Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Noumea: $2,410 a month against $2,560 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,410

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Brisbane

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

A single person spends $2,410 per month in Noumea vs $2,560 in Brisbane, rent included.

Noumea $2,410
Brisbane $2,560

A couple spends around $3,800 per month in Noumea vs $3,774 in Brisbane, rent included.

Noumea $3,800
Brisbane $3,774

A family of three spends $5,190 per month in Noumea vs $4,987 in Brisbane, rent included.

Noumea $5,190
Brisbane $4,987

Noumea is about 6% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Noumea and Brisbane sit above the global median – Noumea by 80%, Brisbane by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.86 CFPF 2,220

$17.72 A$25.46

17.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 CFPF 12.1K

$74.5 A$107

52.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.85 CFPF 1,474

$10.94 A$15.72

26.60%

Cappuccino

$4.68 CFPF 498

$4.24 A$6.10

10.38%

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

$2.01 CFPF 214

$2.84 A$4.08

-29.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$2.48 A$3.56

-48.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 CFPF 1,011

$8.59 A$12.33

10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CFPF 773

$8.25 A$11.85

-12.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 CFPF 125

$1.63 A$2.35

-28.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 CFPF 381

$2.62 A$3.76

36.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 CFPF 230

$2.25 A$3.24

-4.00%

Eggs

$6.13 CFPF 653

$4.91 A$7.05

24.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.21 CFPF 3,215

$9.46 A$13.59

219.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.65 CFPF 2,942

$9.00 A$12.93

207.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.19 CFPF 3,000

$13.94 A$20.02

102.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 CFPF 487

$4.18 A$6.00

9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$7.29 CFPF 776

$3.02 A$4.34

141.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 CFPF 668

$2.96 A$4.25

111.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.98 CFPF 849

$4.78 A$6.87

66.95%

Potato (1kg)

$5.55 CFPF 591

$2.75 A$3.95

101.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 CFPF 411

$2.37 A$3.41

62.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.04 CFPF 430

$2.36 A$3.39

71.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 160

$1.25 A$1.80

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.46 CFPF 2,070

$38.83 A$55.8

-49.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.03 CFPF 1,812

$12.35 A$17.74

37.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 CFPF 590

$5.23 A$7.51

5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CFPF 491

$0.34 A$0.49

1258.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 A$30.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 CFPF 741

$2.94 A$4.22

136.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 119

$1.79 A$2.57

-37.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.46 CFPF 2,284

$41.65 A$59.8

-48.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 CFPF 174

$1.45 A$2.08

12.41%

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

$32.5K CFPF 3.5M

$26.9K A$38.7K

20.66%

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

$37.3K CFPF 4.0M

$28.0K A$40.3K

32.91%

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

$205 CFPF 21.8K

$156 A$224

31.02%

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

$44.24 CFPF 4,707

$25.94 A$37.26

70.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.09 CFPF 5,117

$59.7 A$85.7

-19.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.48 CFPF 5,158

$60.8 A$87.3

-20.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.25 CFPF 878

$23.05 A$33.12

-64.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 CFPF 1,517

$17.49 A$25.12

-18.47%

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

$759 CFPF 80.8K

$1,943 A$2,791

-60.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,318 CFPF 991.4K

$12.8K A$18.4K

-27.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 CFPF 11.9K

$81.9 A$118

36.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.0 CFPF 6,912

$44.63 A$64.1

45.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CFPF 10.7K

$111 A$159

-9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$247 CFPF 26.3K

$112 A$161

119.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 80.9K

$1,974 A$2,835

-61.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 81.0K

$1,359 A$1,952

-44.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 CFPF 161.7K

$3,333 A$4,788

-54.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 CFPF 143.6K

$2,293 A$3,293

-41.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,777 CFPF 508.3K

$8,100 A$11.6K

-41.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,453 CFPF 367.4K

$6,066 A$8,714

-43.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 CFPF 290.1K

$4,133 A$5,937

-34.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

5.81

-46.13%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 3, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$761 31.9%

Brisbane

$1.4K 53.2% 78.6% $598

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$646 * 27.1%

Brisbane

$359 14.1% 44.4% $287

Eating Out

Noumea

$340 14.2%

Brisbane

$306 12% 9.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$297 12.4%

Brisbane

$242 9.5% 18.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$236 9.9%

Brisbane

$157 6.2% 33.2% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$77 3.2%

Brisbane

$96 3.8% 24.4% $19

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Brisbane

$35 1.4% 11.3% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $761 in Noumea versus $1,974 in Brisbane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 52% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $114 in Noumea versus $74.0 in Brisbane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $646 vs $359 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

13:43 1:43 PM

1 h behind Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

2,287,896

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Noumea Brisbane 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
Brisbane

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 Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 6% more than Noumea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,614 per month in Noumea and $3,841 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,410 in Noumea and $2,560 in Brisbane. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $759 per month in Noumea and $1,943 in Brisbane. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Noumea, where all-in costs run around $2,410, than in Brisbane at $2,560. In Noumea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Noumea costs $2,410 versus $2,560 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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