Quote:
Originally Posted by Wellington
(...)
As for the price of food in French Polynesia, it is indeed expensive but high quality, and (I hear) not as expensive as a few years ago. I am just about to go shopping, I will update you shortly.
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During Friday's shopping at "Champion" supermarket in Raiatea, I wrote down a few prices, in Francs Polynesiens (1 EURO = 119,33 XPF, fixed parity). I can convert them in AUD, NZD or USD in another post if some of you are interested.
- 200 g Nescafé instant coffee: 512 XPF
- 20 Carrefour Darjeeling tea bags, 202 F
- 20 Carrefour Russian Earl Grey tea bags, 184 F
- French Brie cheese: 1095 XPF / kg
- 4 local yogurts (500g): 260 F
- French Emmental cheese: 950 XPF / kg
-
New Zealand Braeburn apples: 230 XPF / kg (excellent and on
sale, normally around 350 / kg)
- local pineapple : 260 F / kg
- local grapefruit: 100 F / kg
- Australian oranges: 360 F / kg
- local sweet potatoes: 210F / kg
-
New Zealand carrots, 225 F / kg
- potatoes, 110 F / kg
- Onions, 145 F / kg
- Local green cabbage, 374 F / kg
- imported red cabbage, 430 F / kg
- local lettuce, bag of about 4 pieces (800g?), 337 F
- "Barilla" spaghetti, 1 kg, 245 F
- Carrefour Bolognaise pasta sauce, 800g glass jar: 365 F
- French "Elle et Vire" butter, 250 g, 237 F
- crème fraiche President", 1 litre, 645 F
- US organic tofu, 454 g, 278 F
- Australian canned salted butter, 454g, 489 F
- Australian processed cheddar cheese, "Beqa", 250 g, 176 F
- New Zealand rumsteak (never frozen), 1390 F / kg
- Frozen
rib steak from Uruguay, 1195 F / kg
- American (= huge, hormone laden) frozen chicken legs, 5 lbs / 2.2 kg: 780 F
- Argentinian frozen chicken, whole ("normal looking" = probably less hormones and antibiotics allowed than in the US): 240 F / kg
- local pork chops: 1450 F / kg
- yellow fin tuna, filet, 1695 F / kg (between 1000-2000F depending on the season/ catch; if bought directly from the fishermen, about 500F / kg)
- 12 large eggs: 420 F
- 1 kg Sunrise Australian long grain rice: 100 F
- 1 kg Thai jasmine rice: 195 F
- 1 kg French flour: 90 F
- 1 kg NZ brown sugar: 175 F
- baguette (not quite as good as in Paris, but still better than in Wellington): 53 F
- cheapest Bordeaux: 995 F (on
sale, normally around 1100 F)
Prices were about 5-10% cheaper in Carrefour in Papeete, and about 10% more expensive in Nuku Hiva (Marquises). But in the Marquises, you will not buy many fruit, as people will give them to you (not even expecting anything in return): bananas, papayas, mangoes, lemons, lime and the huge, delicious grapefruit / pomella, that keep forever.
Over half the items in the list above are subsidized (PPN = produits de premiere necessite). Yes, the French taxpayer would not only subsidize the education of your kids, "SAVOIR", but also most of your food. But not your
beer, damn! Hinano costs about 275 F / bottle of 50 cl, Heineken about 200 F / can of 33 cl.
Also:
-
cooking gas, 13 kgs: 2980 F (subsidized, price the same all over FP)
- Gasoline : 174 F / litre
- Gas-oil (tax free for yachts in transit): 94 F / litre (was 101 F / litre in December) ; with
taxes, gas-oil = +/- 139 F / litre
- Free schooling
- boats can stay in FP tax-free for 36 months
- EU citizen can stay as long as they want, Americans, Kiwis and Australians get a free, 3-month visa upon arrival or can come on a one-year visa
I would be curious to know how these prices compare with, say, Pittwater or Belmont / Lake Macquarie.