Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suva and Paarl

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $941 a month against $1,168 in Paarl, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Paarl
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Paarl Living Index

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Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$941

/mo nomad

Paarl

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suva and in Paarl

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

A single person spends $941 per month in Suva vs $1,168 in Paarl, rent included.

Suva $941
Paarl $1,168

A couple spends around $1,702 per month in Suva vs $2,018 in Paarl, rent included.

Suva $1,702
Paarl $2,018

A family of three spends $2,463 per month in Suva vs $2,867 in Paarl, rent included.

Suva $2,463
Paarl $2,867

Suva is about 19% cheaper than Paarl, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Suva and Paarl are more affordable than the global median – Suva 31% lower, Paarl 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.93 FJD 13.23

$12.17 R 203

-51.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.61 FJD 97.3

$46.36 R 772

-5.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 FJD 17.12

$5.98 R 99.7

28.26%

Cappuccino

$2.90 FJD 6.47

$2.11 R 35.22

37.44%

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

$1.52 FJD 3.40

$1.03 R 17.23

47.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 FJD 1.65

$0.97 R 16.17

-23.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 FJD 7.74

$2.34 R 39.07

48.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 FJD 10.18

$2.78 R 46.34

64.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 FJD 2.93

$1.35 R 22.44

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 FJD 1.17

$1.11 R 18.49

-53.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 FJD 2.49

$2.19 R 36.46

-49.32%

Eggs

$3.22 FJD 7.19

$2.68 R 44.62

20.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 FJD 23.19

$7.43 R 124

39.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 FJD 14.10

$5.49 R 91.5

15.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 FJD 17.14

$9.67 R 161

-20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 FJD 5.50

$1.91 R 31.86

28.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 FJD 5.58

$1.94 R 32.39

28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 FJD 7.64

$1.69 R 28.16

102.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 FJD 7.16

$1.90 R 31.74

68.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 FJD 2.76

$0.63 R 10.57

96.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 FJD 2.44

$1.39 R 23.14

-20.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 FJD 2.67

$1.29 R 21.56

-6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 FJD 1.53

$1.02 R 17.00

-32.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 FJD 22.36

$3.68 R 61.4

172.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 FJD 16.10

$4.53 R 75.5

59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 FJD 4.73

$1.38 R 22.98

53.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 FJD 7.53

$2.15 R 35.89

56.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 FJD 1.57

$1.52 R 25.30

-53.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.49 FJD 54.6

$88.9 R 1,481

-72.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 FJD 1.93

$0.62 R 10.27

40.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 FJD 0.96

$0.47 R 7.80

-8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 FJD 20.16

$5.00 R 83.4

80.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 FJD 3.21

$1.42 R 23.60

1.41%

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

$24.4K FJD 54.3K

$34.8K R 580.6K

-30.09%

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

$25.4K FJD 56.7K

$33.5K R 558.7K

-24.19%

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

$45.96 FJD 103

$79.8 R 1,329

-42.39%

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

$12.73 FJD 28.39

$28.84 R 481

-55.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.66 FJD 52.8

$40.48 R 675

-41.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 FJD 81.9

$40.90 R 682

-10.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 FJD 24.50

$10.94 R 182

0.46%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 FJD 7.53

$8.94 R 149

-62.19%

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

$224 FJD 499

$266 R 4,436

-16.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K FJD 29.5K

$3,664 R 61.0K

261.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.66 FJD 75.1

$54.9 R 915

-38.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 FJD 88.3

$32.81 R 547

20.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 FJD 156

$114 R 1,906

-38.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.5 FJD 137

$105 R 1,755

-41.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 FJD 1,987

$805 R 13.4K

10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 FJD 719

$355 R 5,916

-9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,636 FJD 5,878

$1,242 R 20.7K

112.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$978 FJD 2,180

$1,009 R 16.8K

-3.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,327 FJD 2,960

$900 R 15.0K

47.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$827 FJD 1,845

$668 R 11.1K

23.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 FJD 2,111

$1,130 R 18.8K

-16.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.7

10.97

-29.81%

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

Last update for Suva: October 26, 2026

Last update for Paarl: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suva

$322 34.3%

Paarl

$355 30.4% 10.1% $33

Groceries & Markets

Suva

$229 24.4%

Paarl

$203 17.4% 11.6% $27

Eating Out

Suva

$141 15%

Paarl

$166 14.2% 17.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Suva

$92 9.8%

Paarl

$138 11.9% 50.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suva

$82 8.8%

Paarl

$149 12.8% 81.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Suva

$43 4.6%

Paarl

$59 5% 35.2% $15

Getting Around

Suva

$30 3.2%

Paarl

$98 8.4% 223% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Suva versus $805 in Paarl. 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 19% higher in Paarl, 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 $44 in Suva versus $46 in Paarl. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Suva vs $203 in Paarl – so Paarl wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Suva

🇿🇦 Paarl

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

00:05 12:05 AM

10 h behind Suva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000 Capital

112,045

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.448 USD

1 FJD = 0.403 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.48 FJD (1 FJD = 0.403 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Suva Paarl 13,850 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Suva
Paarl

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 Paarl: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paarl costs about 24% more than Suva, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,411 per month in Suva and $1,752 in Paarl. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paarl, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $805 there versus $891 in Suva.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Suva and $46 in Paarl. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $941 in Suva and $1,168 in Paarl. That makes Suva about 19% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $941 in Suva and $1,168 in Paarl. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Suva has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $941 in Suva to $1,168 in Paarl. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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