54

-12.26%

Banana (1kg)

$7.29 CFPF 776

$1.79 WST 4.99

307.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 CFPF 668

$1.87 WST 5.21

235.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.98 CFPF 849

$4.34 WST 12.07

83.87%

Potato (1kg)

$5.55 CFPF 591

$3.70 WST 10.29

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 CFPF 411

$1.11 WST 3.10

247.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.04 CFPF 430

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 160

$1.22 WST 3.40

22.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.46 CFPF 2,070

$6.31 WST 17.55

208.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.03 CFPF 1,812

$16.32 WST 45.41

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 CFPF 590

$1.87 WST 5.19

196.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 WST 10.24

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CFPF 491

$3.57 WST 9.94

29.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 CFPF 741

$5.33 WST 14.84

30.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 119

$5.42 WST 15.08

-79.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.46 CFPF 2,284

$21.64 WST 60.2

-0.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 CFPF 174

$1.06 WST 2.95

53.77%

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

$32.5K CFPF 3.5M

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

$37.3K CFPF 4.0M

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

$205 CFPF 21.8K

$18.16 WST 50.6

1026.38%

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

$44.24 CFPF 4,707

$18.40 WST 51.2

140.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.09 CFPF 5,117

$36.53 WST 102

31.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.48 CFPF 5,158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.25 CFPF 878

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 CFPF 1,517

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

$759 CFPF 80.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,318 CFPF 991.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 CFPF 11.9K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.0 CFPF 6,912

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CFPF 10.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$247 CFPF 26.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 80.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 81.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 CFPF 161.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 CFPF 143.6K

$1,790 WST 4,982

-24.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,777 CFPF 508.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,453 CFPF 367.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 CFPF 290.1K

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 Noumea: October 3, 2026

Last update for Apia: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$761 31.9%

Apia

–

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$646 * 27.1%

Apia

–

Eating Out

Noumea

$340 14.2%

Apia

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$297 12.4%

Apia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$236 9.9%

Apia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$77 3.2%

Apia

–

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Apia

–

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $114 in Noumea vs $37.00 in Apia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $646 vs $241 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇼🇸 Apia

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

2 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

36,000 Capital

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR

1 WST = 0.359 USD

1 WST = 0.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.78 WST (1 WST = 0.359 USD). 1 EUR = 3.12 WST (1 WST = 0.32 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Noumea Apia 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
Apia

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

Noumea vs Apia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 183% lower than in Noumea. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,614 in Noumea and $1,277 in Apia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you'll spend $2,410 per month in Noumea versus $851 in Apia – a 183% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 168% higher in Noumea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $851 in Apia versus $2,410 in Noumea, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Apia but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Apia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Apia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $851 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Apia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Noumea and Apia 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 Apia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 183% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.