Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dargaville and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $941 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dargaville, New Zealand
Suva, Fiji
Dargaville
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,134
/mo nomad
Suva
🇫🇯 Fiji
$941
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dargaville and in Suva

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dargaville and in Suva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,134 in Dargaville versus $941 in Suva.

  • Dargaville $2,134
  • Suva $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Dargaville versus $1,702 in Suva.

  • Dargaville $3,019
  • Suva $1,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,904 in Dargaville versus $2,463 in Suva.

  • Dargaville $3,904
  • Suva $2,463

Living in Dargaville is roughly 127% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dargaville is 57% above, Suva is 31% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.54 NZ$25.60
$5.93 FJD 13.23
145.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.9 NZ$121
$43.61 FJD 97.3
57.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.05 NZ$15.93
$7.67 FJD 17.12
17.99%
Cappuccino
$3.69 NZ$6.50
$2.90 FJD 6.47
27.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 NZ$3.84
$1.52 FJD 3.40
43.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 NZ$3.68
$0.74 FJD 1.65
182.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.31 NZ$11.10
$3.47 FJD 7.74
81.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.63 NZ$9.91
$4.56 FJD 10.18
23.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 NZ$3.61
$1.31 FJD 2.93
56.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 NZ$3.45
$0.52 FJD 1.17
276.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 NZ$2.68
$1.11 FJD 2.49
36.94%
Eggs
$6.70 NZ$11.79
$3.22 FJD 7.19
108.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.49 NZ$14.95
$10.40 FJD 23.19
-18.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.47 NZ$18.43
$6.32 FJD 14.10
65.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 NZ$22.34
$7.68 FJD 17.14
65.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 NZ$4.66
$2.46 FJD 5.50
7.72%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 NZ$3.76
$2.50 FJD 5.58
-14.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.92 NZ$5.14
$3.43 FJD 7.64
-14.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.86 NZ$10.32
$3.21 FJD 7.16
82.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 NZ$3.04
$1.24 FJD 2.76
39.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 NZ$2.43
$1.10 FJD 2.44
25.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.49 NZ$4.38
$1.20 FJD 2.67
107.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 NZ$2.07
$0.69 FJD 1.53
71.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.67 NZ$46.94
$10.02 FJD 22.36
166.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.24 NZ$18.03
$7.22 FJD 16.10
41.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.02 NZ$5.32
$2.12 FJD 4.73
42.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 NZ$5.50
$3.37 FJD 7.53
-7.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.89 NZ$3.33
$0.71 FJD 1.57
166.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$115 NZ$203
$24.49 FJD 54.6
370.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 NZ$4.25
$0.87 FJD 1.93
178.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.81 NZ$3.18
$0.43 FJD 0.96
320.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.35 NZ$46.38
$9.04 FJD 20.16
191.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 NZ$2.63
$1.44 FJD 3.21
3.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.5K NZ$44.8K
$24.4K FJD 54.3K
4.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K NZ$41.7K
$25.4K FJD 56.7K
-6.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$128 NZ$225
$45.96 FJD 103
178.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.15 NZ$51.3
$12.73 FJD 28.39
128.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.3 NZ$90.3
$23.66 FJD 52.8
116.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.91 NZ$68.5
$36.73 FJD 81.9
5.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.99 FJD 24.50
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.48 NZ$20.20
$3.38 FJD 7.53
239.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$659 NZ$1,159
$224 FJD 499
194.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K NZ$25.7K
$13.2K FJD 29.5K
10.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.3 NZ$119
$33.66 FJD 75.1
100.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.09 NZ$68.8
$39.60 FJD 88.3
-1.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 NZ$160
$69.9 FJD 156
29.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 NZ$203
$61.5 FJD 137
87.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 NZ$1,981
$891 FJD 1,987
26.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 NZ$1,780
$322 FJD 719
213.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,404 NZ$2,471
$2,636 FJD 5,878
-46.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,352 NZ$2,379
$978 FJD 2,180
38.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,216 NZ$7,421
$1,327 FJD 2,960
217.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,111 NZ$5,475
$827 FJD 1,845
276.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dargaville
Suva
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$946 FJD 2,111
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.83
7.7
-24.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Dargaville
$1K
Suva
$322 68.1% $689
Groceries & Markets
Dargaville
$330
Suva
$229 30.5% $100
Eating Out
Dargaville
$248
Suva
$141 43.2% $107
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dargaville
$209
Suva
$82 60.5% $126
Clothing & Footwear
Dargaville
$141
Suva
$92 34.5% $49
Getting Around
Dargaville
$134
Suva
$30 77.4% $104
Sport & Entertainment
Dargaville
$62
Suva
$43 29.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Dargaville and $891 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Dargaville vs $44 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $229 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Dargaville
🇫🇯 Suva
🕒 Local time
03:37 3:37 AM
02:37 2:37 AM
1 h behind Dargaville
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,600
100,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.48 FJD (1 FJD = 0.403 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dargaville Suva 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dargaville
  • Suva

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Dargaville vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Dargaville and in Suva?
Dargaville and Suva differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($2,134 vs $941 including rent). Suva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Dargaville compared to Suva?
You’d need roughly $3,201 in Dargaville and $1,411 in Suva to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Dargaville and in Suva?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Dargaville versus $891 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Dargaville and Suva?
Childcare runs $659 in Dargaville versus $224 in Suva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Dargaville. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $800 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Suva is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Dargaville and Suva?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Where should expats move: Dargaville or Suva?
Expats usually find Suva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Dargaville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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