Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $946 in Suva, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Suva outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

Jump to prices

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Masterton versus $946 in Suva.

Masterton $832
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,432 in Masterton versus $1,717 in Suva.

Masterton $1,432
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Masterton versus $2,489 in Suva.

Masterton $2,032
Suva $2,489

Living in Masterton costs roughly 12% less than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Masterton 38% lower, Suva 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.54 NZ$16.88

$5.93 FJD 13.28

60.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 NZ$115

$44.78 FJD 100

44.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$7.51 FJD 16.81

13.98%

Cappuccino

$3.18 NZ$5.62

$2.85 FJD 6.37

11.58%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$1.50 FJD 3.36

34.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$0.75 FJD 1.67

45.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 NZ$6.88

$3.56 FJD 7.98

9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.79

$4.57 FJD 10.24

-28.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 NZ$2.51

$1.33 FJD 2.97

6.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$0.57 FJD 1.28

287.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$1.13 FJD 2.53

-8.85%

Eggs

$6.32 NZ$11.17

$3.38 FJD 7.57

86.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 NZ$14.65

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-18.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.76

$6.34 FJD 14.19

49.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 NZ$26.85

$7.96 FJD 17.82

90.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$2.49 FJD 5.58

-12.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.27

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-16.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 NZ$8.11

$3.17 FJD 7.11

44.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.71

$1.26 FJD 2.83

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$1.06 FJD 2.37

1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.16 FJD 2.61

46.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.92

$0.69 FJD 1.54

-24.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.51 NZ$34.50

$9.89 FJD 22.15

97.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 NZ$19.83

$7.19 FJD 16.10

55.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NZ$1.50

$2.11 FJD 4.74

-59.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-66.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$0.88 FJD 1.97

153.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 FJD 50.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$0.92 FJD 2.05

96.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$0.45 FJD 1.01

288.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.16 NZ$60.4

$8.80 FJD 19.70

288.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.12

$1.43 FJD 3.21

23.78%

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

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

-9.36%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

0.55%

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

$55.0 NZ$97.3

$46.26 FJD 104

18.96%

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

$29.34 NZ$51.9

$12.75 FJD 28.54

130.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 NZ$93.3

$24.21 FJD 54.2

117.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 NZ$73.9

$36.81 FJD 82.4

13.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.51 NZ$15.06

$11.31 FJD 25.32

-24.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NZ$17.12

$3.42 FJD 7.65

183.04%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$225 FJD 503

369.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

-5.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 NZ$98.3

$33.29 FJD 74.5

66.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 NZ$48.79

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-30.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$68.6 FJD 154

49.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 NZ$251

$59.9 FJD 134

137.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 FJD 1,992

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 FJD 736

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 NZ$1,773

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-61.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 FJD 2,236

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,310 FJD 2,933

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 FJD 1,836

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,327 NZ$4,115

$965 FJD 2,160

141.19%

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 Masterton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$288 34.7%

Suva

$231 24.4% 19.9% $57

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.5%

Suva

$140 14.8% 21.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$147 17.7%

Suva

$91 9.6% 38.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$137 16.5%

Suva

$83 8.8% 39.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.4%

Suva

$44 4.6% 28.6% $18

Getting Around

Masterton

$19 * 2.3%

Suva

$29 3.1% 49.2% $9.6

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Suva

$329 34.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays 141% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Masterton vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

1 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masterton Suva 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

Masterton vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 141% higher in Masterton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Suva pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $832 per month in Masterton versus $946 in Suva – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $832 in Masterton versus $946 in Suva, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Suva. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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, Masterton 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 Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Suva. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.