Tahiti and Moorea look like a simple flight-and-hotel trip, but restaurant meals, taxis, the Moorea ferry and room taxes are all priced well above US levels. A lagoon tour and one splurge resort night add hundreds more.
Starts with a sample trip. Change any number to match yours. Set up your travel profile to fill these in for you.
Compare hotels on Moorea →Tick what you plan to do and we’ll price it for your group. Your picks set “Lagoon tour with motu lunch” and “Shows, tours and extras you picked” in your budget.
The sample is 2 travelers for 7 nights. Your plan ($5,620) covers the main costs most people budget for, the ones you enter on the left. Costs people forget ($1,846, about 33% more for this trip) are the fees, taxes, tips and extras listed in the calculator. Prices were last checked on October 17, 2026.
Share of the $7,466 real cost. Nights and travelers multiply most of these costs, so changing either one moves the total the most.
11 of this trip's numbers link to a published price or rate. The rest are our estimates, and each one says what it is based on. You can also read how we calculate every trip.
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Airfare per person | $1,150 per traveler | KAYAK shows an average US–Papeete round trip of about $1,117, with fares from San Francisco often lower. Source |
| Hotel per night | $280 a night | Our estimate for a good mid-range hotel or upscale pension on Moorea or Tahiti before taxes; KAYAK’s Moorea average (about $800) is pulled up by luxury resorts. Source |
| Food per person, per day | $85 per traveler, per day | Routard notes tourist restaurant mains start around €20 and a set lunch under XPF 1,500 is rare; our daily figure assumes a cheap breakfast, a casual lunch and a restaurant dinner. Source |
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Passports Off by default | $165 per traveler | State Department fee table: a new adult passport book costs $130 plus a $35 acceptance fee. Source |
| Airport and ferry-dock taxis | $125 for the trip | Lists airport taxis to Papeete at XPF 2,000–3,500 by day and 3,000–5,000 at night; Moorea taxi rides are similar, so four rides is about $125. Source |
| Moorea ferry | $25 per traveler | Gives adult one-way fares of XPF 1,350 on Terevau and about $18 on Aremiti 5/6; a round trip is about XPF 2,800. Source |
| Tourist tax | $1.35 per traveler, per night | Routard lists the taxe de séjour at XPF 150 per person per night in classified hotels (XPF 50 in unclassified ones, XPF 200 on Bora Bora); children under 12 are exempt. Source |
| Hotel taxes not in the quoted rate | 10% of the hotel | Routard says hotel stays carry about 10% in taxes (VAT plus a government tax); whether a quoted rate includes them varies by booking site. Source |
| One resort night | $500 for the trip | Our estimate: Moorea resort overwater bungalows (Hilton, Sofitel, InterContinental) commonly run $750–900 a night versus about $280 for the mid-range default. Our estimate |
| Lagoon tour with motu lunch | $115 per traveler | Tahiti Tourisme lists Moorea Reo Tours’ day tour with a motu meal at XPF 15,000 and a half-day snorkel at XPF 10,000 per adult. Source |
| Rental car on Moorea Off by default | $180 for the trip | KAYAK shows small cars on Moorea at about $71–93 a day (overall average $97). Source |
| Phone data | $30 per traveler | French Polynesia eSIMs cost about $30–36 for 3–10 GB, well above Europe or Asia prices. Source |
| Card fees | 3% of your plan | Typical 3% foreign transaction fee on many US credit and debit cards. Our estimate |
| Souvenirs and treats | $50 per traveler | Our estimate for small gifts such as pareos, monoi oil and vanilla. Our estimate |
| Shows, tours and extras you picked Off by default | $0 for the trip | Starts at $0. Filled in from what you pick in the things-to-do planner; each one links to its own price source. Our estimate |
| Travel insurance | 6% of your plan | Squaremouth says a comprehensive plan averages about 6% of the trip cost, usually 4% to 10%. Source |
| Pre-trip shopping | $60 for the trip | Our estimate for travel-size toiletries, sunscreen and small things bought before a trip. Our estimate |
| Pet boarding or sitter | $50 a day, if you check Pets | Dogster puts regular kennel boarding at about $35 to $85 a night. Overnight sitters at home cost more. Source |
For 7 nights with flights, a hotel and food, plan on about $5,600 for two people. Once you add the costs most visitors forget, like taxis to the airport and ferry dock, the Moorea ferry, tourist tax and hotel taxes, it's closer to $7,450. Use the calculator above to change any number to match your trip.
No. US citizens can visit French Polynesia for up to 90 days without a visa, and your passport should be valid for six months beyond arrival. Europe’s new ETIAS travel authorization does not apply to French Polynesia. Source
Aremiti and Terevau high-speed ferries take about 30–45 minutes and cost roughly XPF 1,350–2,000 (about $12–18) per adult each way. Source
Yes. Hotels collect a taxe de séjour of about XPF 150 per person per night in classified hotels and XPF 50 in smaller pensions; children under 12 are exempt. Source
Tipping isn’t expected in French Polynesia because service is included in prices, though leaving a little for great service is appreciated. Source