Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Lautoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,391 in Noumea versus $333 in Lautoka.

Noumea $2,391
Lautoka $333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,791 in Noumea versus $722 in Lautoka.

Noumea $3,791
Lautoka $722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Noumea versus $1,112 in Lautoka.

Noumea $5,191
Lautoka $1,112

Living in Noumea is roughly 619% more expensive than in Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Noumea is 77% above, Lautoka is 75% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,189

$5.19 FJD 11.61

297.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$79.2 FJD 177

40.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,518

$7.80 FJD 17.47

83.21%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 478

$2.56 FJD 5.72

75.78%

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

$1.92 CFPF 204

$2.12 FJD 4.74

-9.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.51 FJD 3.38

-15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 986

$2.43 FJD 5.44

281.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 748

$3.05 FJD 6.84

130.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 130

$1.66 FJD 3.72

-26.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 372

$0.73 FJD 1.64

379.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 234

$0.87 FJD 1.95

152.87%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 640

$3.44 FJD 7.70

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,140

$5.80 FJD 12.98

409.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,018

$7.62 FJD 17.06

272.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,019

$7.58 FJD 16.98

275.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 499

$4.42 FJD 9.90

6.33%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 762

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 642

$1.30 FJD 2.91

364.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 869

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 574

$0.93 FJD 2.09

481.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 386

$0.86 FJD 1.93

322.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 432

$0.87 FJD 1.96

367.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 159

$0.46 FJD 1.03

226.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,031

$10.93 FJD 24.46

74.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,798

$5.46 FJD 12.22

210.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 616

$2.57 FJD 5.74

125.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 FJD 7.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 729

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 118

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,278

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$1.33 FJD 2.99

18.80%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,561

$13.14 FJD 29.43

226.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,204

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,300

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 913

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,477

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

$762 CFPF 80.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 982.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,869

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.7K

$450 FJD 1,007

67.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 82.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.7K

$872 FJD 1,952

71.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 144.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 490.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 370.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 282.8K

$688 FJD 1,541

286.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5% 70.5% $457

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

Lautoka

$128 38.6% 61.7% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

Lautoka

$13 * 4% 95.5% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

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 $751 in Noumea and $450 in Lautoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Noumea pays 287% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $111 in Noumea vs $79.0 in Lautoka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $648 vs $191 per month, with Lautoka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

1 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.42 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.4 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.42 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.4 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Noumea Lautoka 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Noumea
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Noumea and Lautoka differ by about 619% in total monthly costs ($2,391 vs $333 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 287% higher in Noumea, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $751 in Noumea versus $450 in Lautoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $111 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,391 per month in Noumea versus $333 in Lautoka – a 619% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 619% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.