Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lautoka and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lautoka and in Wellington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $333 in Lautoka versus $2,358 in Wellington.

Lautoka $333
Wellington $2,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $722 in Lautoka versus $3,368 in Wellington.

Lautoka $722
Wellington $3,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,112 in Lautoka versus $4,378 in Wellington.

Lautoka $1,112
Wellington $4,378

Living in Lautoka costs roughly 86% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lautoka is 75% below, Wellington is 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.19 FJD 11.61

$13.72 NZ$24.48

-62.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 FJD 177

$63.7 NZ$114

24.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 FJD 17.47

$8.95 NZ$15.96

-12.85%

Cappuccino

$2.56 FJD 5.72

$3.42 NZ$6.11

-25.15%

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

$2.12 FJD 4.74

$2.44 NZ$4.35

-13.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 FJD 3.38

$1.69 NZ$3.01

-10.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 FJD 5.44

$7.22 NZ$12.87

-66.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 FJD 6.84

$6.65 NZ$11.86

-54.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 FJD 3.72

$1.91 NZ$3.41

-13.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 FJD 1.64

$2.20 NZ$3.93

-66.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 FJD 1.95

$1.83 NZ$3.27

-52.46%

Eggs

$3.44 FJD 7.70

$6.77 NZ$12.08

-49.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.80 FJD 12.98

$9.05 NZ$16.14

-35.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 FJD 17.06

$9.85 NZ$17.58

-22.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 FJD 16.98

$15.19 NZ$27.10

-50.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 FJD 9.90

$3.12 NZ$5.57

41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.94

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 FJD 2.91

$3.07 NZ$5.48

-57.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 NZ$11.75

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 FJD 2.09

$2.06 NZ$3.67

-54.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 FJD 1.93

$1.23 NZ$2.20

-30.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 FJD 1.96

$2.07 NZ$3.69

-57.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 FJD 1.03

$1.15 NZ$2.05

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.93 FJD 24.46

$24.86 NZ$44.34

-56.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 FJD 12.22

$11.28 NZ$20.12

-51.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 FJD 5.74

$3.09 NZ$5.51

-16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 FJD 7.82

$2.87 NZ$5.12

21.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 NZ$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.15 NZ$60.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.99

$1.82 NZ$3.25

-26.92%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.6K

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

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

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

$197 NZ$351

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

$13.14 FJD 29.43

$32.00 NZ$57.1

-58.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$93.6

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$67.3

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 NZ$21.28

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

$1,056 NZ$1,883

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 NZ$136

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$50.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$178

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$272

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 FJD 1,007

$1,226 NZ$2,188

-63.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 NZ$2,035

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 FJD 1,952

$2,143 NZ$3,823

-59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 NZ$3,048

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,559 NZ$6,349

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$688 FJD 1,541

$2,785 NZ$4,968

-75.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5%

Wellington

$346 14.7% 81.2% $155

Eating Out

Lautoka

$128 38.6%

Wellington

$244 10.3% 89.8% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lautoka

$13 * 4%

Wellington

$281 11.9% 2040% $268

Getting Around

Lautoka

- * 0%

Wellington

$124 5.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Lautoka

- * 0%

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Lautoka

- * 0%

Wellington

$160 6.8%

Accommodation & Living

Lautoka

- * 0%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4%

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 $450 in Lautoka and $1,226 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 305% 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: $79.0 in Lautoka vs $64.0 in Wellington. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $346, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

1 h ahead of Lautoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lautoka Wellington 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lautoka
Wellington

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

Lautoka vs Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lautoka and Wellington differ by about 609% in total monthly costs ($333 vs $2,358 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 305% lower in Wellington. 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: $450 in Lautoka versus $1,226 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $64.0 in Wellington. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $333 per month in Lautoka versus $2,358 in Wellington – a 609% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $2,358 in Wellington, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka 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, Lautoka and Wellington 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 Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 609% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.