Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Gisborne

For one person, living is cheaper in Gisborne: $1,943 a month against $2,398 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Noumea
🇳🇨 New Caledonia
$2,398
/mo nomad
Gisborne
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,943
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Gisborne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Noumea versus $1,943 in Gisborne.

  • Noumea $2,398
  • Gisborne $1,943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,788 in Noumea versus $2,973 in Gisborne.

  • Noumea $3,788
  • Gisborne $2,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,178 in Noumea versus $4,003 in Gisborne.

  • Noumea $5,178
  • Gisborne $4,003

Living in Noumea is roughly 23% more expensive than in Gisborne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Noumea 77% above, Gisborne 43% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.03 CFPF 2,225
$28.26 NZ$49.97
-25.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$112 CFPF 11.9K
$53.7 NZ$94.9
109.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.89 CFPF 1,470
$9.03 NZ$15.96
53.82%
Cappuccino
$4.65 CFPF 492
$3.44 NZ$6.09
35.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 CFPF 212
$2.07 NZ$3.66
-3.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 CFPF 135
$1.94 NZ$3.43
-34.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.21 CFPF 974
$6.22 NZ$11.01
48.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.15 CFPF 757
$5.76 NZ$10.18
24.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 CFPF 129
$1.76 NZ$3.12
-30.68%
White Bread (500g)
$3.46 CFPF 366
$2.03 NZ$3.58
70.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 CFPF 237
$1.75 NZ$3.10
28.00%
Eggs
$6.22 CFPF 658
$5.93 NZ$10.49
4.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$29.66 CFPF 3,138
$8.14 NZ$14.40
264.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$28.36 CFPF 3,001
$9.69 NZ$17.13
192.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$27.65 CFPF 2,925
$14.19 NZ$25.09
94.86%
Apples (1kg)
$4.80 CFPF 508
$2.65 NZ$4.68
81.13%
Banana (1kg)
$7.34 CFPF 776
$2.15 NZ$3.81
241.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.08 CFPF 644
$2.97 NZ$5.25
104.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.83 CFPF 828
$5.48 NZ$9.69
42.88%
Potato (1kg)
$5.41 CFPF 573
$2.00 NZ$3.53
170.50%
Onion (1kg)
$3.86 CFPF 409
$1.47 NZ$2.60
162.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.17 CFPF 441
$2.21 NZ$3.91
88.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 CFPF 152
$1.11 NZ$1.97
29.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.92 CFPF 2,108
$24.86 NZ$43.96
-19.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.10 CFPF 1,810
$9.53 NZ$16.85
79.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.75 CFPF 609
$3.53 NZ$6.24
62.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.95 NZ$5.21
-
🚌 Getting Around
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.58 CFPF 485
$1.57 NZ$2.77
191.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$76.0 NZ$134
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.14 CFPF 755
$2.45 NZ$4.32
191.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 CFPF 113
$1.67 NZ$2.96
-35.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.19 CFPF 2,242
$28.09 NZ$49.68
-24.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.59 CFPF 168
$2.19 NZ$3.88
-27.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.1K CFPF 3.4M
$30.9K NZ$54.6K
3.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.0K CFPF 3.9M
$25.2K NZ$44.6K
46.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$199 CFPF 21.0K
$103 NZ$182
93.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$44.14 CFPF 4,670
$24.95 NZ$44.12
76.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.01 CFPF 5,079
$48.54 NZ$85.8
-1.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.23 CFPF 5,209
$34.81 NZ$61.6
41.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.26 CFPF 874
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.93 CFPF 1,474
$11.38 NZ$20.12
22.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$767 CFPF 81.1K
$664 NZ$1,174
15.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,222 CFPF 975.7K
$19.5K NZ$34.5K
-52.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$109 CFPF 11.5K
$59.3 NZ$105
83.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$67.0 CFPF 7,086
$35.00 NZ$61.9
91.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 CFPF 10.4K
$87.7 NZ$155
11.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$256 CFPF 27.0K
$95.5 NZ$169
167.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$739 CFPF 78.2K
$1,048 NZ$1,854
-29.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$775 CFPF 82.0K
$814 NZ$1,440
-4.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,536 CFPF 162.5K
$1,871 NZ$3,310
-17.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,326 CFPF 140.3K
$1,470 NZ$2,599
-9.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,630 CFPF 489.9K
$5,477 NZ$9,685
-15.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,499 CFPF 370.2K
$3,709 NZ$6,560
-5.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Noumea
Gisborne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,757 CFPF 291.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.13
5.57
-43.81%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 18, 2026

Last update for Gisborne: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Noumea
$775
Gisborne
$814 5.1% $40
Groceries & Markets
Noumea
$647 *
Gisborne
$323 50% $324
Eating Out
Noumea
$339
Gisborne
$353 4.1% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Noumea
$291
Gisborne
$176 39.4% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Noumea
$238
Gisborne
$125 47.6% $113
Sport & Entertainment
Noumea
$77
Gisborne
$58 25.3% $20
Getting Around
Noumea
$31 *
Gisborne
$93 202% $62

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 $739 in Noumea and $1,048 in Gisborne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $112 in Noumea vs $54.0 in Gisborne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $647 vs $323 per month, with Gisborne cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇨 Noumea
🇳🇿 Gisborne
🕒 Local time
06:58 6:58 AM
08:58 8:58 AM
2 h ahead of Noumea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
91,386 Capital
37,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Noumea Gisborne 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Noumea
  • Gisborne

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 Gisborne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gisborne cheaper than Noumea?
Gisborne is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,597 in Noumea and $2,914 in Gisborne 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.
What is the rent difference between Noumea and Gisborne?
Rent for a central apartment: $739 in Noumea versus $1,048 in Gisborne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $767 in Noumea versus $664 in Gisborne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Noumea or in Gisborne?
Dining out is cheaper in Gisborne – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $112 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Noumea or in Gisborne?
At $1,943 in Gisborne versus $2,398 in Noumea, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gisborne but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Gisborne the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Noumea or Gisborne more family-friendly?
For families, Gisborne is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Noumea, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Noumea or Gisborne?
Safety-wise, Noumea and Gisborne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Gisborne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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