Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papamoa Beach and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $2,053 in Papamoa Beach, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Papamoa Beach
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Papamoa Beach Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

Jump to prices

Papamoa Beach

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,053

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,053 in Papamoa Beach versus $946 in Suva.

Papamoa Beach $2,053
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,092 in Papamoa Beach versus $1,717 in Suva.

Papamoa Beach $3,092
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,131 in Papamoa Beach versus $2,489 in Suva.

Papamoa Beach $4,131
Suva $2,489

Living in Papamoa Beach is roughly 117% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Papamoa Beach is 52% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.90 NZ$24.59

$5.93 FJD 13.28

134.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 NZ$119

$44.78 FJD 100

50.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 NZ$15.48

$7.51 FJD 16.81

16.51%

Cappuccino

$3.43 NZ$6.06

$2.85 FJD 6.37

20.35%

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

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.50 FJD 3.36

28.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$0.75 FJD 1.67

128.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.81

$3.56 FJD 7.98

87.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 NZ$12.06

$4.57 FJD 10.24

49.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$1.33 FJD 2.97

41.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$3.98

$0.57 FJD 1.28

294.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.34

$1.13 FJD 2.53

67.26%

Eggs

$6.38 NZ$11.29

$3.38 FJD 7.57

88.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-13.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 NZ$17.66

$6.34 FJD 14.19

57.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 NZ$30.39

$7.96 FJD 17.82

115.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$2.49 FJD 5.58

13.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.74

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-13.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.24

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-16.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.69 NZ$10.06

$3.17 FJD 7.11

79.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.80

$1.26 FJD 2.83

70.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.70

$1.06 FJD 2.37

44.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.16 FJD 2.61

74.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.92

$0.69 FJD 1.54

57.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.81 NZ$47.41

$9.89 FJD 22.15

171.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 NZ$18.34

$7.19 FJD 16.10

44.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$2.11 FJD 4.74

30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$6.00

$3.39 FJD 7.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 NZ$3.05

$0.88 FJD 1.97

95.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.8 NZ$162

$22.34 FJD 50.0

310.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.05

$0.92 FJD 2.05

148.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$0.45 FJD 1.01

348.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.49 NZ$55.7

$8.80 FJD 19.70

257.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.43 FJD 3.21

27.27%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

2.12%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.3K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

-12.37%

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

$178 NZ$314

$46.26 FJD 104

284.05%

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

$26.63 NZ$47.10

$12.75 FJD 28.54

108.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.80 NZ$88.1

$24.21 FJD 54.2

105.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.99 NZ$65.4

$36.81 FJD 82.4

0.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 NZ$22.83

$3.42 FJD 7.65

277.49%

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

$1,104 NZ$1,952

$225 FJD 503

390.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K NZ$33.7K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

42.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 NZ$142

$33.29 FJD 74.5

140.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.21 NZ$71.1

$39.64 FJD 88.8

1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 NZ$166

$68.6 FJD 154

36.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 NZ$193

$59.9 FJD 134

82.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 NZ$1,498

$889 FJD 1,992

-4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 NZ$1,588

$329 FJD 736

173.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 NZ$2,786

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-39.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,562 NZ$2,762

$999 FJD 2,236

56.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,690 NZ$8,294

$1,310 FJD 2,933

258.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 NZ$6,490

$820 FJD 1,836

347.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

7.7

-30.26%

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

Last update for Papamoa Beach: October 13, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papamoa Beach

$898 43.7%

Suva

$329 34.7% 63.4% $569

Groceries & Markets

Papamoa Beach

$341 16.6%

Suva

$231 24.4% 32.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papamoa Beach

$254 12.4%

Suva

$83 8.8% 67.2% $171

Eating Out

Papamoa Beach

$240 11.7%

Suva

$140 14.8% 41.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Papamoa Beach

$146 7.1%

Suva

$91 9.6% 37.7% $55

Getting Around

Papamoa Beach

$111 5.4%

Suva

$29 3.1% 73.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Papamoa Beach

$63 3.1%

Suva

$44 4.6% 30.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $847 in Papamoa Beach and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Papamoa Beach vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Papamoa Beach

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h behind Papamoa Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,272

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

Papamoa Beach Suva 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Papamoa Beach
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

Papamoa Beach vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papamoa Beach and Suva differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($2,053 vs $946 including rent). Suva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,080 in Papamoa Beach and $1,419 in Suva to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $847 in Papamoa Beach versus $889 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,104 in Papamoa Beach versus $225 in Suva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Papamoa Beach. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $946 in Suva versus $2,053 in Papamoa Beach, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Papamoa Beach. 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, Papamoa Beach 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 117% less than in Papamoa Beach. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.