Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paihia and Nadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nadi: $1,386 a month against $1,878 in Paihia, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
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Paihia Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Nadi
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Nadi Living Index

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Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,878

/mo nomad

Nadi

🇫🇯 Fiji

$1,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paihia and in Nadi

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

A single person spends $1,878 per month in Paihia vs $1,386 in Nadi, rent included.

Paihia $1,878
Nadi $1,386

A couple spends around $2,919 per month in Paihia vs $2,044 in Nadi, rent included.

Paihia $2,919
Nadi $2,044

A family of three spends $3,960 per month in Paihia vs $2,702 in Nadi, rent included.

Paihia $3,960
Nadi $2,702

Paihia costs about 35% more than Nadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Paihia and Nadi sit above the global median – Paihia by 39%, Nadi by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.79 NZ$24.39

$8.87 FJD 19.85

55.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.24 NZ$58.8

$36.73 FJD 82.2

-9.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 NZ$14.77

$9.00 FJD 20.16

-7.22%

Cappuccino

$3.31 NZ$5.86

$4.41 FJD 9.88

-24.94%

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

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.49 FJD 3.35

28.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 NZ$3.18

$1.28 FJD 2.86

40.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.81

$2.74 FJD 6.13

143.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 NZ$11.72

$4.55 FJD 10.19

45.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.34 FJD 3.00

38.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 NZ$3.96

$1.08 FJD 2.43

107.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.34

$1.31 FJD 2.93

44.27%

Eggs

$6.39 NZ$11.29

$3.12 FJD 6.99

104.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 NZ$14.89

$12.07 FJD 27.01

-30.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.13

$13.75 FJD 30.78

-29.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 NZ$30.63

$15.66 FJD 35.07

10.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$2.94 FJD 6.57

-3.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.74

$2.77 FJD 6.20

-23.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NZ$5.33

$3.71 FJD 8.30

-18.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 NZ$10.05

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.67

$1.98 FJD 4.44

5.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.70

$1.98 FJD 4.44

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NZ$3.52

$1.10 FJD 2.45

80.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.83

$0.96 FJD 2.15

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.24 NZ$48.17

$9.46 FJD 21.19

187.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 NZ$18.37

$10.00 FJD 22.39

3.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$2.73 FJD 6.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$3.41 FJD 7.63

-3.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 NZ$2.82

$0.70 FJD 1.57

128.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.1 NZ$145

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 NZ$3.01

$1.14 FJD 2.55

49.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$0.42 FJD 0.94

376.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.30 NZ$55.4

$4.84 FJD 10.84

546.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$1.32 FJD 2.96

41.67%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$24.9K FJD 55.7K

2.63%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

$22.3K FJD 50.0K

0.13%

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

$184 NZ$325

$65.8 FJD 147

178.75%

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

$26.10 NZ$46.16

$17.97 FJD 40.23

45.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 NZ$89.4

$23.26 FJD 52.1

117.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.25 NZ$58.8

$37.21 FJD 83.3

-10.64%

Cinema Ticket

$12.74 NZ$22.53

$5.45 FJD 12.19

133.76%

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

$1,097 NZ$1,939

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.9 NZ$138

$29.10 FJD 65.2

167.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 NZ$69.5

$43.62 FJD 97.7

-9.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$161

$56.8 FJD 127

60.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 NZ$192

$67.7 FJD 152

60.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 NZ$1,660

$1,127 FJD 2,524

-16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 NZ$1,311

$645 FJD 1,444

15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 NZ$3,187

$1,673 FJD 3,745

7.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 NZ$2,843

$1,004 FJD 2,248

60.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 NZ$7,359

$679 FJD 1,521

512.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,605 NZ$6,376

$518 FJD 1,161

595.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 FJD 1,805

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

7.25

-25.93%

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

Last update for Paihia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nadi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paihia

$742 39.5%

Nadi

$645 46.5% 13% $97

Groceries & Markets

Paihia

$338 18%

Nadi

$306 * 22.1% 9.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paihia

$260 13.9%

Nadi

$107 7.7% 58.8% $153

Eating Out

Paihia

$237 12.6%

Nadi

$185 13.3% 21.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Paihia

$143 7.6%

Nadi

$89 6.4% 37.8% $54

Getting Around

Paihia

$100 5.3%

Nadi

$6 * 0.4% 94% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Paihia

$59 3.1%

Nadi

$48 3.5% 18.1% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $939 in Paihia versus $1,127 in Nadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Paihia versus $37.00 in Nadi. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Paihia vs $306 in Nadi – so Nadi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Paihia

🇫🇯 Nadi

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

01:52 1:52 AM

1 h behind Paihia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

50,000

💱 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

Paihia Nadi 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Paihia
Nadi

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

Paihia vs Nadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Paihia is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,816 per month in Paihia and $2,079 in Nadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nadi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Paihia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Paihia and $37.00 in Nadi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nadi, where all-in costs run around $1,386, than in Paihia at $1,878. In Nadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paihia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nadi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nadi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Paihia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.