Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papeete and Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,321 a month against $2,574 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Victoria outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Papeete
🇵🇫 French Polynesia
$2,321
/mo nomad
Victoria
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,574
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Papeete and in Victoria

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

A single person spends $2,321 per month in Papeete vs $2,574 in Victoria, rent included.

  • Papeete $2,321
  • Victoria $2,574

A couple spends around $3,432 per month in Papeete vs $3,856 in Victoria, rent included.

  • Papeete $3,432
  • Victoria $3,856

A family of three spends $4,544 per month in Papeete vs $5,138 in Victoria, rent included.

  • Papeete $4,544
  • Victoria $5,138

Papeete is about 10% cheaper than Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Papeete and Victoria sit above the global median – Papeete by 73%, Victoria by 92%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.62 CFPF 1,983
$18.98 CA$27.06
-1.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.1 CFPF 9,917
$70.0 CA$99.7
33.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.59 CFPF 1,554
$10.84 CA$15.46
34.59%
Cappuccino
$3.32 CFPF 354
$4.21 CA$6.00
-21.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 CFPF 289
$2.21 CA$3.15
22.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 CFPF 359
$1.80 CA$2.57
87.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.34 CFPF 356
$5.69 CA$8.11
-41.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.87 CFPF 412
$6.47 CA$9.23
-40.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 CFPF 152
$2.65 CA$3.78
-46.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 CFPF 291
$2.89 CA$4.12
-5.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 CFPF 176
$3.96 CA$5.65
-58.33%
Eggs
$6.42 CFPF 684
$4.04 CA$5.76
58.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.71 CFPF 2,951
$26.77 CA$38.16
3.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.09 CFPF 1,607
$12.55 CA$17.89
20.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.13 CFPF 2,783
$14.51 CA$20.68
80.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.82 CFPF 513
$3.99 CA$5.69
20.80%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 CFPF 270
$1.43 CA$2.04
77.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.64 CFPF 707
$3.82 CA$5.45
73.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.90 CFPF 841
$4.13 CA$5.89
91.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.64 CFPF 282
$3.54 CA$5.04
-25.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 CFPF 236
$2.93 CA$4.18
-24.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.76 CFPF 401
$3.18 CA$4.53
18.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 CFPF 118
$2.55 CA$3.63
-56.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.92 CFPF 1,376
$15.02 CA$21.41
-13.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.89 CFPF 2,225
$17.86 CA$25.46
16.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 CFPF 298
$4.00 CA$5.70
-30.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 CFPF 339
$3.43 CA$4.89
-7.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.92 CFPF 205
$2.04 CA$2.90
-5.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$58.5 CA$83.4
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.22 CFPF 982
$2.67 CA$3.81
245.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.52 CA$2.17
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$33.48 CA$47.72
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 CFPF 156
$1.35 CA$1.93
8.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.6K CFPF 2.0M
$27.7K CA$39.5K
-32.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K CFPF 3.0M
$18.5K CA$26.3K
54.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 CFPF 19.6K
$105 CA$150
74.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.80 CFPF 2,109
$44.49 CA$63.4
-55.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.0 CFPF 7,344
$61.5 CA$87.6
12.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$84.2 CFPF 8,967
$42.45 CA$60.5
98.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.27 CA$24.62
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.24 CFPF 1,517
$10.68 CA$15.22
33.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$467 CFPF 49.7K
$878 CA$1,251
-46.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,465 CFPF 1.0M
$23.2K CA$33.1K
-59.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.4 CFPF 7,388
$53.2 CA$75.8
30.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$72.9 CFPF 7,763
$44.19 CA$63.0
64.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.8 CFPF 8,290
$89.8 CA$128
-13.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 CFPF 9,410
$109 CA$155
-18.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,342 CFPF 142.9K
$1,522 CA$2,170
-11.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$936 CFPF 99.7K
$1,326 CA$1,890
-29.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,834 CFPF 195.4K
$2,683 CA$3,825
-31.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,492 CFPF 158.9K
$2,261 CA$3,222
-34.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,135 CFPF 759.9K
$5,368 CA$7,651
32.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,632 CFPF 812.9K
$4,469 CA$6,370
70.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Papeete
Victoria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,195 CFPF 233.8K
$3,202 CA$4,564
-31.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
4.31
4.41%

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

Last update for Papeete: October 3, 2026

Last update for Victoria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Papeete
$936
Victoria
$1.3K 41.6% $390
Groceries & Markets
Papeete
$519
Victoria
$461 11.2% $58
Eating Out
Papeete
$281
Victoria
$292 3.9% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Papeete
$273
Victoria
$211 22.5% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Papeete
$139
Victoria
$133 4% $5.5
Sport & Entertainment
Papeete
$113
Victoria
$64 43.4% $49
Getting Around
Papeete
$17 *
Victoria
$77 355% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,342 in Papeete versus $1,522 in Victoria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Victoria, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Papeete versus $70.0 in Victoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $519 vs $461 – making Victoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇫 Papeete
🇨🇦 Victoria
🕒 Local time
16:55 4:55 PM
19:55 7:55 PM
3 h ahead of Papeete
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,050 Capital
85,792
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

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 = 8.37 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Papeete Victoria 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Papeete
  • Victoria

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 Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Victoria cheaper than Papeete?
Yes – Victoria is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,481 per month in Papeete and $3,862 in Victoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Papeete, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Papeete and in Victoria?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,321 in Papeete and $2,574 in Victoria. That's a gap of about 11%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $467 per month in Papeete and $878 in Victoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 enough to cover costs in Papeete or in Victoria?
$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,321 in Papeete and $2,574 in Victoria. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Papeete or Victoria more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Papeete – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Papeete or Victoria?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Papeete. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Papeete vs other spots: cost of living compared

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