Cost of living comparison

 Noumea, New Caledonia
compared to
 Washington (DC), United States
Washington vs. Noumea Cost of Living Summary

Washington is 54.5% more expensive than Noumea.

Restaurants
pay 34.2% more in Washington
Groceries
pay 0.7% less in Washington
Transportation
pay 21.0% more in Washington
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in Washington
Childcare
pay 3.1 times more in Washington
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.5% more in Washington
Clothing
pay 14.9% less in Washington

The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Washington are more expensive than in Noumea. Expenses including clothing and groceries are lower in Washington. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Washington.

Washington vs. Noumea Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Washington instead of Noumea, you would:

pay 34.2% more for restaurants

 
Noumea
Washington
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $15.72
CFPF1,653
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.47
CFPF1,417
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.54
CFPF268
$2.78
 

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pay 0.7% less for groceries

 
Noumea
Washington
Bread
1 loaf
$2.56
CFPF269
$4.34
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.19
CFPF861
$7.84
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.15
CFPF436
$4.14
 

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pay 21.0% more for transportation

 
Noumea
Washington
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.77
CFPF607
$3.66
 
Monthly public transit pass $57.93
CFPF6,092
$75.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,659.34
CFPF3,329,292
$35,699.74
 

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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
Noumea
Washington
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$54.97
CFPF5,780
$66.46
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $740.96
CFPF77,920
$2,582.95
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $655.64
CFPF68,947
$2,028.70
 

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pay 3.1 times more for childcare

 
Noumea
Washington
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $730.48
CFPF76,818
$2,273.25
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? $38,250.00
 

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pay 12.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Noumea
Washington
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $10.33
CFPF1,086
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.75
CFPF604
$5.55
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$17.78
CFPF1,870
$11.75
 

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pay 14.9% less for clothing

 
Noumea
Washington
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$98.80
CFPF10,389
$74.13
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$59.88
CFPF6,297
$50.77
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$114.51
CFPF12,042
$105.47
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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