Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papeete and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,254 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Milan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,254

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Papeete and in Milan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,254 in Papeete versus $2,560 in Milan.

Papeete $2,254
Milan $2,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,430 in Papeete versus $3,895 in Milan.

Papeete $3,430
Milan $3,895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,606 in Papeete versus $5,230 in Milan.

Papeete $4,606
Milan $5,230

Living in Papeete costs roughly 12% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Papeete 67% above, Milan 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CFPF 1,991

$22.52 €20.03

-16.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.1 CFPF 10.1K

$89.3 €79.4

6.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.63 CFPF 1,548

$13.16 €11.71

11.17%

Cappuccino

$3.34 CFPF 353

$2.13 €1.90

56.81%

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

$2.71 CFPF 287

$3.67 €3.26

-26.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 CFPF 340

$1.82 €1.62

76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 CFPF 344

$6.65 €5.92

-51.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 CFPF 385

$6.64 €5.91

-45.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 CFPF 158

$1.70 €1.51

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 CFPF 286

$3.16 €2.81

-14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 CFPF 174

$3.54 €3.15

-53.67%

Eggs

$6.12 CFPF 647

$4.88 €4.34

25.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.27 CFPF 2,991

$22.85 €20.33

23.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.23 CFPF 1,611

$14.72 €13.09

3.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.07 CFPF 2,759

$22.77 €20.25

14.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 CFPF 497

$3.12 €2.77

50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 CFPF 257

$2.39 €2.12

1.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.37 CFPF 674

$3.39 €3.02

87.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.87 CFPF 832

$4.27 €3.80

84.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 CFPF 287

$2.38 €2.12

13.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CFPF 237

$2.04 €1.82

9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.70 CFPF 391

$1.75 €1.56

111.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 CFPF 121

$0.57 €0.51

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 CFPF 1,337

$7.46 €6.64

69.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.78 CFPF 2,198

$9.58 €8.52

116.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 CFPF 284

$2.01 €1.79

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CFPF 321

$2.46 €2.19

23.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 CFPF 193

$2.38 €2.12

-23.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 CFPF 1,007

$7.67 €6.82

24.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CFPF 160

$2.20 €1.96

-31.36%

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

$19.0K CFPF 2.0M

$36.5K €32.4K

-47.75%

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

$27.8K CFPF 2.9M

$35.4K €31.5K

-21.44%

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

$178 CFPF 18.8K

$247 €220

-28.04%

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

$19.79 CFPF 2,094

$10.21 €9.08

93.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 CFPF 7,367

$29.16 €25.94

138.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.2 CFPF 9,011

$82.4 €73.3

3.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

Cinema Ticket

$13.90 CFPF 1,471

$12.11 €10.77

14.78%

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

$476 CFPF 50.3K

$857 €762

-44.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,522 CFPF 1.0M

$18.6K €16.5K

-48.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 CFPF 7,347

$101 €90.2

-31.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.7 CFPF 7,686

$50.8 €45.21

42.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 CFPF 8,164

$117 €104

-33.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 CFPF 9,461

$167 €149

-46.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 CFPF 138.6K

$1,731 €1,540

-24.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 CFPF 97.2K

$1,169 €1,040

-21.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 CFPF 191.7K

$3,402 €3,026

-46.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 CFPF 158.5K

$2,036 €1,811

-26.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,955 CFPF 735.8K

$10.5K €9,376

-34.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,589 CFPF 802.9K

$5,240 €4,661

44.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,232 CFPF 236.2K

$2,145 €1,908

4.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

3.18

41.51%

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

Last update for Papeete: October 13, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papeete

$919 40.8%

Milan

$1.2K 45.7% 27.2% $250

Groceries & Markets

Papeete

$517 23%

Milan

$417 16.3% 19.4% $101

Eating Out

Papeete

$282 12.5%

Milan

$314 12.3% 11.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papeete

$267 11.9%

Milan

$286 11.2% 7.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Papeete

$139 6.2%

Milan

$196 7.7% 41.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Papeete

$113 5%

Milan

$107 4.2% 5.6% $6.4

Getting Around

Papeete

$17 * 0.8%

Milan

$72 2.8% 326% $55

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 $1,310 in Papeete and $1,731 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Papeete 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: $95.0 in Papeete vs $89.0 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $517 vs $417 per month, with Milan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇫 Papeete

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

22:49 10:49 PM

12 h ahead of Papeete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,050 Capital

1,394,798

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Papeete Milan 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Papeete
Milan

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

Papeete vs Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papeete is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Papeete, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,310 in Papeete versus $1,731 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Milan pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,254 per month in Papeete versus $2,560 in Milan – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,254 in Papeete versus $2,560 in Milan, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Papeete but tight or insufficient in Milan. The gap between the two cities makes Papeete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Papeete is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Milan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Papeete and Milan 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 Papeete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.