Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $927 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $927 in Suva.

Melbourne $2,852
Suva $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,681 in Suva.

Melbourne $4,297
Suva $1,681

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,435 in Suva.

Melbourne $5,742
Suva $2,435

Living in Melbourne is roughly 208% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Suva is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$5.72 FJD 12.81

210.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$44.13 FJD 98.8

92.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$7.76 FJD 17.37

56.70%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$2.91 FJD 6.52

35.05%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$1.50 FJD 3.36

109.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.73 FJD 1.64

232.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$3.67 FJD 8.21

169.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$4.33 FJD 9.70

91.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.28 FJD 2.86

21.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$0.56 FJD 1.26

437.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$1.13 FJD 2.52

154.87%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$3.39 FJD 7.60

60.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$10.04 FJD 22.48

5.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$6.06 FJD 13.57

58.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$7.82 FJD 17.50

91.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$2.47 FJD 5.54

68.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$2.42 FJD 5.43

26.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$3.48 FJD 7.79

-5.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$3.12 FJD 6.99

52.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$1.22 FJD 2.72

149.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$1.07 FJD 2.39

138.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.22 FJD 2.73

103.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.73 FJD 1.64

123.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$9.66 FJD 21.62

356.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$7.33 FJD 16.41

69.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$2.07 FJD 4.64

157.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$3.43 FJD 7.69

50.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$0.94 FJD 2.11

308.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$22.37 FJD 50.1

532.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$0.87 FJD 1.94

405.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.42 FJD 0.94

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$8.95 FJD 20.04

233.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.46 FJD 3.26

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$24.4K FJD 54.6K

15.33%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$25.6K FJD 57.4K

1.29%

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

$233 A$334

$46.38 FJD 104

401.62%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$12.79 FJD 28.65

113.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$23.98 FJD 53.7

137.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$36.85 FJD 82.5

42.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$11.30 FJD 25.29

100.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$3.43 FJD 7.68

398.54%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$228 FJD 509

943.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

127.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$33.19 FJD 74.3

135.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$40.53 FJD 90.8

24.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$68.9 FJD 154

74.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$61.4 FJD 138

116.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$891 FJD 1,995

92.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$330 FJD 740

324.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$2,641 FJD 5,913

26.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$1,001 FJD 2,241

152.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$1,320 FJD 2,956

431.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

$818 FJD 1,832

727.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

$961 FJD 2,151

340.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

7.7

-23.38%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Suva

$330 34.9% 76.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Suva

$228 24.1% 40.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Suva

$83 8.8% 73.8% $234

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Suva

$140 14.8% 55.4% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Suva

$92 9.7% 46.6% $80

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Suva

$29 3.1% 82.7% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Suva

$44 4.6% 49.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $891 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 340% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $44.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $228 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h ahead of Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

100,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Suva 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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

Melbourne vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Suva differ by about 208% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $927 including rent). Suva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 340% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $891 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $228 in Suva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $927 in Suva versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. 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, Melbourne 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 208% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.