Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,410 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,410

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $2,410 per month in Noumea vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Noumea $2,410
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,800 per month in Noumea vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Noumea $3,800
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,190 per month in Noumea vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Noumea $5,190
Budapest $3,489

Noumea costs about 49% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Noumea and Budapest sit above the global median – Noumea by 80%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.86 CFPF 2,222

$13.99 Ft 4,551

49.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 CFPF 12.1K

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

88.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.85 CFPF 1,475

$9.96 Ft 3,241

39.06%

Cappuccino

$4.68 CFPF 499

$3.38 Ft 1,100

38.46%

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

$2.01 CFPF 214

$2.13 Ft 692

-5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 136

$1.87 Ft 608

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 CFPF 1,012

$3.75 Ft 1,221

153.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CFPF 774

$3.57 Ft 1,162

103.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 CFPF 125

$1.13 Ft 368

3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 CFPF 381

$1.84 Ft 599

94.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 CFPF 230

$2.39 Ft 777

-9.62%

Eggs

$6.13 CFPF 653

$3.83 Ft 1,245

60.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.21 CFPF 3,218

$11.33 Ft 3,686

166.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.65 CFPF 2,945

$6.74 Ft 2,192

310.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.19 CFPF 3,002

$14.69 Ft 4,780

91.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 CFPF 488

$1.84 Ft 597

148.91%

Banana (1kg)

$7.29 CFPF 776

$2.01 Ft 653

262.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 CFPF 668

$2.36 Ft 767

165.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.98 CFPF 850

$3.77 Ft 1,226

111.67%

Potato (1kg)

$5.55 CFPF 591

$0.96 Ft 313

478.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 CFPF 411

$1.03 Ft 334

274.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.04 CFPF 431

$1.56 Ft 509

158.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 160

$0.66 Ft 216

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.46 CFPF 2,072

$7.96 Ft 2,591

144.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.03 CFPF 1,814

$6.01 Ft 1,954

183.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 CFPF 590

$1.30 Ft 421

326.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CFPF 492

$1.50 Ft 489

208.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 CFPF 741

$3.30 Ft 1,074

110.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 119

$1.30 Ft 424

-14.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.46 CFPF 2,286

$19.78 Ft 6,436

8.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 CFPF 174

$1.81 Ft 591

-9.94%

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

$32.5K CFPF 3.5M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

10.88%

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

$37.3K CFPF 4.0M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

9.29%

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

$205 CFPF 21.8K

$170 Ft 55.3K

20.37%

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

$44.24 CFPF 4,711

$23.98 Ft 7,802

84.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.09 CFPF 5,122

$23.42 Ft 7,621

105.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.48 CFPF 5,163

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-26.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.25 CFPF 879

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-56.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 CFPF 1,518

$9.52 Ft 3,098

49.79%

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

$759 CFPF 80.8K

$537 Ft 174.6K

41.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,318 CFPF 992.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-43.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 CFPF 11.9K

$101 Ft 33.0K

9.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.0 CFPF 6,918

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

51.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CFPF 10.7K

$113 Ft 36.7K

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$247 CFPF 26.3K

$119 Ft 38.6K

107.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 81.0K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-5.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 81.0K

$629 Ft 204.7K

20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 CFPF 161.9K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-1.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 CFPF 143.7K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

15.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,777 CFPF 508.8K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-14.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,453 CFPF 367.7K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-12.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 CFPF 290.3K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

67.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

6.43

-51.32%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$761 31.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 17.3% $132

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$646 * 27.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 60.1% $389

Eating Out

Noumea

$340 14.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 34% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$297 12.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 26.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$236 9.9%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 28.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$77 3.2%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 10.8% $8.3

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 40.1% $12

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 $805 in Budapest. 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 68% higher in Noumea, 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 $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $646 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

05:42 5:42 AM

9 h behind Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.37 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.37 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Noumea Budapest 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Noumea is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,614 per month in Noumea and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, 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 $114 in Noumea and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 151% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Noumea at $2,410. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noumea it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Budapest. 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.