Living in New Caledonia When You Come from Mainland France: Cost of Living, Housing, Schooling and Formalities

New Caledonia is governed by Organic Law no. 99-209 of 19 March 1999, whose Article 22 places social protection, health and public hygiene among the competences of the territory (the health and social affairs department, DASS). For a French citizen coming from mainland France, this shows up in daily life: the health insurance scheme is the CAFAT’s, not that of the mainland Assurance Maladie (the French public health insurance), the labour code is the New Caledonian labour code, and income tax is assessed by the territory’s tax department. The full guide to social protection in New Caledonia details the institutional framework.

As for entering the territory, the State services state that every crossing is checked by the border police, at La Tontouta international airport or the port of Nouméa, and that the rules differ from those of mainland France. The page consulted deals with foreigners and does not detail the documents requested from a French national: it is prudent to confirm them with the citizenship and immigration office of the High Commission before travelling. The labour department adds that the New Caledonian government’s work authorisation only applies to people who do not have French nationality: a French citizen therefore does not need one (see the page on working in New Caledonia for the local employment priority).

The ISEE census counts nearly 265,000 inhabitants, down on the previous census, with a negative net migration rate and a positive natural increase. The South province remains the most populated, with about three in four residents, while the North province and the Islands province are growing. The figures in the “Economic benchmarks” block above come from international series; those on this page come from local statistics and may differ.

• Greater Nouméa (Nouméa, Mont-Dore, Dumbéa, Païta) brings together most of the jobs and services. The reference hospital, the Médipôle de Koutio, is in Dumbéa. These four communes form the lowest uplift zone (coefficient 1.73) for State civil servants.
• The North province is served by the Northern hospital centre, one of the three public hospital facilities of the territory according to the DASS. The public employment placement service there is provided by Cap Emploi, in Koné.
• The Islands province (Loyalty Islands) provides its placement service through the EPEFIP, in Lifou. Journeys to the main island and mainland France weigh on family organisation: medical evacuation is organised by the CAFAT on medical advice.

For a first move, most families coming from mainland France settle close to Nouméa and its neighbouring communes, where the choice of housing, schools and healthcare is widest.

The ISEE’s spatial comparison survey (published in a summary by the institute) establishes that consumer prices are on average of the order of 30% higher in New Caledonia than in mainland France, a gap that far exceeds those recorded in the overseas departments (16% in Guadeloupe, for example). This average level hides differences by category: food products weigh most in the difference, while some products are cheaper locally, such as veal and fresh fish by about 30% according to the same summary.

Inflation is generally moderate according to the ISEE, even if rising energy prices can weigh on household budgets.

The guaranteed minimum wage (SMG) is of the order of CFP 169,000 gross a month for 169 hours (labour department). The Pacific franc has a fixed parity with the euro, written into the French monetary and financial code according to the IEOM (the overseas issuing institute): everyday amounts are therefore read in CFP francs, with an exchange rate that is stable against the euro.

The ISEE pages consulted do not currently publish an average rent; they only give the rent revision index, which is used to update residential leases. To estimate your budget, the most reliable approach is to check landlords’ listings and ask agencies for their scales, bearing in mind that rent is a heavy item in household budgets.

The Fonds social de l’habitat (FSH, the social housing fund) manages the housing aid for residents who rent their main home (at least eight months a year), retirees in an approved retirement home and students housed in a room or a one-room flat. The housing must be approved under an agreement, that is, comply with safety, health and equipment standards, and the rent excluding charges must not exceed the ceiling rent for its type. The aid depends on the rent, the household composition and income; it is paid each month to the landlord and granted for twelve renewable months. The application form is collected in Dumbéa for the South province, from the social landlord, the town hall or the North province, or in the administrative centres of the Loyalty Islands.

As for the property market, the ISEE tracks the change in transactions, which can be very volatile. A purchase is therefore prepared with local professionals and a notary of the territory.

Education falls under the vice-rectorate of New Caledonia. The calendar is southern-hemisphere: teachers return in mid-February and pupils a few days later, with four holiday periods in April, June, August and October, then the start of the summer holidays in December. A family arriving from mainland France in the middle of the mainland school year therefore finds a year already under way; enrolment is prepared with the vice-rectorate, which offers an “Enrolling your child” section and pages to help organise the move.

The government expects about 60,000 pupils at the start of each school year, split between public and private schools, with primary in decline. Canteen and boarding fees in public schools are capped by the government, which covers transport for boarding upper-secondary pupils from the North province. Health insurance for pupils and students is covered in the guide to student health insurance and in the page on healthcare reimbursement.

• Before departure: report the change of residence to your primary health insurance fund, which provides the form matching your situation (SE 988 series), and notify the family allowance fund and France Travail (the French employment agency).
• On arrival: file the application at the CAFAT one-stop desk (4 rue du Général Mangin, in Nouméa) with an identity document, or send it by post (CAFAT, BP L5, 98849 Nouméa Cedex).
• Employee: the employer declares the hiring to the CAFAT, which assigns a social cover number; without employment: apply for admission to voluntary health insurance.
• Taxes: every adult resident of the territory whose income exceeds one million francs a year files with the tax department, as do self-employed workers whatever their income.
• Identity documents and transport: the High Commission offers sections on passports, identity cards and territorial continuity aid.

The details of entitlements by situation are in the page on the healthcare system in New Caledonia. For a long-term move, joining the CFE (Caisse des Français de l’Étranger, the voluntary health insurance scheme for French people abroad) is an option to check with the fund itself, because the page presenting its offers states no particular condition for this territory.

The territory has a rainy season that favours standing water; the DASS states that dengue is back, that some areas do not benefit from the protection linked to the Wolbachia method, and recommends emptying containers after each rain, protecting yourself from bites and seeing a doctor quickly in case of high fever with headaches and pains. It advises against aspirin and ibuprofen if dengue is suspected. Most of the childhood vaccinations on the schedule are compulsory, and an up-to-date vaccination certificate is required for admission to nursery, day care and school.

In a life-threatening emergency, the Gaston-Bourret territorial hospital centre says to call 15 (SAMU, SOS Médecins); for an urgent delivery, the number of the delivery room is 20 80 00. For safety conditions and alert instructions, the reference information is published by the High Commission and by the authorities of the territory; the France Diplomatie page (the French foreign ministry’s travel advice) does not apply to a territory of the Republic.

• Advantages: a French territory where you can travel without a work authorisation, a public reference hospital and local facilities in each province, a health insurance scheme that covers the situations of employee, civil servant, self-employed worker, student and resident without activity.
• Points to watch: higher prices than in mainland France, a local labour market governed by local employment priority, a population decline, an occasionally fragile economic situation, and mainland health insurance entitlements that are not automatically maintained.

To compare supplementary cover before departure, Expavy offers a situation check, and the guide to repatriation and assistance explains what an assistance contract covers on top of the medical evacuation organised by the CAFAT.