Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,821 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $946 in Suva.

New Plymouth $1,821
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,787 in New Plymouth versus $1,717 in Suva.

New Plymouth $2,787
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,753 in New Plymouth versus $2,489 in Suva.

New Plymouth $3,753
Suva $2,489

Living in New Plymouth is roughly 92% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: New Plymouth is 35% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.79 NZ$20.86

$5.93 FJD 13.28

98.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 NZ$118

$44.78 FJD 100

48.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 NZ$14.89

$7.51 FJD 16.81

12.12%

Cappuccino

$3.31 NZ$5.85

$2.85 FJD 6.37

16.14%

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

$2.10 NZ$3.71

$1.50 FJD 3.36

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 NZ$3.25

$0.75 FJD 1.67

145.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.25 NZ$9.28

$3.56 FJD 7.98

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NZ$9.75

$4.57 FJD 10.24

20.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.58

$1.33 FJD 2.97

9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.21

$0.57 FJD 1.28

119.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$1.13 FJD 2.53

43.36%

Eggs

$5.35 NZ$9.47

$3.38 FJD 7.57

58.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.48 NZ$9.69

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-46.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.23 NZ$12.79

$6.34 FJD 14.19

14.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$7.96 FJD 17.82

45.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 NZ$4.33

$2.49 FJD 5.58

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.36

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NZ$5.22

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.26 NZ$11.08

$3.17 FJD 7.11

97.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$1.26 FJD 2.83

61.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.06 FJD 2.37

32.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 NZ$3.14

$1.16 FJD 2.61

52.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.22

$0.69 FJD 1.54

82.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.05 NZ$39.00

$9.89 FJD 22.15

122.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 NZ$14.88

$7.19 FJD 16.10

16.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.14

$2.11 FJD 4.74

37.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 NZ$6.65

$3.39 FJD 7.60

10.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$0.88 FJD 1.97

93.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 NZ$131

$22.34 FJD 50.0

232.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 NZ$6.39

$0.92 FJD 2.05

292.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 FJD 19.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.43 FJD 3.21

15.38%

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

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

8.70%

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

$22.6K NZ$39.9K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

-8.58%

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

$127 NZ$225

$46.26 FJD 104

174.79%

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

$27.63 NZ$48.87

$12.75 FJD 28.54

116.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.97 NZ$84.8

$24.21 FJD 54.2

98.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.55 NZ$75.3

$36.81 FJD 82.4

15.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 NZ$14.14

$3.42 FJD 7.65

133.92%

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

$669 NZ$1,183

$225 FJD 503

197.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K NZ$40.2K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

69.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 NZ$109

$33.29 FJD 74.5

85.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.35 NZ$67.8

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-3.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 NZ$155

$68.6 FJD 154

27.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NZ$182

$59.9 FJD 134

71.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 NZ$1,612

$889 FJD 1,992

2.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$853 NZ$1,508

$329 FJD 736

159.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 NZ$3,040

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-33.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 NZ$2,727

$999 FJD 2,236

54.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,136 NZ$5,547

$1,310 FJD 2,933

139.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,566 NZ$4,539

$820 FJD 1,836

213.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,766 NZ$4,891

$965 FJD 2,160

186.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

7.7

-22.99%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: October 12, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Plymouth

$853 46.8%

Suva

$329 34.7% 61.5% $524

Groceries & Markets

New Plymouth

$279 15.3%

Suva

$231 24.4% 17.3% $48

Eating Out

New Plymouth

$212 11.7%

Suva

$140 14.8% 34% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Plymouth

$203 11.1%

Suva

$83 8.8% 59% $120

Clothing & Footwear

New Plymouth

$131 7.2%

Suva

$91 9.6% 30.6% $40

Getting Around

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7%

Suva

$29 3.1% 65.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

New Plymouth

$59 3.2%

Suva

$44 4.6% 25.5% $15

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 $911 in New Plymouth and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Plymouth pays 187% 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: $67.0 in New Plymouth vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

1 h behind New Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

New Plymouth Suva 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

New Plymouth
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

New Plymouth vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth and Suva differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $946 including rent). Suva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 187% higher in New Plymouth, 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: $911 in New Plymouth 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 232% less than in New Plymouth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $669 in New Plymouth 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 $1,821 in New Plymouth, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in New Plymouth. 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, New Plymouth 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 92% less than in New Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.