Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taupo and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,872 in Taupo, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Taupo
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Taupo Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

Jump to prices

Taupo

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,872

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taupo and in Suva

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taupo and in Suva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,872 in Taupo versus $946 in Suva.

Taupo $1,872
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,979 in Taupo versus $1,717 in Suva.

Taupo $2,979
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,087 in Taupo versus $2,489 in Suva.

Taupo $4,087
Suva $2,489

Living in Taupo is roughly 98% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taupo is 39% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.67

$5.93 FJD 13.28

135.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 NZ$116

$44.78 FJD 100

47.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 NZ$15.87

$7.51 FJD 16.81

19.44%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NZ$6.17

$2.85 FJD 6.37

22.46%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.51

$1.50 FJD 3.36

32.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$0.75 FJD 1.67

129.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 NZ$12.02

$3.56 FJD 7.98

91.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 NZ$12.22

$4.57 FJD 10.24

51.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.33 FJD 2.97

39.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.92

$0.57 FJD 1.28

289.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$1.13 FJD 2.53

66.37%

Eggs

$6.09 NZ$10.77

$3.38 FJD 7.57

80.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 NZ$14.97

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-16.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 NZ$17.76

$6.34 FJD 14.19

58.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.96 NZ$29.99

$7.96 FJD 17.82

113.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$2.49 FJD 5.58

15.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.69

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NZ$5.30

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-15.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 NZ$10.39

$3.17 FJD 7.11

85.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$1.26 FJD 2.83

62.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 NZ$2.80

$1.06 FJD 2.37

49.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 NZ$3.59

$1.16 FJD 2.61

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$0.69 FJD 1.54

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.43 NZ$48.51

$9.89 FJD 22.15

177.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$7.19 FJD 16.10

42.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.06

$2.11 FJD 4.74

35.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.90

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-1.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 NZ$3.19

$0.88 FJD 1.97

104.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.1 NZ$166

$22.34 FJD 50.0

321.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 NZ$3.88

$0.92 FJD 2.05

138.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 NZ$3.52

$0.45 FJD 1.01

342.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.92 NZ$56.4

$8.80 FJD 19.70

262.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$1.43 FJD 3.21

31.47%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.1K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

4.76%

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

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

-11.16%

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

$179 NZ$316

$46.26 FJD 104

286.06%

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

$26.37 NZ$46.64

$12.75 FJD 28.54

106.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.70 NZ$70.2

$24.21 FJD 54.2

63.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.25 NZ$72.9

$36.81 FJD 82.4

12.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 NZ$23.13

$3.42 FJD 7.65

282.46%

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

$1,119 NZ$1,979

$225 FJD 503

397.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

45.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 NZ$139

$33.29 FJD 74.5

136.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 NZ$69.8

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-0.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 NZ$162

$68.6 FJD 154

33.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 NZ$195

$59.9 FJD 134

84.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,842

$889 FJD 1,992

17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 NZ$1,273

$329 FJD 736

118.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 NZ$2,470

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-46.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 NZ$2,696

$999 FJD 2,236

52.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,739 NZ$8,381

$1,310 FJD 2,933

261.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,190 NZ$5,641

$820 FJD 1,836

289.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

7.7

-30.26%

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

Last update for Taupo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taupo

$720 38.5%

Suva

$329 34.7% 54.3% $391

Groceries & Markets

Taupo

$339 18.1%

Suva

$231 24.4% 32% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taupo

$245 13.1%

Suva

$83 8.8% 66% $161

Eating Out

Taupo

$243 13%

Suva

$140 14.8% 42.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Taupo

$144 7.7%

Suva

$91 9.6% 37.1% $53

Getting Around

Taupo

$113 6.1%

Suva

$29 3.1% 74.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Taupo

$67 3.6%

Suva

$44 4.6% 35.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Taupo and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Taupo vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Taupo

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

1 h behind Taupo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,000

100,000 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.397 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taupo Suva 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Taupo
Suva

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

Taupo vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 98% lower than in Taupo. 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 $2,807 in Taupo and $1,419 in Suva 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: $1,042 in Taupo versus $889 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suva runs roughly 321% less than in Taupo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,119 in Taupo versus $225 in Suva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $946 in Suva versus $1,872 in Taupo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Taupo. 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, Taupo and Suva 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 98% less than in Taupo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.