Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gisborne and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $947 a month against $1,943 in Gisborne, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gisborne
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Gisborne Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Gisborne

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,943

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gisborne 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 Gisborne and in Suva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,943 in Gisborne versus $947 in Suva.

Gisborne $1,943
Suva $947

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,973 in Gisborne versus $1,700 in Suva.

Gisborne $2,973
Suva $1,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,003 in Gisborne versus $2,452 in Suva.

Gisborne $4,003
Suva $2,452

Living in Gisborne is roughly 105% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gisborne is 43% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.26 NZ$49.97

$5.81 FJD 13.00

386.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.7 NZ$94.9

$44.24 FJD 99.1

21.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 NZ$15.96

$7.65 FJD 17.14

18.04%

Cappuccino

$3.44 NZ$6.09

$2.90 FJD 6.49

18.62%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$1.51 FJD 3.37

37.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$0.79 FJD 1.77

145.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.22 NZ$11.01

$3.47 FJD 7.77

79.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 NZ$10.18

$4.35 FJD 9.74

32.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.31 FJD 2.94

34.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$0.57 FJD 1.27

256.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.12 FJD 2.51

56.25%

Eggs

$5.93 NZ$10.49

$3.29 FJD 7.37

80.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 NZ$14.40

$10.30 FJD 23.07

-20.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 NZ$17.13

$6.36 FJD 14.25

52.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 NZ$25.09

$7.86 FJD 17.59

80.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.68

$2.53 FJD 5.65

4.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.51 FJD 5.61

-14.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.25

$3.43 FJD 7.69

-13.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 NZ$9.69

$3.22 FJD 7.21

70.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NZ$3.53

$1.29 FJD 2.88

55.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$1.11 FJD 2.49

32.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.16 FJD 2.59

90.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$0.72 FJD 1.62

54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$9.89 FJD 22.14

151.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 NZ$16.85

$7.47 FJD 16.73

27.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NZ$6.24

$2.14 FJD 4.80

64.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 NZ$5.21

$3.49 FJD 7.81

-15.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 NZ$2.77

$0.87 FJD 1.94

80.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 NZ$134

$21.76 FJD 48.72

249.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 NZ$4.32

$0.87 FJD 1.94

181.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 NZ$2.96

$0.46 FJD 1.03

263.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.09 NZ$49.68

$8.79 FJD 19.68

219.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NZ$3.88

$1.37 FJD 3.07

59.85%

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

$30.9K NZ$54.6K

$24.4K FJD 54.7K

26.35%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$25.2K FJD 56.4K

0.15%

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

$103 NZ$182

$45.44 FJD 102

126.08%

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

$24.95 NZ$44.12

$12.52 FJD 28.02

99.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.54 NZ$85.8

$24.31 FJD 54.4

99.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.81 NZ$61.6

$36.52 FJD 81.8

-4.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.95 FJD 24.52

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 NZ$20.12

$3.28 FJD 7.35

246.95%

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

$664 NZ$1,174

$225 FJD 503

195.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

$13.5K FJD 30.2K

44.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 NZ$105

$32.75 FJD 73.3

81.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.00 NZ$61.9

$40.10 FJD 89.8

-12.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 NZ$155

$68.4 FJD 153

28.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 NZ$169

$61.5 FJD 138

55.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 NZ$1,854

$880 FJD 1,971

19.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 NZ$1,440

$330 FJD 740

146.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 NZ$3,310

$2,636 FJD 5,902

-29.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 NZ$2,599

$967 FJD 2,164

52.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,477 NZ$9,685

$1,338 FJD 2,995

309.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,709 NZ$6,560

$820 FJD 1,835

352.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$969 FJD 2,169

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.7

-27.66%

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

Last update for Gisborne: October 18, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gisborne

$814 41.9%

Suva

$330 34.9% 59.4% $484

Eating Out

Gisborne

$353 18.2%

Suva

$139 14.7% 60.5% $214

Groceries & Markets

Gisborne

$323 16.6%

Suva

$232 24.5% 28.2% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gisborne

$176 9.1%

Suva

$82 8.7% 53.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Gisborne

$125 6.4%

Suva

$91 9.6% 26.9% $34

Getting Around

Gisborne

$93 4.8%

Suva

$28 3% 69.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Gisborne

$58 3%

Suva

$43 4.6% 25.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,048 in Gisborne and $880 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Gisborne vs $44.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $232 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Gisborne

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h behind Gisborne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,300

100,000 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.397 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.52 FJD (1 FJD = 0.397 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gisborne Suva 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gisborne
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

Gisborne vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,914 in Gisborne and $1,420 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,048 in Gisborne versus $880 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,943 per month in Gisborne versus $947 in Suva – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Suva runs roughly 249% less than in Gisborne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $947 in Suva versus $1,943 in Gisborne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Gisborne. The gap between the two cities makes Suva 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, Gisborne and Suva 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 Suva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Gisborne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.