New Caledonia Portugal

Updated 2026-05-04

New Caledonia

Minimum Wage

₣991.73 /hr

$7.04 USD

Portugal

Minimum Wage

€5.31 /hr

$6.18 USD

Avg. Gross Salary

€1,550 /mo

Min wage: +14% New Caledonia vs Portugal

Both high-income economies, New Caledonia and Portugal set comparable minimum wage floors in USD terms.

Detailed Comparison

Detailed wage comparison between New Caledonia and Portugal
Metric	New Caledonia	Portugal	Diff
Minimum wage /hr	₣991.73 $7.04	€5.31 $6.18	+13.8%
Minimum wage /mo	₣167,602 $1,189.76	€920 $1,071.39	+11.0%
Minimum wage /yr	₣2,011,224 $14,277.08	€12,880 $14,999.42	-4.8%
Avg. gross salary /mo	N/A/mo	€1,550 /mo $1,805.05	—
Avg. net salary /mo	N/A/mo	€1,150 /mo $1,339.23	—
Median individual income /yr	N/A/yr	€14,000 /yr $16,303.71	—

Percentage differences are based on USD equivalent values. Positive means New Caledonia is higher.

Work Week

New Caledonia: 39 hrs/wk standard

Max 48 hrs/wk

Overtime : 1.25x pay

Standard workweek is 39 hours in New Caledonia (differs from metropolitan France's 35 hours). Overtime: 25% premium for hours 40-43, 50% premium beyond 43 hours.
Portugal: 40 hrs/wk standard

Max 48 hrs/wk

Overtime : 1.25x pay

Standard workweek is 40 hours (Labour Code). The first hour of overtime on a working day is paid at 125%, subsequent hours at 137.5%. Overtime on rest days and public holidays is paid at 150%. Maximum 150 hours of overtime per year (can be increased to 200 by collective agreement). EU Working Time Directive limits average to 48 hrs/week.

• WAGE TRAJECTORY (USD/hr)

New Caledonia Portugal Source: wage.is · USD equivalent/hr

Year	New Caledonia (USD)	Portugal (USD)
2019	—	$699/hr
2020	—	$739/hr
2021	—	$774/hr
2022	—	$821/hr
2023	$6.80/hr	$885/hr
2024	$6.93/hr	$955/hr
2025	$7.04/hr	$1013/hr
2026	—	$1071/hr

What This Means for Workers

A minimum wage worker moving from Portugal to New Caledonia would see a 14% increase in USD-equivalent hourly earnings. Standard work weeks differ: New Caledonia mandates 39 hours while Portugal mandates 40 hours. A minimum wage worker's weekly earnings in New Caledonia are $275 vs $247 in Portugal.

See this comparison from Portugal's perspective: Portugal vs New Caledonia

Compare New Caledonia with...

New Caledonia vs United States $ 7.25 /hr

New Caledonia vs China ¥ 25 /hr

New Caledonia vs Germany € 13.9 /hr

New Caledonia vs United Kingdom £ 12.71 /hr

New Caledonia vs India ₹ 4,576 /mo

New Caledonia vs Japan ¥ 1,121 /hr

New Caledonia vs France € 12.02 /hr

New Caledonia vs South Korea ₩ 10,320 /hr

New Caledonia vs Canada C$ 18.1 /hr

New Caledonia vs Australia A$ 24.95 /hr

New Caledonia vs Brazil R$ 7.37 /hr

New Caledonia vs Russia ₽ 156.31 /hr

New Caledonia vs Mexico MX$ 9,583.52 /mo

New Caledonia vs Netherlands € 14.71 /hr

New Caledonia vs Saudi Arabia ﷼ 23.08 /hr

New Caledonia vs Turkey ₺ 164.94 /hr

New Caledonia vs Switzerland

New Caledonia vs Poland zł 31.4 /hr

New Caledonia vs Sweden

New Caledonia vs Singapore

New Caledonia vs Norway

New Caledonia vs Austria

New Caledonia vs Denmark

New Caledonia vs Israel ₪ 35.4 /hr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the minimum wage higher in New Caledonia or Portugal?

In New Caledonia, the minimum wage is ₣991.73/hr ($7.04 USD). In Portugal, it is €5.31/hr ($6.18 USD). New Caledonia has the higher rate by 14% in USD terms. That nominal gap does not account for local prices; see the purchasing power comparison below for a cost-of-living-adjusted view. Workers in Portugal may retain a larger share of their earnings if prices there are lower.

How do work hours compare between New Caledonia and Portugal?

Portugal has a longer standard work week at 40 hours, compared to 39 hours in New Caledonia. Workers in New Caledonia work 39 hours per week by law. Longer mandatory hours can offset a nominally higher wage; a worker in New Caledonia working fewer hours may have comparable or better effective hourly earnings depending on the wage levels of each country. Total annual compensation depends on both the wage rate and the number of hours required.