Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Lower Hutt

For one person, living is cheaper in Lower Hutt: $2,199 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Lower Hutt
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Lower Hutt Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Lower Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Lower Hutt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,391 in Noumea versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt.

Noumea $2,391
Lower Hutt $2,199

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,791 in Noumea versus $3,027 in Lower Hutt.

Noumea $3,791
Lower Hutt $3,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Noumea versus $3,854 in Lower Hutt.

Noumea $5,191
Lower Hutt $3,854

Living in Noumea is roughly 9% more expensive than in Lower Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Noumea 77% above, Lower Hutt 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

$10.42 NZ$18.43

97.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$33.22 NZ$58.8

235.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

$9.17 NZ$16.21

55.83%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 477

$2.99 NZ$5.28

50.50%

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

$1.92 CFPF 203

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-24.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 982

$2.75 NZ$4.86

237.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 745

$6.64 NZ$11.74

6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 129

$1.85 NZ$3.27

-34.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 370

$1.70 NZ$3.00

105.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 233

$1.85 NZ$3.26

18.92%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 637

$6.98 NZ$12.34

-13.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

$8.48 NZ$15.00

248.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

$8.25 NZ$14.59

244.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

$12.41 NZ$21.95

129.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$2.83 NZ$5.00

66.08%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 759

$2.01 NZ$3.56

257.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 639

$2.93 NZ$5.18

106.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 866

$4.35 NZ$7.70

88.28%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 572

$2.09 NZ$3.69

158.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 384

$1.28 NZ$2.26

183.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 430

$2.06 NZ$3.64

97.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$1.18 NZ$2.09

27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

$16.53 NZ$29.24

15.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

$8.49 NZ$15.01

99.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 614

$3.12 NZ$5.52

85.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$4.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 486

$2.68 NZ$4.74

71.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.5 NZ$156

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 726

$1.79 NZ$3.16

283.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-36.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

$33.71 NZ$59.6

-36.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-3.66%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$25.3K NZ$44.7K

27.39%

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

49.81%

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

$144 NZ$254

39.79%

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

$32.73 NZ$57.9

31.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

$52.4 NZ$92.7

-6.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

$38.70 NZ$68.5

28.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

$9.59 NZ$16.96

45.05%

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

$762 CFPF 80.6K

$683 NZ$1,208

11.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

$11.1K NZ$19.6K

-16.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

$78.0 NZ$138

37.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

$28.28 NZ$50.0

128.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

$101 NZ$178

-3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.3K

$143 NZ$252

74.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.4K

$1,396 NZ$2,469

-46.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 81.8K

$1,153 NZ$2,039

-32.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

$2,045 NZ$3,617

-26.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

$1,653 NZ$2,923

-17.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

$4,821 NZ$8,526

-4.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

$3,282 NZ$5,804

6.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

$3,100 NZ$5,482

-14.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

5.39

-41.93%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lower Hutt: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

Lower Hutt

$1.2K 52.4% 49.1% $380

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

Lower Hutt

$304 13.8% 53.1% $345

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

Lower Hutt

$188 8.6% 43.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

Lower Hutt

$229 10.4% 21.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Lower Hutt

$157 7.2% 32.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Lower Hutt

$58 2.6% 25.5% $20

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Lower Hutt

$110 5% 257% $79

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 $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lower Hutt pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $111 in Noumea vs $33.00 in Lower Hutt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $648 vs $304 per month, with Lower Hutt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇳🇿 Lower Hutt

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

2 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

111,800

💱 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

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Between locations

Noumea Lower Hutt 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
Lower Hutt

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 Lower Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lower Hutt is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Lower Hutt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $751 in Noumea versus $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 113% 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 $2,199 in Lower Hutt – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,199 in Lower Hutt versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Lower Hutt but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Lower Hutt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lower Hutt 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.

Safety-wise, Noumea and Lower Hutt 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 Lower Hutt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.