Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suva and Papamoa Beach

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.

46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Papamoa Beach
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Papamoa Beach Living Index

Jump to prices

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Papamoa Beach

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,053

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suva and in Papamoa Beach

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

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

Suva $946
Papamoa Beach $2,053

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

Suva $1,717
Papamoa Beach $3,092

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

Suva $2,489
Papamoa Beach $4,131

Living in Suva costs roughly 54% less than in Papamoa Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.93 FJD 13.28

$13.90 NZ$24.59

-57.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.78 FJD 100

$67.3 NZ$119

-33.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 FJD 16.81

$8.75 NZ$15.48

-14.17%

Cappuccino

$2.85 FJD 6.37

$3.43 NZ$6.06

-16.91%

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

$1.50 FJD 3.36

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-22.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 FJD 1.67

$1.71 NZ$3.03

-56.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 FJD 7.98

$6.68 NZ$11.81

-46.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 FJD 10.24

$6.82 NZ$12.06

-32.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.97

$1.88 NZ$3.33

-29.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 FJD 1.28

$2.25 NZ$3.98

-74.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 FJD 2.53

$1.89 NZ$3.34

-40.21%

Eggs

$3.38 FJD 7.57

$6.38 NZ$11.29

-47.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 FJD 22.78

$8.80 NZ$15.56

15.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 FJD 14.19

$9.98 NZ$17.66

-36.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 FJD 17.82

$17.19 NZ$30.39

-53.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 FJD 5.58

$2.83 NZ$5.01

-12.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 FJD 5.43

$2.11 NZ$3.74

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 FJD 7.94

$2.96 NZ$5.24

19.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 FJD 7.11

$5.69 NZ$10.06

-44.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 FJD 2.83

$2.15 NZ$3.80

-41.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 FJD 2.37

$1.53 NZ$2.70

-30.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 FJD 2.61

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-42.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 FJD 1.54

$1.09 NZ$1.92

-36.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 FJD 22.15

$26.81 NZ$47.41

-63.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 FJD 16.10

$10.37 NZ$18.34

-30.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 FJD 4.74

$2.76 NZ$4.89

-23.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 FJD 7.60

$3.39 NZ$6.00

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 FJD 1.97

$1.72 NZ$3.05

-48.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 FJD 50.0

$91.8 NZ$162

-75.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 FJD 2.05

$2.29 NZ$4.05

-59.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

$2.02 NZ$3.57

-77.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 FJD 19.70

$31.49 NZ$55.7

-72.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 FJD 3.21

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-21.43%

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

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

-2.08%

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

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

$21.6K NZ$38.3K

14.12%

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

$46.26 FJD 104

$178 NZ$314

-73.96%

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

$12.75 FJD 28.54

$26.63 NZ$47.10

-52.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.21 FJD 54.2

$49.80 NZ$88.1

-51.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.81 FJD 82.4

$36.99 NZ$65.4

-0.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 FJD 7.65

$12.91 NZ$22.83

-73.51%

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

$225 FJD 503

$1,104 NZ$1,952

-79.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

$19.0K NZ$33.7K

-29.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.29 FJD 74.5

$80.2 NZ$142

-58.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 FJD 88.8

$40.21 NZ$71.1

-1.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 FJD 154

$93.8 NZ$166

-26.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 FJD 134

$109 NZ$193

-45.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 FJD 1,992

$847 NZ$1,498

5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 FJD 736

$898 NZ$1,588

-63.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,589 FJD 5,797

$1,575 NZ$2,786

64.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 FJD 2,236

$1,562 NZ$2,762

-36.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,310 FJD 2,933

$4,690 NZ$8,294

-72.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 FJD 1,836

$3,670 NZ$6,490

-77.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.7

5.37

43.39%

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

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Papamoa Beach: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suva

$329 34.7%

Papamoa Beach

$898 43.7% 173% $569

Groceries & Markets

Suva

$231 24.4%

Papamoa Beach

$341 16.6% 48% $111

Eating Out

Suva

$140 14.8%

Papamoa Beach

$240 11.7% 71.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Suva

$91 9.6%

Papamoa Beach

$146 7.1% 60.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suva

$83 8.8%

Papamoa Beach

$254 12.4% 205% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Suva

$44 4.6%

Papamoa Beach

$63 3.1% 43.9% $19

Getting Around

Suva

$29 3.1%

Papamoa Beach

$111 5.4% 283% $82

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇫🇯 Suva

🇳🇿 Papamoa Beach

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

13:38 1:38 PM

1 h ahead of Suva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000 Capital

25,272

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

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

From you

Suva
Papamoa Beach

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 Papamoa Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $1,419 in Suva and $3,080 in Papamoa Beach 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: $889 in Suva versus $847 in Papamoa Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $225 in Suva versus $1,104 in Papamoa Beach. 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, Suva and Papamoa Beach 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.