Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in North Shore: $2,119 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
102

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in North Shore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,391 in Noumea versus $2,119 in North Shore.

Noumea $2,391
North Shore $2,119

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,791 in Noumea versus $2,933 in North Shore.

Noumea $3,791
North Shore $2,933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Noumea versus $3,746 in North Shore.

Noumea $5,191
North Shore $3,746

Living in Noumea is roughly 13% more expensive than in North Shore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Noumea 77% above, North Shore 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

$14.08 NZ$24.90

46.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$73.5 NZ$130

51.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

$8.46 NZ$14.96

68.91%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 477

$3.27 NZ$5.78

37.61%

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

$1.92 CFPF 203

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-0.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-28.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 982

$6.53 NZ$11.55

42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 745

$5.61 NZ$9.92

25.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 129

$1.61 NZ$2.85

-24.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 370

$1.30 NZ$2.29

169.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 233

$1.89 NZ$3.33

16.40%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 637

$5.68 NZ$10.05

5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

$7.74 NZ$13.69

281.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

$10.02 NZ$17.72

183.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

$11.56 NZ$20.45

145.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$2.62 NZ$4.63

79.39%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 759

$2.05 NZ$3.63

250.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 639

$3.14 NZ$5.56

92.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 866

$5.84 NZ$10.33

40.24%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 572

$2.08 NZ$3.67

160.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 384

$1.51 NZ$2.67

140.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 430

$2.39 NZ$4.22

70.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$0.95 NZ$1.68

57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

$25.48 NZ$45.06

-24.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

$10.33 NZ$18.26

63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 614

$2.74 NZ$4.84

111.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 486

$2.21 NZ$3.90

107.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 NZ$105

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 726

$2.22 NZ$3.93

209.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

$1.92 NZ$3.39

-42.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

$32.25 NZ$57.0

-33.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$1.71 NZ$3.02

-7.60%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

26.88%

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

$22.4K NZ$39.5K

65.77%

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

$181 NZ$321

10.82%

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

$26.42 NZ$46.73

62.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

$50.6 NZ$89.5

-3.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

$27.16 NZ$48.03

83.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

$13.05 NZ$23.07

6.59%

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

$762 CFPF 80.6K

$672 NZ$1,188

13.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

$14.4K NZ$25.5K

-35.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

$68.9 NZ$122

55.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

$37.87 NZ$67.0

70.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

$93.1 NZ$165

4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.3K

$103 NZ$182

141.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.4K

$1,302 NZ$2,303

-42.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 81.8K

$1,050 NZ$1,856

-26.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

$2,278 NZ$4,029

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

$1,339 NZ$2,369

1.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

$7,194 NZ$12.7K

-35.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

$6,028 NZ$10.7K

-42.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

$2,774 NZ$4,905

-4.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

6.63

-52.79%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for North Shore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

North Shore

$1K 49.5% 35.7% $276

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

North Shore

$306 14.4% 52.9% $343

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

North Shore

$236 11.1% 29.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

North Shore

$258 12.2% 11.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

North Shore

$136 6.4% 41.5% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

North Shore

$53 2.5% 31.5% $24

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

North Shore

$80 3.8% 161% $49

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 $1,302 in North Shore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore pays 4% 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 $73.0 in North Shore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $648 vs $306 per month, with North Shore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

2 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

258,697

💱 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 North Shore 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Noumea and North Shore differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,391 vs $2,119 including rent). North Shore is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in North Shore. 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 $1,302 in North Shore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $762 in Noumea versus $672 in North Shore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in North Shore – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $111 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,119 in North Shore versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $3,000 budget is realistic in North Shore but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes North Shore 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 North Shore 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 North Shore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.