Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suva and Canterbury

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $899 a month against $946 in Suva, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Suva outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

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Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suva and in Canterbury

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

A single person spends $946 per month in Suva vs $899 in Canterbury, rent included.

Suva $946
Canterbury $899

A couple spends around $1,717 per month in Suva vs $1,491 in Canterbury, rent included.

Suva $1,717
Canterbury $1,491

A family of three spends $2,489 per month in Suva vs $2,083 in Canterbury, rent included.

Suva $2,489
Canterbury $2,083

Suva costs about 5% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Suva and Canterbury are more affordable than the global median – Suva 30% lower, Canterbury 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.93 FJD 13.28

$14.25 NZ$25.20

-58.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.78 FJD 100

$60.4 NZ$107

-25.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 FJD 16.81

$11.29 NZ$19.97

-33.48%

Cappuccino

$2.85 FJD 6.37

$2.99 NZ$5.29

-4.68%

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

$1.50 FJD 3.36

$2.11 NZ$3.74

-28.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 FJD 1.67

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-63.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 FJD 7.98

$3.88 NZ$6.87

-8.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 FJD 10.24

$6.29 NZ$11.12

-27.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.97

$2.16 NZ$3.82

-38.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 FJD 1.28

$1.99 NZ$3.52

-71.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 FJD 2.53

$1.74 NZ$3.07

-35.06%

Eggs

$3.38 FJD 7.57

$5.43 NZ$9.61

-37.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 FJD 22.78

$8.55 NZ$15.12

19.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 FJD 14.19

$8.96 NZ$15.84

-29.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 FJD 17.82

$15.90 NZ$28.12

-49.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 FJD 5.58

$3.01 NZ$5.33

-17.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 FJD 5.43

$2.26 NZ$3.99

7.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 FJD 7.94

$3.20 NZ$5.66

10.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 FJD 7.11

$5.14 NZ$9.09

-38.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 FJD 2.83

$1.81 NZ$3.19

-30.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 FJD 2.37

$1.77 NZ$3.13

-40.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 FJD 2.61

$2.27 NZ$4.01

-48.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 FJD 1.54

$0.55 NZ$0.96

25.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 FJD 22.15

$21.04 NZ$37.20

-52.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 FJD 16.10

$8.82 NZ$15.60

-18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 FJD 4.74

$3.09 NZ$5.46

-31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 FJD 7.60

$1.19 NZ$2.11

184.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 FJD 1.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 FJD 50.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 FJD 2.05

$5.66 NZ$10.00

-83.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 FJD 19.70

$27.93 NZ$49.39

-68.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 FJD 3.21

$1.61 NZ$2.84

-11.18%

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

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

-1.46%

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

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

$25.4K NZ$45.0K

-2.92%

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

$46.26 FJD 104

$109 NZ$192

-57.48%

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

$12.75 FJD 28.54

$28.43 NZ$50.3

-55.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.21 FJD 54.2

$51.1 NZ$90.3

-52.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.81 FJD 82.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 FJD 7.65

$10.13 NZ$17.92

-66.24%

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

$225 FJD 503

$570 NZ$1,008

-60.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.29 FJD 74.5

$58.6 NZ$104

-43.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 FJD 88.8

$21.87 NZ$38.67

81.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 FJD 154

$90.3 NZ$160

-24.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 FJD 134

$134 NZ$238

-55.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 FJD 1,992

$902 NZ$1,595

-1.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 FJD 736

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,589 FJD 5,797

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 FJD 2,236

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,310 FJD 2,933

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 FJD 1,836

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

$2,721 NZ$4,813

-64.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.7

92.50%

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

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suva

$329 34.7%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Suva

$231 24.4%

Canterbury

$315 35.1% 36.7% $85

Eating Out

Suva

$140 14.8%

Canterbury

$232 25.8% 65.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Suva

$91 9.6%

Canterbury

$137 15.3% 51.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suva

$83 8.8%

Canterbury

$188 20.9% 126% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Suva

$44 4.6%

Canterbury

$20 * 2.3% 53.6% $23

Getting Around

Suva

$29 3.1%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 80.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $889 in Suva versus $902 in Canterbury. 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 182% higher in Canterbury, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Suva versus $60.0 in Canterbury. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $315 – making Suva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Suva

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

1 h ahead of Suva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.397 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Suva Canterbury 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Suva
Canterbury

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

Suva vs Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $946 in Suva, $899 in Canterbury – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,419 per month in Suva and $1,349 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Suva and $60.0 in Canterbury. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 37% cheaper in Suva – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $899, than in Suva at $946. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Suva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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