Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Noumea

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,676 in Noumea, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Noumea
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Noumea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Noumea

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Noumea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,676 in Noumea.

Phuket $1,278
Noumea $2,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,200 in Noumea.

Phuket $2,216
Noumea $4,200

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,724 in Noumea.

Phuket $3,154
Noumea $5,724

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Noumea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Noumea is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.74 CFPF 2,204

-78.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$112 CFPF 11.9K

-71.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$14.07 CFPF 1,496

-37.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.48 CFPF 477

-36.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.96 CFPF 208

-55.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.23 CFPF 131

-60.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$9.59 CFPF 1,019

-73.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.14 CFPF 759

-48.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.19 CFPF 126

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.42 CFPF 363

-57.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.24 CFPF 239

-33.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.21 CFPF 660

-66.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$29.94 CFPF 3,183

-36.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$28.58 CFPF 3,038

-88.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$27.62 CFPF 2,936

-60.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.71 CFPF 501

-37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$6.93 CFPF 737

-75.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$6.18 CFPF 657

-63.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$8.08 CFPF 859

-74.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$5.65 CFPF 601

-73.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$3.83 CFPF 407

-63.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$4.09 CFPF 435

-73.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.45 CFPF 155

-64.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$19.14 CFPF 2,034

-78.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.58 CFPF 1,763

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$5.56 CFPF 591

-67.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$4.75 CFPF 505

-69.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$285 CFPF 30.3K

-80.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$7.08 CFPF 753

-57.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.12 CFPF 119

-8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$21.24 CFPF 2,258

-82.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.55 CFPF 165

-5.16%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$32.8K CFPF 3.5M

-18.30%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$38.0K CFPF 4.0M

-29.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$196 CFPF 20.9K

-50.95%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$44.13 CFPF 4,691

-74.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$48.00 CFPF 5,103

-64.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$50.1 CFPF 5,321

34.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$8.54 CFPF 908

25.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.25 CFPF 1,515

-47.37%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$740 CFPF 78.6K

-35.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,264 CFPF 984.8K

21.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$109 CFPF 11.6K

-42.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$65.4 CFPF 6,948

-56.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$97.1 CFPF 10.3K

-2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$254 CFPF 27.0K

-66.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$749 CFPF 79.6K

-4.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$774 CFPF 82.2K

-36.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,508 CFPF 160.3K

27.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,311 CFPF 139.4K

9.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,760 CFPF 505.9K

-12.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,387 CFPF 360.1K

-10.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,657 CFPF 282.4K

-81.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.13

77.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Noumea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Noumea

$774 28.9% 57.6% $283

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Noumea

$645 * 24.1% 142% $379

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Noumea

$289 10.8% 132% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Noumea

$236 8.8% 94% $115

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Noumea

$337 12.6% 177% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Noumea

$79 2.9% 4.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Noumea

$317 11.8% 349% $246

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 $716 in Phuket and $749 in Noumea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Noumea pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $112 in Noumea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $645 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇨 Noumea

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

15:46 3:46 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

91,386 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Noumea 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Noumea

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

Phuket vs Noumea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $749 in Noumea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 142% higher in Noumea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $112 in Noumea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,676 in Noumea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Noumea. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Noumea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.