Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Noumea despite lower rent and utilities.

116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,391 in Noumea versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Noumea $2,391
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,791 in Noumea versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Noumea $3,791
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Noumea versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Noumea $5,191
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Noumea is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Noumea 77% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

$16.50 €14.67

24.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$61.3 €54.5

81.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

$11.27 €10.03

26.80%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 477

$3.06 €2.72

47.06%

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

$1.92 CFPF 203

$2.26 €2.01

-15.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.73 €1.54

-26.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 982

$3.39 €3.02

173.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 745

$3.40 €3.02

107.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 129

$1.12 €1.00

8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 370

$1.86 €1.65

88.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 233

$1.53 €1.36

43.79%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 637

$3.96 €3.53

52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

$12.76 €11.35

131.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

$7.90 €7.02

259.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

$16.97 €15.09

67.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$2.27 €2.02

107.05%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 759

$1.75 €1.55

310.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 639

$1.85 €1.64

226.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 866

$2.57 €2.28

218.68%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 572

$1.86 €1.65

190.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 384

$2.02 €1.80

79.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 430

$1.44 €1.28

182.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$0.82 €0.73

82.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

$6.56 €5.83

191.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

$5.62 €5.00

201.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 614

$1.28 €1.14

353.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 486

$2.35 €2.09

95.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 726

$3.99 €3.55

72.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

$1.09 €0.97

1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

$16.64 €14.81

28.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$2.28 €2.03

-30.70%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$33.7K €30.0K

-4.39%

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

$39.3K €35.0K

-5.69%

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

$167 €149

19.97%

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

$18.80 €16.72

128.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

$33.09 €29.43

48.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

$46.01 €40.93

8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

$19.19 €17.07

-55.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

$9.84 €8.75

41.36%

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

$762 CFPF 80.6K

$677 €602

12.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-45.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

$101 €90.1

6.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

$45.76 €40.70

41.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

$100.0 €88.9

-3.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.3K

$123 €109

102.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.4K

$1,614 €1,436

-53.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 81.8K

$1,197 €1,065

-35.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

$2,862 €2,545

-47.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

$1,990 €1,770

-31.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

$7,577 €6,740

-39.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

$4,307 €3,831

-19.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

$1,588 €1,412

67.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

3.85

-18.70%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 54.8% $424

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 58.5% $379

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 27.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 25.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 28.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 105% $32

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 $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Noumea pays 68% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $648 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

10 h behind Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Noumea Lisbon 18,140 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
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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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Noumea and Lisbon differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,391 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 141% higher in Noumea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,391 per month in Noumea versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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.

Safety-wise, Noumea and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.