Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Ashburton

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 Ashburton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,391 per month in Noumea vs $1,806 in Ashburton, rent included.

Noumea $2,391
Ashburton $1,806

A couple spends around $3,791 per month in Noumea vs $2,897 in Ashburton, rent included.

Noumea $3,791
Ashburton $2,897

A family of three spends $5,191 per month in Noumea vs $3,987 in Ashburton, rent included.

Noumea $5,191
Ashburton $3,987

Noumea costs about 32% more than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Noumea and Ashburton sit above the global median – Noumea by 77%, Ashburton by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

$13.93 NZ$24.63

47.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$67.8 NZ$120

64.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

$8.85 NZ$15.65

61.47%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 477

$3.26 NZ$5.77

38.04%

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

$1.92 CFPF 203

$2.32 NZ$4.10

-17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.81 NZ$3.21

-29.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 982

$6.89 NZ$12.19

34.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 745

$6.77 NZ$11.97

3.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 129

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-26.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 370

$1.88 NZ$3.32

86.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 233

$1.50 NZ$2.64

46.67%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 637

$5.80 NZ$10.26

3.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

$7.48 NZ$13.23

295.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

$9.35 NZ$16.53

203.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

$13.55 NZ$23.96

109.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$2.46 NZ$4.35

91.06%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 759

$1.98 NZ$3.51

262.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 639

$2.73 NZ$4.82

121.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 866

$3.04 NZ$5.37

169.41%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 572

$1.50 NZ$2.65

260.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 384

$1.46 NZ$2.59

148.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 430

$2.17 NZ$3.83

87.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$1.32 NZ$2.33

13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

$24.15 NZ$42.70

-20.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

$8.45 NZ$14.94

100.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 614

$3.52 NZ$6.23

64.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NZ$7.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 486

$1.62 NZ$2.86

183.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 NZ$132

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 726

$2.48 NZ$4.38

177.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

$1.66 NZ$2.93

-33.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

$27.91 NZ$49.35

-23.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$1.93 NZ$3.41

-18.13%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

30.28%

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

54.96%

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

$156 NZ$276

28.97%

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

$22.75 NZ$40.23

88.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

$44.32 NZ$78.4

10.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

$40.15 NZ$71.0

24.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

$11.12 NZ$19.66

25.09%

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

$762 CFPF 80.6K

$659 NZ$1,165

15.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

-57.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

$57.9 NZ$102

85.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

$39.80 NZ$70.4

62.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

$99.6 NZ$176

-2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.3K

$121 NZ$214

105.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.4K

$1,013 NZ$1,792

-25.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 81.8K

$745 NZ$1,317

3.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

$1,417 NZ$2,506

5.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

$1,600 NZ$2,830

-15.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

$4,546 NZ$8,039

1.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

$3,098 NZ$5,479

12.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

5.91

-47.04%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

Ashburton

$745 41.2% 3.7% $28

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

Ashburton

$300 16.6% 53.8% $349

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

Ashburton

$242 13.4% 27.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

Ashburton

$223 12.3% 23.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Ashburton

$143 7.9% 38.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Ashburton

$62 3.5% 19.7% $15

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Ashburton

$92 5.1% 198% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Noumea versus $1,013 in Ashburton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $111 in Noumea versus $68.0 in Ashburton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $648 vs $300 – making Ashburton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

2 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

20,500

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Noumea Ashburton 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
Ashburton

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 Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,391 in Noumea, $1,806 in Ashburton – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,587 per month in Noumea and $2,710 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $111 in Noumea and $68.0 in Ashburton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Noumea, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Noumea at $2,391. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noumea it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Noumea has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,806 in Ashburton to $2,391 in Noumea. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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