Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tahiti and Pago Pago

For one person, living is cheaper in Tahiti: $866 a month against $1,456 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pago Pago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
Learn more

Pago Pago Living Index

Jump to prices

Tahiti

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$866

/mo nomad

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Tahiti versus $1,456 in Pago Pago.

Tahiti $866
Pago Pago $1,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,485 in Tahiti versus $2,262 in Pago Pago.

Tahiti $1,485
Pago Pago $2,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,104 in Tahiti versus $3,068 in Pago Pago.

Tahiti $2,104
Pago Pago $3,068

Living in Tahiti costs roughly 40% less than in Pago Pago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tahiti is 35% below, Pago Pago is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.89 CFPF 1,586

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 CFPF 5,963

$36.18 $36.18

54.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 CFPF 1,212

$10.07 $10.07

13.01%

Cappuccino

$4.95 CFPF 527

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

$2.15 CFPF 229

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 CFPF 265

$1.01 $1.01

146.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CFPF 683

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 CFPF 761

$3.89 $3.89

83.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CFPF 130

$2.59 $2.59

-52.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 CFPF 390

$2.82 $2.82

29.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 CFPF 135

$4.20 $4.20

-70.00%

Eggs

$7.66 CFPF 815

$4.63 $4.63

65.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 $10.03

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 CFPF 1,488

$9.83 $9.83

42.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 CFPF 2,274

$11.47 $11.47

86.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.94 CFPF 632

$6.15 $6.15

-3.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 CFPF 346

$1.02 $1.02

218.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.13 CFPF 546

$2.93 $2.93

75.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.65 CFPF 815

$4.02 $4.02

90.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 CFPF 236

$3.92 $3.92

-43.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CFPF 235

$4.06 $4.06

-45.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 CFPF 89.3

$2.02 $2.02

-58.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 CFPF 347

$0.99 $0.99

229.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 CFPF 394

$2.88 $2.88

28.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 CFPF 178

$2.03 $2.03

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.31 CFPF 1,524

$124 $124

-88.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.62 CFPF 1,025

$5.07 $5.07

89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 CFPF 257

$2.05 $2.05

17.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.82 CFPF 2,536

$29.49 $29.49

-19.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CFPF 151

$1.36 $1.36

4.41%

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

$17.9K CFPF 1.9M

$29.7K $29.7K

-39.86%

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

$31.9K CFPF 3.4M

$20.2K $20.2K

58.01%

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

$404 $404

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

$16.88 CFPF 1,798

$30.11 $30.11

-43.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.6 CFPF 8,153

$76.3 $76.3

0.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 CFPF 5,443

$49.35 $49.35

3.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 $10.06

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 CFPF 1,287

$9.22 $9.22

31.13%

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

$989 $989

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,838 $9,838

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 $69.4

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 $50.3

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 CFPF 112.0K

$327 $327

221.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 $201

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 $884

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,028 CFPF 216.0K

$1,217 $1,217

66.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.81

60.33%

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

Last update for Tahiti: October 6, 2026

Last update for Pago Pago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tahiti

–

Pago Pago

$510 34.7%

Groceries & Markets

Tahiti

–

Pago Pago

$364 24.8%

Accommodation & Living

Tahiti

–

Pago Pago

$201 13.7%

Getting Around

Tahiti

–

Pago Pago

$147 10%

Clothing & Footwear

Tahiti

–

Pago Pago

$136 9.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Tahiti

–

Pago Pago

$68 4.6%

Eating Out

Tahiti

–

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.9%

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 $1,051 in Tahiti and $327 in Pago Pago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tahiti pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Tahiti vs $36.00 in Pago Pago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $364 per month, with Pago Pago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇫 Tahiti

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

1 h behind Tahiti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,645

11,500 Capital

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

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).

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

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tahiti Pago Pago 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tahiti
Pago Pago

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

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

Tahiti wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Pago Pago. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tahiti the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Tahiti, 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: $1,051 in Tahiti versus $327 in Pago Pago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pago Pago pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $866 per month in Tahiti versus $1,456 in Pago Pago – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $866 in Tahiti versus $1,456 in Pago Pago, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tahiti but tight or insufficient in Pago Pago. The gap between the two cities makes Tahiti 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, Tahiti and Pago Pago 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 Tahiti gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Pago Pago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.