Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suva and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $927 a month against $2,342 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$927

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suva and in Wellington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $927 in Suva versus $2,342 in Wellington.

Suva $927
Wellington $2,342

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,681 in Suva versus $3,316 in Wellington.

Suva $1,681
Wellington $3,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,435 in Suva versus $4,291 in Wellington.

Suva $2,435
Wellington $4,291

Living in Suva costs roughly 60% less than in Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Suva is 31% below, Wellington is 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.72 FJD 12.81

$13.89 NZ$24.77

-58.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.13 FJD 98.8

$64.2 NZ$114

-31.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 FJD 17.37

$8.95 NZ$15.97

-13.30%

Cappuccino

$2.91 FJD 6.52

$3.29 NZ$5.86

-11.55%

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

$1.50 FJD 3.36

$2.35 NZ$4.20

-36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 FJD 1.64

$1.67 NZ$2.98

-56.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 FJD 8.21

$7.24 NZ$12.91

-49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 FJD 9.70

$6.75 NZ$12.04

-35.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 FJD 2.86

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-32.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 FJD 1.26

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-73.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 FJD 2.52

$1.82 NZ$3.24

-37.91%

Eggs

$3.39 FJD 7.60

$6.73 NZ$12.00

-49.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 FJD 22.48

$9.05 NZ$16.15

10.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.06 FJD 13.57

$9.54 NZ$17.02

-36.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 FJD 17.50

$15.30 NZ$27.29

-48.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 FJD 5.54

$3.16 NZ$5.64

-21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 FJD 5.43

$2.23 NZ$3.98

8.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 FJD 7.79

$2.97 NZ$5.29

17.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 FJD 6.99

$6.33 NZ$11.28

-50.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 FJD 2.72

$2.06 NZ$3.67

-40.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 FJD 2.39

$1.24 NZ$2.20

-13.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 FJD 2.73

$1.99 NZ$3.55

-38.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 FJD 1.64

$1.19 NZ$2.13

-38.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 FJD 21.62

$25.37 NZ$45.25

-61.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 FJD 16.41

$11.37 NZ$20.28

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 FJD 4.64

$3.17 NZ$5.66

-34.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 FJD 7.69

$2.76 NZ$4.92

24.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 FJD 2.11

$2.74 NZ$4.89

-65.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.37 FJD 50.1

$102 NZ$182

-78.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 FJD 1.94

$1.82 NZ$3.24

-52.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 FJD 0.94

$1.77 NZ$3.17

-76.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.95 FJD 20.04

$33.17 NZ$59.2

-73.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 FJD 3.26

$1.83 NZ$3.27

-20.22%

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

$24.4K FJD 54.6K

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

-4.78%

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

$25.6K FJD 57.4K

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

0.78%

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

$46.38 FJD 104

$199 NZ$354

-76.66%

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

$12.79 FJD 28.65

$32.79 NZ$58.5

-60.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.98 FJD 53.7

$53.5 NZ$95.4

-55.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 FJD 82.5

$38.58 NZ$68.8

-4.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.30 FJD 25.29

$16.40 NZ$29.25

-31.10%

Cinema Ticket

$3.43 FJD 7.68

$12.14 NZ$21.66

-71.75%

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

$228 FJD 509

$1,036 NZ$1,849

-78.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

4.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.19 FJD 74.3

$78.4 NZ$140

-57.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 FJD 90.8

$28.23 NZ$50.4

43.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 FJD 154

$103 NZ$184

-33.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.4 FJD 138

$155 NZ$276

-60.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 FJD 1,995

$1,228 NZ$2,190

-27.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 FJD 740

$1,139 NZ$2,032

-71.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,641 FJD 5,913

$2,171 NZ$3,873

21.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 FJD 2,241

$1,670 NZ$2,978

-40.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,320 FJD 2,956

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

-80.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$818 FJD 1,832

$3,505 NZ$6,252

-76.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$961 FJD 2,151

$2,818 NZ$5,027

-65.91%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suva

$330 34.9%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3% 245% $809

Groceries & Markets

Suva

$228 24.1%

Wellington

$343 14.5% 50.4% $115

Eating Out

Suva

$140 14.8%

Wellington

$243 10.3% 73.8% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Suva

$92 9.7%

Wellington

$164 7% 78.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suva

$83 8.8%

Wellington

$285 12.1% 243% $202

Sport & Entertainment

Suva

$44 4.6%

Wellington

$63 2.7% 43.8% $19

Getting Around

Suva

$29 3.1%

Wellington

$124 5.2% 325% $95

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Suva and $1,228 in Wellington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 193% 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: $44.00 in Suva vs $64.0 in Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $343 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Suva

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

20:12 8:12 PM

1 h ahead of Suva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000 Capital

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Suva Wellington 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Suva
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 153% lower than in Wellington. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suva the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 193% lower in Wellington. 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: $891 in Suva versus $1,228 in Wellington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suva runs roughly 356% less than in Wellington. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $228 in Suva versus $1,036 in Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $927 in Suva versus $2,342 in Wellington, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Wellington. The gap between the two cities makes Suva the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Suva delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $927 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Suva hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Suva and Wellington 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 153% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.