Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suva and Lower Hutt

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $2,199 in Lower Hutt, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lower Hutt
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Lower Hutt Living Index

Jump to prices

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Lower Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suva and in Lower Hutt

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 Lower Hutt actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $946 in Suva versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt.

Suva $946
Lower Hutt $2,199

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,717 in Suva versus $3,027 in Lower Hutt.

Suva $1,717
Lower Hutt $3,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,489 in Suva versus $3,854 in Lower Hutt.

Suva $2,489
Lower Hutt $3,854

Living in Suva costs roughly 57% less than in Lower Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Suva is 30% below, Lower Hutt is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.93 FJD 13.28

$10.42 NZ$18.43

-43.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.78 FJD 100

$33.22 NZ$58.8

34.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 FJD 16.81

$9.17 NZ$16.21

-18.10%

Cappuccino

$2.85 FJD 6.37

$2.99 NZ$5.28

-4.68%

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

$1.50 FJD 3.36

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 FJD 1.67

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-55.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 FJD 7.98

$2.75 NZ$4.86

29.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 FJD 10.24

$6.64 NZ$11.74

-31.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.97

$1.85 NZ$3.27

-28.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 FJD 1.28

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-66.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 FJD 2.53

$1.85 NZ$3.26

-38.92%

Eggs

$3.38 FJD 7.57

$6.98 NZ$12.34

-51.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 FJD 22.78

$8.48 NZ$15.00

20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 FJD 14.19

$8.25 NZ$14.59

-23.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 FJD 17.82

$12.41 NZ$21.95

-35.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 FJD 5.58

$2.83 NZ$5.00

-12.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 FJD 5.43

$2.01 NZ$3.56

20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 FJD 7.94

$2.93 NZ$5.18

21.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 FJD 7.11

$4.35 NZ$7.70

-27.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 FJD 2.83

$2.09 NZ$3.69

-39.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 FJD 2.37

$1.28 NZ$2.26

-17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 FJD 2.61

$2.06 NZ$3.64

-43.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 FJD 1.54

$1.18 NZ$2.09

-41.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 FJD 22.15

$16.53 NZ$29.24

-40.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 FJD 16.10

$8.49 NZ$15.01

-15.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 FJD 4.74

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-32.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 FJD 7.60

$2.81 NZ$4.97

20.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 FJD 1.97

$2.68 NZ$4.74

-67.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 FJD 50.0

$88.5 NZ$156

-74.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 FJD 2.05

$1.79 NZ$3.16

-48.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-74.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 FJD 19.70

$33.71 NZ$59.6

-73.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 FJD 3.21

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-12.80%

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

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

$25.3K NZ$44.7K

-3.77%

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

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

-0.18%

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

$46.26 FJD 104

$144 NZ$254

-67.82%

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

$12.75 FJD 28.54

$32.73 NZ$57.9

-61.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.21 FJD 54.2

$52.4 NZ$92.7

-53.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.81 FJD 82.4

$38.70 NZ$68.5

-4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 FJD 7.65

$9.59 NZ$16.96

-64.34%

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

$225 FJD 503

$683 NZ$1,208

-67.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

$11.1K NZ$19.6K

20.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.29 FJD 74.5

$78.0 NZ$138

-57.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 FJD 88.8

$28.28 NZ$50.0

40.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 FJD 154

$101 NZ$178

-31.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 FJD 134

$143 NZ$252

-57.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 FJD 1,992

$1,396 NZ$2,469

-36.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 FJD 736

$1,153 NZ$2,039

-71.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,589 FJD 5,797

$2,045 NZ$3,617

26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 FJD 2,236

$1,653 NZ$2,923

-39.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,310 FJD 2,933

$4,821 NZ$8,526

-72.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 FJD 1,836

$3,282 NZ$5,804

-75.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

$3,100 NZ$5,482

-68.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.7

5.39

42.86%

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

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lower Hutt: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suva

$329 34.7%

Lower Hutt

$1.2K 52.4% 251% $824

Groceries & Markets

Suva

$231 24.4%

Lower Hutt

$304 13.8% 31.7% $73

Eating Out

Suva

$140 14.8%

Lower Hutt

$188 8.6% 34.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Suva

$91 9.6%

Lower Hutt

$157 7.2% 73.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suva

$83 8.8%

Lower Hutt

$229 10.4% 175% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Suva

$44 4.6%

Lower Hutt

$58 2.6% 32.7% $14

Getting Around

Suva

$29 3.1%

Lower Hutt

$110 5% 278% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $889 in Suva and $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lower Hutt pays 221% 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: $45.00 in Suva vs $33.00 in Lower Hutt. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $304, with Suva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Suva

🇳🇿 Lower Hutt

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

1 h ahead of Suva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000 Capital

111,800

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Lower Hutt 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Suva
Lower Hutt

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 Lower Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 221% lower in Lower Hutt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $889 in Suva versus $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suva runs roughly 296% less than in Lower Hutt. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $225 in Suva versus $683 in Lower Hutt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $946 in Suva versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Lower Hutt. 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, Suva and Lower Hutt 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 132% less than in Lower Hutt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.