Bora Bora
South Pacific Islands · French Polynesia · Oceania
Overwater bungalows on an impossibly blue lagoon beneath a jade volcanic peak.
Bora Bora is the dream-honeymoon island — a turquoise lagoon ringed by a volcanic peak and overwater bungalows. It's breathtaking but eye-wateringly expensive, tiny, and built almost entirely around luxury tourism, so everyday living costs and imports are brutal. There's little here beyond the lagoon: limited services, healthcare, and almost no job market. Best only for the wealthy who want a remote slice of paradise and don't need a city's conveniences.
comfortable monthly budget
1-bed rent, good area
Best for
Not for
A small local Polynesian community plus a rotating luxury-resort crowd; warm but not a place to build a broad social or dating life. Nightlife is essentially resort dinners and sunset cocktails.
Where to land
The scorecard
Tax in French Polynesia
Special regime: No personal income tax; only a progressive CST social contribution 0.5-5%
No income tax on individuals, just a small solidarity contribution (CST) on wages.
Representative estimate — not tax advice. · source
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Find my placePhoto via Wikimedia Commons · source