Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and New Caledonia

Name: New Caledonia
Address: NC

For one person, living is cheaper in New Caledonia: $2,372 a month against $2,701 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the United States outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
Learn more

United States Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in New Caledonia
Learn more

New Caledonia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in New Caledonia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,701 in the United States versus $2,372 in New Caledonia.

United States $2,701
New Caledonia $2,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,980 in the United States versus $3,753 in New Caledonia.

United States $3,980
New Caledonia $3,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,258 in the United States versus $5,134 in New Caledonia.

United States $5,258
New Caledonia $5,134

Living in the United States is roughly 14% more expensive than in New Caledonia on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United States 100% above, New Caledonia 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$20.88 CFPF 2,210

-4.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$114 CFPF 12.1K

-29.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$13.78 CFPF 1,458

-12.41%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$4.62 CFPF 488

20.13%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$2.02 CFPF 213

32.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.26 CFPF 134

65.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$9.52 CFPF 1,007

-37.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 $7.76

$7.40 CFPF 783

4.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.19 CFPF 125

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.41 CFPF 361

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.23 CFPF 235

108.07%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$6.00 CFPF 635

-30.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 $12.76

$29.42 CFPF 3,112

-56.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$27.64 CFPF 2,924

-54.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$28.21 CFPF 2,985

-38.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.63 CFPF 490

11.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$6.93 CFPF 733

-76.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$5.97 CFPF 631

-25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$8.00 CFPF 846

-37.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$5.34 CFPF 565

-46.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.72 CFPF 394

-16.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$4.00 CFPF 423

-45.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.45 CFPF 153

56.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$18.80 CFPF 1,989

-43.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$15.13 CFPF 1,601

-2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$5.71 CFPF 604

-63.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 $2.35

$4.77 CFPF 505

-50.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.1 $64.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$6.83 CFPF 722

-47.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.08 CFPF 114

71.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$21.06 CFPF 2,228

43.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.57 CFPF 166

-31.85%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

9.64%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$37.0K CFPF 3.9M

-30.00%

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

$217 $217

$193 CFPF 20.4K

12.13%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$44.24 CFPF 4,680

38.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 $74.4

$51.6 CFPF 5,460

44.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.08 $45.08

$51.2 CFPF 5,419

-11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.07 $23.07

$8.49 CFPF 898

171.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

$13.87 CFPF 1,468

6.63%

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

$1,480 $1,480

$751 CFPF 79.5K

97.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K $25.5K

$9,263 CFPF 980.0K

174.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$111 CFPF 11.7K

-52.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$65.4 CFPF 6,918

-34.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 $94.3

$94.6 CFPF 10.0K

-0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$245 CFPF 25.9K

-52.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$710 CFPF 75.1K

136.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$768 CFPF 81.2K

71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$1,503 CFPF 159.1K

76.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$1,308 CFPF 138.4K

66.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,374 $3,374

$4,696 CFPF 496.9K

-28.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,661 $2,661

$3,433 CFPF 363.3K

-22.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,404 $4,404

$2,751 CFPF 291.0K

60.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.13

109.27%

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

Last update for the United States: October 10, 2026

Last update for New Caledonia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.6%

New Caledonia

$768 32.4% 41.6% $546

Groceries & Markets

United States

$411 15.2%

New Caledonia

$634 * 26.7% 54.3% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$352 13%

New Caledonia

$289 12.2% 18% $63

Eating Out

United States

$327 12.1%

New Caledonia

$339 14.3% 3.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5.1%

New Caledonia

$232 9.8% 68.8% $95

Getting Around

United States

$86 3.2%

New Caledonia

$31 * 1.3% 63.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

New Caledonia

$79 3.3% 5.8% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,609 in the United States, $436 in New Caledonia. Capital cities: $2,730 in Washington, DC vs $751 in Noumea.

National salary averages: $4,533 in the United States, $2,744 in New Caledonia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 269% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 39% more in the United States.

Salaries are 65% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

20:16 8:16 PM

15 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

278,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

XPF to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United States New Caledonia 12,870 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
New Caledonia

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

United States vs New Caledonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,372 per month in New Caledonia and $2,701 in the United States, there's a 14% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in New Caledonia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,609 in the United States and $436 in New Caledonia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In New Caledonia, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United States 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: New Caledonia wins on affordability; the United States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.