Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,647 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,647

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Hamilton versus $946 in Suva.

Hamilton $1,647
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,571 in Hamilton versus $1,717 in Suva.

Hamilton $2,571
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,496 in Hamilton versus $2,489 in Suva.

Hamilton $3,496
Suva $2,489

Living in Hamilton is roughly 74% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hamilton is 22% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 NZ$20.83

$5.93 FJD 13.28

98.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 NZ$130

$44.78 FJD 100

64.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 NZ$14.98

$7.51 FJD 16.81

12.78%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.86

$2.85 FJD 6.37

16.49%

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

$2.26 NZ$3.99

$1.50 FJD 3.36

50.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 NZ$4.20

$0.75 FJD 1.67

217.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 NZ$11.04

$3.56 FJD 7.98

75.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 NZ$9.63

$4.57 FJD 10.24

19.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$1.33 FJD 2.97

9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.20

$0.57 FJD 1.28

119.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.46

$1.13 FJD 2.53

73.45%

Eggs

$5.25 NZ$9.29

$3.38 FJD 7.57

55.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.56 NZ$9.84

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-45.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.32 NZ$12.95

$6.34 FJD 14.19

15.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.83 NZ$20.92

$7.96 FJD 17.82

48.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 NZ$4.68

$2.49 FJD 5.58

6.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.05

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-5.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 NZ$5.70

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-9.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.30 NZ$11.14

$3.17 FJD 7.11

98.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.48

$1.26 FJD 2.83

56.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 NZ$2.46

$1.06 FJD 2.37

31.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 NZ$4.52

$1.16 FJD 2.61

120.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 NZ$1.70

$0.69 FJD 1.54

39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.97 NZ$44.16

$9.89 FJD 22.15

152.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 NZ$18.95

$7.19 FJD 16.10

48.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.88 NZ$6.87

$2.11 FJD 4.74

83.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$3.39 FJD 7.60

15.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 NZ$2.52

$0.88 FJD 1.97

61.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.33 NZ$71.3

$22.34 FJD 50.0

80.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 NZ$6.22

$0.92 FJD 2.05

282.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 FJD 19.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 NZ$3.01

$1.43 FJD 3.21

18.88%

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

$26.4K NZ$46.6K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

8.37%

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

$23.1K NZ$40.9K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

-6.41%

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

$56.1 NZ$99.2

$46.26 FJD 104

21.21%

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

$35.89 NZ$63.5

$12.75 FJD 28.54

181.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 NZ$95.8

$24.21 FJD 54.2

123.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.00 NZ$44.21

$36.81 FJD 82.4

-32.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 NZ$49.58

$11.31 FJD 25.32

147.83%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 NZ$24.52

$3.42 FJD 7.65

305.26%

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

$666 NZ$1,178

$225 FJD 503

196.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

67.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 NZ$108

$33.29 FJD 74.5

82.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.29 NZ$65.9

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-5.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 NZ$163

$68.6 FJD 154

34.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NZ$183

$59.9 FJD 134

73.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 NZ$1,913

$889 FJD 1,992

21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,327

$329 FJD 736

128.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 NZ$2,632

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-42.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 NZ$2,314

$999 FJD 2,236

31.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,890 NZ$6,880

$1,310 FJD 2,933

196.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,506 NZ$7,969

$820 FJD 1,836

449.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,634 NZ$4,658

$965 FJD 2,160

172.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

7.7

-11.30%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$751 45.6%

Suva

$329 34.7% 56.2% $422

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$295 17.9%

Suva

$231 24.4% 21.8% $64

Eating Out

Hamilton

$220 13.4%

Suva

$140 14.8% 36.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$146 8.9%

Suva

$83 8.8% 43.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$132 8%

Suva

$91 9.6% 31.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$53 3.2%

Suva

$44 4.6% 17.2% $9.1

Getting Around

Hamilton

$50 * 3%

Suva

$29 3.1% 41.4% $21

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 $1,082 in Hamilton and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 173% 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: $74.0 in Hamilton vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

1 h behind Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,500

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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hamilton Suva 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
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

Hamilton vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 173% higher in Hamilton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,082 in Hamilton versus $889 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Suva – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $74.0 in Hamilton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,647 per month in Hamilton versus $946 in Suva – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $946 in Suva versus $1,647 in Hamilton, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Hamilton. 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, Hamilton 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 74% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.