Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samoa and French Polynesia

Name: French Polynesia
Address: PF

For one person, living is cheaper in Samoa: $847 a month against $2,339 in French Polynesia, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Samoa
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Samoa Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in French Polynesia
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French Polynesia Living Index

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🇼🇸 Samoa

$847

/mo nomad

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samoa and in French Polynesia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $847 in Samoa versus $2,339 in French Polynesia.

Samoa $847
French Polynesia $2,339

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,303 in Samoa versus $3,508 in French Polynesia.

Samoa $2,303
French Polynesia $3,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,758 in Samoa versus $4,677 in French Polynesia.

Samoa $3,758
French Polynesia $4,677

Living in Samoa costs about 64% less than in French Polynesia on average.

Samoa (37% below) and French Polynesia (73% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$46.41 WST 129

$17.10 CFPF 1,809

171.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.03 WST 103

$75.8 CFPF 8,021

-51.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.81 WST 41.26

$14.23 CFPF 1,505

4.08%

Cappuccino

$2.83 WST 7.89

$4.20 CFPF 444

-32.62%

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

$1.84 WST 5.11

$2.55 CFPF 270

-27.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 WST 3.89

$2.53 CFPF 268

-45.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 WST 9.85

$4.68 CFPF 496

-24.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 WST 10.08

$5.59 CFPF 591

-35.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 WST 4.92

$1.44 CFPF 152

22.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 WST 2.33

$4.23 CFPF 447

-80.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 WST 4.99

$1.64 CFPF 173

9.15%

Eggs

$4.35 WST 12.10

$6.91 CFPF 731

-37.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$0.87 WST 2.43

$34.89 CFPF 3,692

-97.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 WST 10.26

$15.64 CFPF 1,654

-76.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 WST 23.79

$24.52 CFPF 2,594

-65.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 WST 14.42

$5.06 CFPF 535

2.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 WST 5.01

$2.85 CFPF 302

-36.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 WST 5.14

$6.53 CFPF 691

-71.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 WST 12.24

$7.63 CFPF 807

-42.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 WST 10.06

$3.03 CFPF 321

19.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 WST 3.08

$2.45 CFPF 259

-55.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.60 CFPF 381

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 WST 3.30

$1.17 CFPF 124

0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 WST 17.28

$13.05 CFPF 1,380

-52.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.43 WST 45.77

$23.65 CFPF 2,503

-30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 WST 5.15

$2.83 CFPF 300

-34.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 WST 10.22

$3.66 CFPF 388

0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 WST 9.96

$1.84 CFPF 195

94.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.22 CFPF 1,505

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 WST 15.40

$9.44 CFPF 999

-41.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.44 WST 15.14

$2.42 CFPF 256

124.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.96 WST 61.2

$23.23 CFPF 2,458

-5.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 WST 3.11

$1.49 CFPF 158

-24.83%

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

$18.2K CFPF 1.9M

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

$30.6K CFPF 3.2M

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

$17.83 WST 49.65

$172 CFPF 18.2K

-89.66%

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

$18.05 WST 50.3

$18.99 CFPF 2,009

-4.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.72 WST 102

$72.2 CFPF 7,639

-49.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.8 CFPF 7,916

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 CFPF 1,519

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

$478 CFPF 50.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,401 CFPF 994.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 CFPF 7,150

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.3 CFPF 7,542

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 CFPF 8,409

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 CFPF 9,598

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 CFPF 130.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 CFPF 99.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,848 CFPF 195.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 WST 4,997

$1,528 CFPF 161.7K

17.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,976 CFPF 738.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,993 CFPF 951.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,885 CFPF 199.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

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

Last update for Samoa: October 19, 2026

Last update for French Polynesia: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Samoa

$488 57.6%

French Polynesia

$285 12.2% 41.6% $203

Groceries & Markets

Samoa

$240 * 28.3%

French Polynesia

$565 24.2% 136% $325

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samoa

$73 8.6%

French Polynesia

$264 11.3% 263% $191

Getting Around

Samoa

$47 * 5.6%

French Polynesia

$43 1.8% 8.3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Samoa

- * 0%

French Polynesia

$104 4.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Samoa

- * 0%

French Polynesia

$139 6%

Accommodation & Living

Samoa

- * 0%

French Polynesia

$940 40.2%

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

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 64% more in Samoa.

Good to know

🇼🇸 Samoa

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

15:36 3:36 PM

23 h behind Samoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,010

278,786

💱 Currency

Samoan Tala WST T

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 WST = 0.359 USD

1 WST = 0.319 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to WST – Samoan Tala Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇼🇸 Samoan Tala (T)

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 2.79 WST (1 WST = 0.359 USD). 1 EUR = 3.13 WST (1 WST = 0.319 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to WST in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samoa French Polynesia 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Samoa
French Polynesia

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

Samoa vs French Polynesia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,339 per month in French Polynesia and $847 in Samoa, there's a 176% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

In Samoa, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in French Polynesia it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Samoa wins on affordability; French Polynesia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.