Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Manukau: $1,753 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Noumea
🇳🇨 New Caledonia
$2,391
/mo nomad
Manukau
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,753
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Manukau

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

A single person spends $2,391 per month in Noumea vs $1,753 in Manukau, rent included.

  • Noumea $2,391
  • Manukau $1,753

A couple spends around $3,791 per month in Noumea vs $2,707 in Manukau, rent included.

  • Noumea $3,791
  • Manukau $2,707

A family of three spends $5,191 per month in Noumea vs $3,661 in Manukau, rent included.

  • Noumea $5,191
  • Manukau $3,661

Noumea costs about 36% more than Manukau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Noumea and Manukau sit above the global median – Noumea by 77%, Manukau by 30%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.61 CFPF 2,180
$11.90 NZ$21.04
73.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$111 CFPF 11.8K
$67.2 NZ$119
65.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.29 CFPF 1,512
$8.35 NZ$14.77
71.14%
Cappuccino
$4.50 CFPF 477
$3.39 NZ$6.00
32.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CFPF 203
$2.00 NZ$3.54
-4.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 CFPF 135
$1.74 NZ$3.07
-27.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.28 CFPF 982
$6.11 NZ$10.80
51.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.04 CFPF 745
$5.56 NZ$9.83
26.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 CFPF 129
$1.41 NZ$2.50
-13.48%
White Bread (500g)
$3.50 CFPF 370
$1.29 NZ$2.28
171.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 CFPF 233
$1.80 NZ$3.18
22.22%
Eggs
$6.02 CFPF 637
$5.19 NZ$9.18
15.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$29.56 CFPF 3,128
$5.64 NZ$9.97
424.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$28.42 CFPF 3,007
$7.23 NZ$12.79
293.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$28.43 CFPF 3,007
$11.66 NZ$20.63
143.83%
Apples (1kg)
$4.70 CFPF 497
$2.56 NZ$4.52
83.59%
Banana (1kg)
$7.18 CFPF 759
$2.04 NZ$3.61
251.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.04 CFPF 639
$2.92 NZ$5.16
106.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$8.19 CFPF 866
$5.65 NZ$9.99
44.96%
Potato (1kg)
$5.41 CFPF 572
$1.95 NZ$3.45
177.44%
Onion (1kg)
$3.63 CFPF 384
$1.37 NZ$2.42
164.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.07 CFPF 430
$1.98 NZ$3.51
105.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 CFPF 158
$0.90 NZ$1.60
66.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.12 CFPF 2,023
$25.28 NZ$44.71
-24.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.93 CFPF 1,792
$10.13 NZ$17.91
67.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.80 CFPF 614
$2.83 NZ$5.00
104.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.33 NZ$5.89
-
🚌 Getting Around
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.59 CFPF 486
$1.77 NZ$3.14
159.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$91.2 NZ$161
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.87 CFPF 726
$2.28 NZ$4.04
201.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.11 CFPF 117
$1.98 NZ$3.50
-43.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.45 CFPF 2,269
$31.55 NZ$55.8
-32.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 CFPF 167
$1.70 NZ$3.01
-7.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K CFPF 3.4M
$24.8K NZ$43.8K
29.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.1K CFPF 3.9M
$22.3K NZ$39.4K
66.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 CFPF 21.3K
$56.2 NZ$99.3
257.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.95 CFPF 4,544
$26.35 NZ$46.60
63.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.00 CFPF 5,185
$49.91 NZ$88.3
-1.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.91 CFPF 5,280
$38.03 NZ$67.3
31.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.60 CFPF 910
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.91 CFPF 1,472
$12.81 NZ$22.65
8.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$762 CFPF 80.6K
$675 NZ$1,194
12.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,253 CFPF 978.9K
$19.7K NZ$34.8K
-52.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 CFPF 11.4K
$61.8 NZ$109
73.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.7 CFPF 6,844
$37.04 NZ$65.5
74.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.9 CFPF 10.3K
$93.3 NZ$165
3.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$249 CFPF 26.3K
$110 NZ$194
126.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$751 CFPF 79.4K
$956 NZ$1,690
-21.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$773 CFPF 81.8K
$817 NZ$1,444
-5.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,494 CFPF 158.1K
$1,595 NZ$2,821
-6.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,359 CFPF 143.7K
$1,443 NZ$2,552
-5.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,622 CFPF 489.0K
$4,910 NZ$8,683
-5.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,488 CFPF 369.1K
$3,309 NZ$5,852
5.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Noumea
Manukau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,663 CFPF 281.7K
$1,744 NZ$3,085
52.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.13
5.9
-46.95%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Manukau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Noumea
$773
Manukau
$817 5.6% $43
Groceries & Markets
Noumea
$648 *
Manukau
$276 57.4% $372
Eating Out
Noumea
$335
Manukau
$218 35.1% $118
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Noumea
$293
Manukau
$132 54.8% $160
Clothing & Footwear
Noumea
$233
Manukau
$136 41.7% $97
Sport & Entertainment
Noumea
$78
Manukau
$64 18.1% $14
Getting Around
Noumea
$31 *
Manukau
$110 259% $80

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 $956 in Manukau. 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 53% higher in Noumea, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $111 in Noumea versus $67.0 in Manukau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $648 vs $276 – making Manukau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇨 Noumea
🇳🇿 Manukau
🕒 Local time
06:26 6:26 AM
08:26 8:26 AM
2 h ahead of Noumea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
91,386 Capital
362,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Noumea Manukau 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Noumea
  • Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Noumea and in Manukau compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,391 in Noumea, $1,753 in Manukau – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Noumea compared to Manukau?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,587 per month in Noumea and $2,629 in Manukau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Noumea and Manukau?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Manukau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Noumea or Manukau?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,391 in Noumea and $1,753 in Manukau. That's a gap of about 36%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Noumea and Manukau?
Kindergarten costs $762 per month in Noumea and $675 in Manukau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Manukau, where all-in costs run around $1,753, than in Noumea at $2,391. In Manukau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Noumea it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Noumea and Manukau?
It depends on your priorities. Noumea has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,753 in Manukau to $2,391 in Noumea. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Noumea or Manukau safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Noumea and Manukau?
If budget matters most, go with Manukau. 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.

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