Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Invercargill

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,412 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Invercargill

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

A single person spends $2,391 per month in Noumea vs $1,412 in Invercargill, rent included.

Noumea $2,391
Invercargill $1,412

A couple spends around $3,791 per month in Noumea vs $2,099 in Invercargill, rent included.

Noumea $3,791
Invercargill $2,099

A family of three spends $5,191 per month in Noumea vs $2,785 in Invercargill, rent included.

Noumea $5,191
Invercargill $2,785

Noumea costs about 69% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Noumea and Invercargill sit above the global median – Noumea by 77%, Invercargill by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

$14.04 NZ$24.83

46.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$61.2 NZ$108

81.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

$8.32 NZ$14.71

71.75%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 477

$3.12 NZ$5.52

44.23%

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

$1.92 CFPF 203

$1.65 NZ$2.92

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$2.03 NZ$3.60

-37.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 982

$2.74 NZ$4.85

238.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 745

$2.74 NZ$4.85

156.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 129

$1.68 NZ$2.96

-27.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 370

$1.85 NZ$3.27

89.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 233

$1.76 NZ$3.11

25.00%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 637

$5.58 NZ$9.87

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

$8.23 NZ$14.55

259.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

$8.83 NZ$15.61

221.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

$12.12 NZ$21.44

134.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$2.55 NZ$4.50

84.31%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 759

$2.36 NZ$4.17

204.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 639

$2.66 NZ$4.70

127.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 866

$3.52 NZ$6.23

132.67%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 572

$3.21 NZ$5.68

68.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 384

$1.61 NZ$2.85

125.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 430

$2.33 NZ$4.13

74.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$1.04 NZ$1.84

44.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

$20.39 NZ$36.06

-6.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

$8.56 NZ$15.14

97.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 614

$2.86 NZ$5.06

102.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$5.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 486

$1.41 NZ$2.49

225.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 726

$2.27 NZ$4.01

202.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

$1.94 NZ$3.42

-42.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

$27.73 NZ$49.04

-22.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$1.59 NZ$2.81

-0.63%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

35.29%

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

103.15%

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

$109 NZ$192

84.81%

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

$32.30 NZ$57.1

32.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

$42.46 NZ$75.1

15.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

$27.87 NZ$49.29

79.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

$13.77 NZ$24.34

-37.55%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

$8.82 NZ$15.60

57.71%

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

$762 CFPF 80.6K

$589 NZ$1,042

29.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

$57.4 NZ$102

86.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

$35.07 NZ$62.0

84.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

$70.0 NZ$124

38.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.3K

$79.0 NZ$140

214.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.4K

$594 NZ$1,050

26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 81.8K

$551 NZ$974

40.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

$831 NZ$1,470

79.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

$764 NZ$1,350

77.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

$5,482 NZ$9,695

-15.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

$5,034 NZ$8,902

-30.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

$2,729 NZ$4,826

-2.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

6.72

-53.42%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

Invercargill

$551 39% 28.8% $223

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

Invercargill

$298 21.1% 54.1% $351

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

Invercargill

$209 14.8% 37.7% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

Invercargill

$183 13% 37.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Invercargill

$109 7.7% 53.4% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Invercargill

$46 3.2% 41.5% $32

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2% 42.8% $13

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 $594 in Invercargill. 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 2% higher in Invercargill, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $111 in Noumea versus $61.0 in Invercargill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $648 vs $298 – making Invercargill the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

2 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

56,200

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Noumea Invercargill 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
Invercargill

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 Invercargill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Noumea costs about 69% more than Invercargill, 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 $3,587 per month in Noumea and $2,119 in Invercargill. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Invercargill, 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 $2,391 in Noumea and $1,412 in Invercargill. That's a gap of about 69%.

Kindergarten costs $762 per month in Noumea and $589 in Invercargill. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Invercargill, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Noumea at $2,391. In Invercargill it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noumea it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Invercargill costs $1,412 versus $2,391 in Noumea. 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 Invercargill. 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.