Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Noumea and Wellington

For one person, living costs are similar in Noumea and in Wellington: $2,410 and $2,342 a month, rent and utilities included.

116

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
Learn more

Noumea Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index

Jump to prices

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,410

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Noumea and in Wellington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,410 in Noumea versus $2,342 in Wellington.

Noumea $2,410
Wellington $2,342

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,800 in Noumea versus $3,316 in Wellington.

Noumea $3,800
Wellington $3,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,190 in Noumea versus $4,291 in Wellington.

Noumea $5,190
Wellington $4,291

Living in Noumea is roughly 3% more expensive than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Noumea 80% above, Wellington 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.86 CFPF 2,222

$13.89 NZ$24.74

50.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 CFPF 12.1K

$64.2 NZ$114

77.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.85 CFPF 1,475

$8.95 NZ$15.95

54.75%

Cappuccino

$4.68 CFPF 499

$3.29 NZ$5.86

42.25%

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

$2.01 CFPF 214

$2.35 NZ$4.19

-14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CFPF 136

$1.67 NZ$2.97

-23.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 CFPF 1,012

$7.24 NZ$12.90

31.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CFPF 774

$6.75 NZ$12.03

7.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 CFPF 125

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-38.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 CFPF 381

$2.15 NZ$3.83

66.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 CFPF 230

$1.82 NZ$3.24

18.68%

Eggs

$6.13 CFPF 653

$6.73 NZ$11.99

-8.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.21 CFPF 3,218

$9.05 NZ$16.13

233.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.65 CFPF 2,945

$9.54 NZ$17.01

189.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.19 CFPF 3,002

$15.30 NZ$27.27

84.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 CFPF 488

$3.16 NZ$5.64

44.94%

Banana (1kg)

$7.29 CFPF 776

$2.23 NZ$3.98

226.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 CFPF 668

$2.97 NZ$5.28

111.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.98 CFPF 850

$6.33 NZ$11.27

26.07%

Potato (1kg)

$5.55 CFPF 591

$2.06 NZ$3.67

169.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 CFPF 411

$1.24 NZ$2.20

211.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.04 CFPF 431

$1.99 NZ$3.55

103.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CFPF 160

$1.19 NZ$2.13

26.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.46 CFPF 2,072

$25.37 NZ$45.20

-23.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.03 CFPF 1,814

$11.37 NZ$20.26

49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 CFPF 590

$3.17 NZ$5.65

74.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 NZ$4.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CFPF 492

$2.74 NZ$4.88

68.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 CFPF 741

$1.82 NZ$3.24

282.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 CFPF 119

$1.77 NZ$3.16

-37.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.46 CFPF 2,286

$33.17 NZ$59.1

-35.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 CFPF 174

$1.83 NZ$3.26

-10.93%

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

$32.5K CFPF 3.5M

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

26.87%

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

$37.3K CFPF 4.0M

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

46.65%

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

$205 CFPF 21.8K

$199 NZ$354

2.92%

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

$44.24 CFPF 4,711

$32.79 NZ$58.4

34.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.09 CFPF 5,122

$53.5 NZ$95.3

-10.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.48 CFPF 5,163

$38.58 NZ$68.8

25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.25 CFPF 879

$16.40 NZ$29.22

-49.70%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 CFPF 1,518

$12.14 NZ$21.64

17.46%

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

$759 CFPF 80.8K

$1,036 NZ$1,847

-26.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,318 CFPF 992.3K

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

-27.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 CFPF 11.9K

$78.4 NZ$140

42.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.0 CFPF 6,918

$28.23 NZ$50.3

130.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 CFPF 10.7K

$103 NZ$184

-2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$247 CFPF 26.3K

$155 NZ$276

59.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 81.0K

$1,228 NZ$2,187

-38.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 CFPF 81.0K

$1,139 NZ$2,030

-33.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 CFPF 161.9K

$2,171 NZ$3,869

-30.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 CFPF 143.7K

$1,670 NZ$2,975

-19.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,777 CFPF 508.8K

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

-28.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,453 CFPF 367.7K

$3,505 NZ$6,246

-1.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,726 CFPF 290.3K

$2,818 NZ$5,022

-3.27%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Noumea

$761 31.9%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3% 49.7% $379

Groceries & Markets

Noumea

$646 * 27.1%

Wellington

$343 14.5% 46.9% $303

Eating Out

Noumea

$340 14.2%

Wellington

$243 10.3% 28.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Noumea

$297 12.4%

Wellington

$285 12.1% 4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Noumea

$236 9.9%

Wellington

$164 7% 30.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Noumea

$77 3.2%

Wellington

$63 2.7% 18.3% $14

Getting Around

Noumea

$31 * 1.3%

Wellington

$124 5.2% 299% $93

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 $761 in Noumea and $1,228 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $114 in Noumea vs $64.0 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $646 vs $343 per month, with Wellington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Noumea

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

02:44 2:44 AM

2 h ahead of Noumea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,386 Capital

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Noumea
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Wellington. 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: $761 in Noumea versus $1,228 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Noumea versus $1,036 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wellington – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $114 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,342 in Wellington versus $2,410 in Noumea, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wellington but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Wellington the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Wellington 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 Wellington 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 Wellington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.