Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Timaru: $1,980 a month against $2,391 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. The total is higher in Noumea despite lower rent and utilities.

116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
Learn more

Noumea Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
Learn more

Timaru Living Index

Jump to prices

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,391

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Timaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,391 in Noumea versus $1,980 in Timaru.

Noumea $2,391
Timaru $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,791 in Noumea versus $2,925 in Timaru.

Noumea $3,791
Timaru $2,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Noumea versus $3,870 in Timaru.

Noumea $5,191
Timaru $3,870

Living in Noumea is roughly 21% more expensive than in Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Noumea 77% above, Timaru 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.61 CFPF 2,180

$13.80 NZ$24.41

49.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$62.1 NZ$110

79.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 CFPF 1,512

$10.70 NZ$18.93

33.55%

Cappuccino

$4.50 CFPF 477

$3.37 NZ$5.95

33.53%

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

$1.92 CFPF 203

$2.03 NZ$3.59

-5.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 135

$1.81 NZ$3.20

-29.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CFPF 982

$5.72 NZ$10.11

62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CFPF 745

$6.12 NZ$10.81

15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 129

$1.11 NZ$1.96

9.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CFPF 370

$1.82 NZ$3.22

92.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 233

$1.09 NZ$1.93

101.83%

Eggs

$6.02 CFPF 637

$5.69 NZ$10.06

5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.56 CFPF 3,128

$8.24 NZ$14.57

258.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CFPF 3,007

$9.13 NZ$16.15

211.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.43 CFPF 3,007

$16.33 NZ$28.89

74.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$2.92 NZ$5.17

60.96%

Banana (1kg)

$7.18 CFPF 759

$2.33 NZ$4.12

208.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 CFPF 639

$3.24 NZ$5.72

86.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.19 CFPF 866

$5.19 NZ$9.18

57.80%

Potato (1kg)

$5.41 CFPF 572

$1.87 NZ$3.30

189.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 CFPF 384

$1.78 NZ$3.14

103.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.07 CFPF 430

$2.25 NZ$3.98

80.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$0.55 NZ$0.97

172.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.12 CFPF 2,023

$20.75 NZ$36.70

-7.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.93 CFPF 1,792

$5.63 NZ$9.96

200.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 CFPF 614

$3.07 NZ$5.42

88.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.09

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CFPF 486

$1.65 NZ$2.91

178.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 NZ$163

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 CFPF 726

$2.29 NZ$4.04

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 117

$2.08 NZ$3.68

-46.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.45 CFPF 2,269

$27.65 NZ$48.90

-22.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 CFPF 167

$1.48 NZ$2.61

6.76%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

29.58%

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

$37.1K CFPF 3.9M

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

48.57%

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

$201 CFPF 21.3K

$110 NZ$194

83.09%

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

$42.95 CFPF 4,544

$22.70 NZ$40.15

89.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.00 CFPF 5,185

$51.4 NZ$90.9

-4.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.91 CFPF 5,280

$38.87 NZ$68.7

28.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 CFPF 910

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CFPF 1,472

$10.17 NZ$17.98

36.77%

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

$762 CFPF 80.6K

$579 NZ$1,025

31.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,253 CFPF 978.9K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

-45.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CFPF 11.4K

$59.1 NZ$105

81.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 CFPF 6,844

$34.65 NZ$61.3

86.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 CFPF 10.3K

$91.0 NZ$161

6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CFPF 26.3K

$132 NZ$234

88.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 CFPF 79.4K

$877 NZ$1,550

-14.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 CFPF 81.8K

$946 NZ$1,674

-18.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 CFPF 158.1K

$1,616 NZ$2,857

-7.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CFPF 143.7K

$1,510 NZ$2,670

-10.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 CFPF 489.0K

$4,303 NZ$7,610

7.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,488 CFPF 369.1K

$3,018 NZ$5,337

15.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CFPF 281.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

7.07

-55.73%

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

Last update for Noumea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$773 32.3%

Timaru

$946 47.8% 22.4% $173

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$648 * 27.1%

Timaru

$297 15% 54.2% $351

Eating Out

Noumea

$335 14%

Timaru

$239 12.1% 28.6% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$293 12.3%

Timaru

$184 9.3% 37.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$233 9.7%

Timaru

$143 7.2% 38.8% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$78 3.3%

Timaru

$59 3% 23.8% $19

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Timaru

$112 5.6% 263% $81

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 $877 in Timaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $111 in Noumea vs $62.0 in Timaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $648 vs $297 per month, with Timaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

2 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

28,600

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Noumea Timaru 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Noumea
Timaru

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 Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timaru is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,587 in Noumea and $2,970 in Timaru to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $751 in Noumea versus $877 in Timaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $762 in Noumea versus $579 in Timaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Timaru – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $111 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,980 in Timaru versus $2,391 in Noumea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timaru but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Timaru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Timaru 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 Timaru 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 Timaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.