Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suva and Waitakere

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,758 in Waitakere, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Waitakere
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Waitakere Living Index

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Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Waitakere

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suva and in Waitakere

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $946 in Suva versus $1,758 in Waitakere.

Suva $946
Waitakere $1,758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,717 in Suva versus $2,769 in Waitakere.

Suva $1,717
Waitakere $2,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,489 in Suva versus $3,779 in Waitakere.

Suva $2,489
Waitakere $3,779

Living in Suva costs roughly 46% less than in Waitakere, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.93 FJD 13.28

$11.78 NZ$20.84

-49.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.78 FJD 100

$73.0 NZ$129

-38.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 FJD 16.81

$8.43 NZ$14.91

-10.91%

Cappuccino

$2.85 FJD 6.37

$3.32 NZ$5.88

-14.16%

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

$1.50 FJD 3.36

$2.29 NZ$4.04

-34.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 FJD 1.67

$2.42 NZ$4.27

-69.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 FJD 7.98

$6.21 NZ$10.98

-42.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 FJD 10.24

$5.55 NZ$9.82

-17.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.97

$1.48 NZ$2.61

-10.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 FJD 1.28

$1.29 NZ$2.28

-55.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 FJD 2.53

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-42.93%

Eggs

$3.38 FJD 7.57

$5.20 NZ$9.19

-35.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 FJD 22.78

$5.46 NZ$9.66

86.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 FJD 14.19

$7.48 NZ$13.23

-15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 FJD 17.82

$11.77 NZ$20.81

-32.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 FJD 5.58

$2.55 NZ$4.52

-2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 FJD 5.43

$2.20 NZ$3.89

10.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 FJD 7.94

$3.21 NZ$5.68

10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 FJD 7.11

$6.26 NZ$11.07

-49.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 FJD 2.83

$1.97 NZ$3.49

-36.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 FJD 2.37

$1.35 NZ$2.39

-21.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 FJD 2.61

$2.52 NZ$4.46

-53.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 FJD 1.54

$0.94 NZ$1.67

-26.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 FJD 22.15

$24.90 NZ$44.04

-60.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 FJD 16.10

$10.63 NZ$18.80

-32.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 FJD 4.74

$4.02 NZ$7.11

-47.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 FJD 7.60

$4.01 NZ$7.08

-15.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 FJD 1.97

$1.76 NZ$3.12

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 FJD 50.0

$80.2 NZ$142

-72.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 FJD 2.05

$3.56 NZ$6.30

-74.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

$2.00 NZ$3.54

-77.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 FJD 19.70

$32.06 NZ$56.7

-72.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 FJD 3.21

$1.63 NZ$2.89

-12.27%

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

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

$26.1K NZ$46.1K

-6.77%

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

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

$23.0K NZ$40.7K

7.20%

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

$46.26 FJD 104

$57.2 NZ$101

-19.10%

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

$12.75 FJD 28.54

$36.71 NZ$64.9

-65.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.21 FJD 54.2

$53.7 NZ$95.0

-54.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.81 FJD 82.4

$41.56 NZ$73.5

-11.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 FJD 7.65

$13.65 NZ$24.14

-74.95%

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

$225 FJD 503

$676 NZ$1,196

-66.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

$22.3K NZ$39.4K

-39.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.29 FJD 74.5

$62.2 NZ$110

-46.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 FJD 88.8

$38.26 NZ$67.7

3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 FJD 154

$95.4 NZ$169

-28.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 FJD 134

$106 NZ$187

-43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 FJD 1,992

$836 NZ$1,479

6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 FJD 736

$790 NZ$1,397

-58.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,589 FJD 5,797

$1,657 NZ$2,930

56.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 FJD 2,236

$1,479 NZ$2,615

-32.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,310 FJD 2,933

$4,449 NZ$7,868

-70.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 FJD 1,836

$3,591 NZ$6,350

-77.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.7

6.83

12.74%

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

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Waitakere: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suva

$329 34.7%

Waitakere

$790 44.9% 140% $461

Groceries & Markets

Suva

$231 24.4%

Waitakere

$295 16.8% 27.8% $64

Eating Out

Suva

$140 14.8%

Waitakere

$220 12.5% 57.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Suva

$91 9.6%

Waitakere

$136 7.7% 49.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suva

$83 8.8%

Waitakere

$148 8.4% 77.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Suva

$44 4.6%

Waitakere

$69 3.9% 57.8% $25

Getting Around

Suva

$29 3.1%

Waitakere

$101 5.7% 247% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $889 in Suva and $836 in Waitakere. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Suva vs $73.0 in Waitakere for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $295 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Suva

🇳🇿 Waitakere

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

1 h ahead of Suva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000 Capital

1,830

💱 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

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Between locations

Suva Waitakere 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Suva
Waitakere

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 Waitakere: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 86% lower than in Waitakere. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suva the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,419 in Suva and $2,637 in Waitakere 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 $836 in Waitakere. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suva runs roughly 259% less than in Waitakere. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $225 in Suva versus $676 in Waitakere. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $946 in Suva versus $1,758 in Waitakere, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Waitakere. 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 Waitakere 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 86% less than in Waitakere. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.