Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lower Hutt and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $2,199 in Lower Hutt, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lower Hutt
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Lower Hutt Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Lower Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,199

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,199 in Lower Hutt versus $946 in Suva.

Lower Hutt $2,199
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,027 in Lower Hutt versus $1,717 in Suva.

Lower Hutt $3,027
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,854 in Lower Hutt versus $2,489 in Suva.

Lower Hutt $3,854
Suva $2,489

Living in Lower Hutt is roughly 132% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lower Hutt is 63% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 NZ$18.43

$5.93 FJD 13.28

75.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.22 NZ$58.8

$44.78 FJD 100

-25.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 NZ$16.21

$7.51 FJD 16.81

22.10%

Cappuccino

$2.99 NZ$5.28

$2.85 FJD 6.37

4.91%

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

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.50 FJD 3.36

32.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.99

$0.75 FJD 1.67

125.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 NZ$4.86

$3.56 FJD 7.98

-22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.74

$4.57 FJD 10.24

45.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$1.33 FJD 2.97

39.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$0.57 FJD 1.28

198.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.26

$1.13 FJD 2.53

63.72%

Eggs

$6.98 NZ$12.34

$3.38 FJD 7.57

106.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 NZ$15.00

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 NZ$14.59

$6.34 FJD 14.19

30.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 NZ$21.95

$7.96 FJD 17.82

55.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$2.49 FJD 5.58

13.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 NZ$3.56

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-17.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.18

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-17.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 NZ$7.70

$3.17 FJD 7.11

37.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.69

$1.26 FJD 2.83

65.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 NZ$2.26

$1.06 FJD 2.37

20.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.16 FJD 2.61

77.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.09

$0.69 FJD 1.54

71.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.53 NZ$29.24

$9.89 FJD 22.15

67.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 NZ$15.01

$7.19 FJD 16.10

18.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.11 FJD 4.74

47.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$4.97

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 NZ$4.74

$0.88 FJD 1.97

204.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.5 NZ$156

$22.34 FJD 50.0

296.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$0.92 FJD 2.05

94.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$0.45 FJD 1.01

286.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.71 NZ$59.6

$8.80 FJD 19.70

283.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.43 FJD 3.21

14.69%

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

$25.3K NZ$44.7K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

3.92%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

0.18%

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

$144 NZ$254

$46.26 FJD 104

210.72%

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

$32.73 NZ$57.9

$12.75 FJD 28.54

156.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$24.21 FJD 54.2

116.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.70 NZ$68.5

$36.81 FJD 82.4

5.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$9.59 NZ$16.96

$3.42 FJD 7.65

180.41%

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

$683 NZ$1,208

$225 FJD 503

203.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K NZ$19.6K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

-17.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 NZ$138

$33.29 FJD 74.5

134.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.28 NZ$50.0

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-28.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 NZ$178

$68.6 FJD 154

46.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NZ$252

$59.9 FJD 134

138.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 NZ$2,469

$889 FJD 1,992

56.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 NZ$2,039

$329 FJD 736

250.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 NZ$3,617

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-21.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 NZ$2,923

$999 FJD 2,236

65.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,821 NZ$8,526

$1,310 FJD 2,933

268.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,282 NZ$5,804

$820 FJD 1,836

300.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,100 NZ$5,482

$965 FJD 2,160

221.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

7.7

-30.00%

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

Last update for Lower Hutt: 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

Lower Hutt

$1.2K 52.4%

Suva

$329 34.7% 71.5% $824

Groceries & Markets

Lower Hutt

$304 13.8%

Suva

$231 24.4% 24% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lower Hutt

$229 10.4%

Suva

$83 8.8% 63.6% $146

Eating Out

Lower Hutt

$188 8.6%

Suva

$140 14.8% 25.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lower Hutt

$157 7.2%

Suva

$91 9.6% 42.4% $67

Getting Around

Lower Hutt

$110 5%

Suva

$29 3.1% 73.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Lower Hutt

$58 2.6%

Suva

$44 4.6% 24.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,396 in Lower Hutt and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lower Hutt pays 221% 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: $33.00 in Lower Hutt vs $45.00 in Suva. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $231, with Suva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Lower Hutt

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

1 h behind Lower Hutt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,800

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

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Highest

Between locations

Lower Hutt Suva 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lower Hutt
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

Lower Hutt vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 221% higher in Lower Hutt, 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: $1,396 in Lower Hutt versus $889 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suva runs roughly 296% less than in Lower Hutt. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $683 in Lower Hutt versus $225 in Suva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $946 in Suva versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Lower Hutt. 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, Lower Hutt 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 132% less than in Lower Hutt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.