Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotorua and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,431 in Rotorua, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Rotorua
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Rotorua Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Rotorua

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,431

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,431 per month in Rotorua vs $946 in Suva, rent included.

Rotorua $1,431
Suva $946

A couple spends around $2,308 per month in Rotorua vs $1,717 in Suva, rent included.

Rotorua $2,308
Suva $1,717

A family of three spends $3,184 per month in Rotorua vs $2,489 in Suva, rent included.

Rotorua $3,184
Suva $2,489

Rotorua costs about 51% more than Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rotorua sits 6% above the global median, while Suva is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 NZ$19.70

$5.93 FJD 13.28

87.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 NZ$120

$44.78 FJD 100

51.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 NZ$15.48

$7.51 FJD 16.81

16.51%

Cappuccino

$3.15 NZ$5.56

$2.85 FJD 6.37

10.53%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$1.50 FJD 3.36

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$0.75 FJD 1.67

130.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 NZ$10.66

$3.56 FJD 7.98

69.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.75

$4.57 FJD 10.24

45.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.33 FJD 2.97

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$0.57 FJD 1.28

121.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 NZ$2.15

$1.13 FJD 2.53

7.08%

Eggs

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$3.38 FJD 7.57

85.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 NZ$12.54

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-30.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 NZ$7.69

$6.34 FJD 14.19

-31.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 NZ$30.20

$7.96 FJD 17.82

114.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$2.49 FJD 5.58

10.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NZ$3.39

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-20.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 NZ$4.32

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-31.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NZ$10.51

$3.17 FJD 7.11

87.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.53

$1.26 FJD 2.83

13.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 NZ$1.43

$1.06 FJD 2.37

-23.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 NZ$1.03

$1.16 FJD 2.61

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$0.69 FJD 1.54

49.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.83 NZ$42.15

$9.89 FJD 22.15

140.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 NZ$14.51

$7.19 FJD 16.10

14.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 NZ$4.81

$2.11 FJD 4.74

28.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 NZ$5.72

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-4.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 NZ$2.30

$0.88 FJD 1.97

47.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 NZ$102

$22.34 FJD 50.0

157.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$0.92 FJD 2.05

136.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$0.45 FJD 1.01

324.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.71 NZ$56.1

$8.80 FJD 19.70

260.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.43 FJD 3.21

14.69%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

-7.74%

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

$20.1K NZ$35.6K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

-18.40%

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

$64.5 NZ$114

$46.26 FJD 104

39.45%

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

$25.75 NZ$45.54

$12.75 FJD 28.54

101.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.09 NZ$79.8

$24.21 FJD 54.2

86.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.11 NZ$67.4

$36.81 FJD 82.4

3.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 NZ$15.58

$3.42 FJD 7.65

157.60%

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

$663 NZ$1,172

$225 FJD 503

194.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K NZ$34.2K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

44.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 NZ$136

$33.29 FJD 74.5

130.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 NZ$29.59

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-57.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 NZ$160

$68.6 FJD 154

31.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 NZ$194

$59.9 FJD 134

83.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 NZ$1,209

$889 FJD 1,992

-23.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 NZ$966

$329 FJD 736

66.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 NZ$2,233

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 NZ$1,870

$999 FJD 2,236

5.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,013 NZ$7,097

$1,310 FJD 2,933

206.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,252 NZ$5,750

$820 FJD 1,836

296.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,673 NZ$6,495

$965 FJD 2,160

280.68%

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 Rotorua: 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

Rotorua

$546 38.1%

Suva

$329 34.7% 39.8% $217

Groceries & Markets

Rotorua

$276 19.3%

Suva

$231 24.4% 16.5% $45

Eating Out

Rotorua

$211 14.8%

Suva

$140 14.8% 33.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotorua

$135 9.5%

Suva

$83 8.8% 38.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Rotorua

$132 9.2%

Suva

$91 9.6% 31.5% $42

Getting Around

Rotorua

$75 5.2%

Suva

$29 3.1% 61.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rotorua

$56 3.9%

Suva

$44 4.6% 21.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $683 in Rotorua versus $889 in Suva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 281% higher in Rotorua, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Rotorua versus $45.00 in Suva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $231 – making Suva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rotorua

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h behind Rotorua

🌤 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 18, 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 18, 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

Rotorua Suva 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rotorua
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

Rotorua vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotorua costs about 51% more than Suva, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,147 per month in Rotorua and $1,419 in Suva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 20% more in Rotorua, 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 $68.0 in Rotorua and $45.00 in Suva. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Suva, where all-in costs run around $946, than in Rotorua at $1,431. In Suva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rotorua it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suva – 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 Suva. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rotorua makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.