Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pago Pago and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Pago Pago: $1,456 a month against $2,321 in Papeete, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
Learn more

Pago Pago Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
Learn more

Papeete Living Index

Jump to prices

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,456

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,321

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pago Pago and in Papeete

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pago Pago and in Papeete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,456 in Pago Pago versus $2,321 in Papeete.

Pago Pago $1,456
Papeete $2,321

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,262 in Pago Pago versus $3,432 in Papeete.

Pago Pago $2,262
Papeete $3,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,068 in Pago Pago versus $4,544 in Papeete.

Pago Pago $3,068
Papeete $4,544

Living in Pago Pago costs roughly 37% less than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pago Pago 9% above, Papeete 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.62 CFPF 1,983

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.18 $36.18

$93.1 CFPF 9,917

-61.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$14.59 CFPF 1,554

-30.98%

Cappuccino

$3.32 CFPF 354

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

$2.71 CFPF 289

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$3.37 CFPF 359

-70.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 CFPF 356

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.87 CFPF 412

0.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.43 CFPF 152

81.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.74 CFPF 291

2.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.65 CFPF 176

154.55%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$6.42 CFPF 684

-27.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 $10.03

$27.71 CFPF 2,951

-63.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 $9.83

$15.09 CFPF 1,607

-34.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$26.13 CFPF 2,783

-56.10%

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$4.82 CFPF 513

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.54 CFPF 270

-59.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$6.64 CFPF 707

-55.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$7.90 CFPF 841

-49.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.64 CFPF 282

48.48%

Onion (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.21 CFPF 236

83.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.76 CFPF 401

-47.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.11 CFPF 118

81.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

$12.92 CFPF 1,376

-11.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$20.89 CFPF 2,225

-29.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.80 CFPF 298

-64.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.19 CFPF 339

-9.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.92 CFPF 205

5.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$124 $124

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$9.22 CFPF 982

-45.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.49 $29.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.47 CFPF 156

-7.48%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$18.6K CFPF 2.0M

59.29%

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

$20.2K $20.2K

$28.4K CFPF 3.0M

-29.00%

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

$404 $404

$184 CFPF 19.6K

119.37%

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

$30.11 $30.11

$19.80 CFPF 2,109

52.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.3 $76.3

$69.0 CFPF 7,344

10.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.35 $49.35

$84.2 CFPF 8,967

-41.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 $9.22

$14.24 CFPF 1,517

-35.25%

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

$989 $989

$467 CFPF 49.7K

111.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,838 $9,838

$9,465 CFPF 1.0M

3.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 $69.4

$69.4 CFPF 7,388

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

$72.9 CFPF 7,763

-31.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$77.8 CFPF 8,290

4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$88.4 CFPF 9,410

15.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 $327

$1,342 CFPF 142.9K

-75.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 $201

$936 CFPF 99.7K

-78.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 $884

$1,834 CFPF 195.4K

-51.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$1,492 CFPF 158.9K

-52.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$7,135 CFPF 759.9K

153.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$7,632 CFPF 812.9K

39.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,217 $1,217

$2,195 CFPF 233.8K

-44.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

-33.33%

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

Last update for Pago Pago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pago Pago

$510 34.7%

Papeete

$273 12% 46.5% $237

Groceries & Markets

Pago Pago

$364 24.8%

Papeete

$519 22.8% 42.6% $155

Accommodation & Living

Pago Pago

$201 13.7%

Papeete

$936 41.1% 365% $735

Getting Around

Pago Pago

$147 10%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 88.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Pago Pago

$136 9.3%

Papeete

$139 6.1% 1.9% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Pago Pago

$68 4.6%

Papeete

$113 5% 66.2% $45

Eating Out

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.9%

Papeete

$281 12.4% 569% $239

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 $327 in Pago Pago and $1,342 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Papeete pays 80% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36.00 in Pago Pago vs $93.0 in Papeete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $519 per month, with Pago Pago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

04:14 4:14 AM

1 h ahead of Pago Pago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,500 Capital

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

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).

XPF to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pago Pago Papeete 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pago Pago
Papeete

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

Pago Pago vs Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pago Pago wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Papeete. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pago Pago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Papeete. 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: $327 in Pago Pago versus $1,342 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Papeete. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,456 per month in Pago Pago versus $2,321 in Papeete – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,456 in Pago Pago versus $2,321 in Papeete, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pago Pago but tight or insufficient in Papeete. The gap between the two cities makes Pago Pago 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, Pago Pago and Papeete 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 Pago Pago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Papeete. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.