Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fiji and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $709 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Fiji
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Fiji Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Fiji

🇫🇯 Fiji

$709

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fiji and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $709 in Fiji versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Fiji $709
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,144 in Fiji versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Fiji $1,144
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,578 in Fiji versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Fiji $1,578
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Fiji costs roughly 75% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fiji is 47% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.32 FJD 9.68

$17.75 A$25.40

-75.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.65 FJD 70.9

$84.8 A$121

-62.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 FJD 14.65

$12.16 A$17.40

-46.22%

Cappuccino

$2.50 FJD 5.59

$3.93 A$5.62

-36.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 FJD 3.01

$3.14 A$4.49

-57.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 FJD 2.34

$2.43 A$3.47

-56.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 FJD 9.14

$9.90 A$14.17

-58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 FJD 9.06

$8.29 A$11.86

-51.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 FJD 2.80

$1.55 A$2.21

-19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 FJD 0.59

$3.01 A$4.31

-91.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 FJD 1.90

$2.88 A$4.12

-70.49%

Eggs

$3.08 FJD 6.91

$5.44 A$7.79

-43.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 FJD 23.83

$10.59 A$15.16

0.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 FJD 11.87

$9.61 A$13.76

-44.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 FJD 2.92

$4.15 A$5.94

-68.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 FJD 1.94

$3.05 A$4.37

-71.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 FJD 4.10

$3.30 A$4.72

-44.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 FJD 2.93

$4.76 A$6.81

-72.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 FJD 1.56

$3.04 A$4.34

-76.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 FJD 1.65

$2.55 A$3.65

-70.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 FJD 1.96

$2.48 A$3.55

-64.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 FJD 1.16

$1.63 A$2.33

-68.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 FJD 24.52

$44.07 A$63.1

-75.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 FJD 13.87

$12.43 A$17.79

-50.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.97 FJD 8.90

$5.33 A$7.63

-25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 FJD 9.22

$5.16 A$7.38

-20.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 FJD 2.08

$3.84 A$5.50

-75.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 FJD 2.52

$4.40 A$6.29

-74.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 FJD 2.81

$1.46 A$2.09

-14.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$46.1K FJD 103.2K

$28.1K A$40.3K

63.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.9K A$37.1K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$53.5 FJD 120

$233 A$333

-77.02%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.37 FJD 29.96

$27.28 A$39.04

-50.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.80 FJD 39.88

$57.0 A$81.6

-68.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.89 FJD 49.04

$52.7 A$75.4

-58.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.42 FJD 9.89

$22.62 A$32.37

-80.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.10 FJD 9.18

$17.10 A$24.48

-76.02%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$44.79 FJD 100

$2,373 A$3,397

-98.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.42 FJD 43.50

$78.2 A$112

-75.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.25 FJD 67.8

$121 A$172

-74.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$680 FJD 1,524

$1,713 A$2,451

-60.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 FJD 605

$1,402 A$2,006

-80.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 FJD 2,453

$3,339 A$4,778

-67.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 FJD 1,367

$2,529 A$3,619

-75.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,289 FJD 2,887

$7,018 A$10.0K

-81.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,293 FJD 2,897

$6,767 A$9,685

-80.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$538 FJD 1,205

$4,228 A$6,051

-87.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

1.69%

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

Last update for Fiji: October 4, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Fiji

$270 38.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 419% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Fiji

$169 * 24%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 129% $217

Eating Out

Fiji

$122 17.4%

Melbourne

$314 11% 157% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fiji

$85 12%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 275% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Fiji

$30 4.3%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 189% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Fiji

$22 * 3.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 670% $150

Getting Around

Fiji

$4.8 * 0.7%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 3384% $163

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $680 in Fiji and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 686% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Fiji vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $385 per month, with Fiji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Fiji

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

17:44 5:44 PM

1 h behind Fiji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,043

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.446 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.446 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fiji Melbourne 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Fiji
Melbourne

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

Fiji vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fiji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 302% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 686% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $680 in Fiji versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 129% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $709 per month in Fiji versus $2,852 in Melbourne – a 302% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $709 in Fiji versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Fiji and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Fiji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 302% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.