Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,980 in Timaru, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timaru 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 Timaru and in Suva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,980 in Timaru versus $946 in Suva.

Timaru $1,980
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,925 in Timaru versus $1,717 in Suva.

Timaru $2,925
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,870 in Timaru versus $2,489 in Suva.

Timaru $3,870
Suva $2,489

Living in Timaru is roughly 109% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Timaru is 47% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 NZ$24.41

$5.93 FJD 13.28

132.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 NZ$110

$44.78 FJD 100

38.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 NZ$18.93

$7.51 FJD 16.81

42.48%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NZ$5.95

$2.85 FJD 6.37

18.25%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.59

$1.50 FJD 3.36

35.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$0.75 FJD 1.67

141.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 NZ$10.11

$3.56 FJD 7.98

60.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.81

$4.57 FJD 10.24

33.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$1.33 FJD 2.97

-16.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$0.57 FJD 1.28

219.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$1.13 FJD 2.53

-3.54%

Eggs

$5.69 NZ$10.06

$3.38 FJD 7.57

68.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 NZ$14.57

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-19.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 NZ$16.15

$6.34 FJD 14.19

44.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 NZ$28.89

$7.96 FJD 17.82

105.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.17

$2.49 FJD 5.58

17.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.12

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NZ$5.72

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-8.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.18

$3.17 FJD 7.11

63.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$1.26 FJD 2.83

48.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.06 FJD 2.37

67.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NZ$3.98

$1.16 FJD 2.61

93.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.97

$0.69 FJD 1.54

-20.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.75 NZ$36.70

$9.89 FJD 22.15

109.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 NZ$9.96

$7.19 FJD 16.10

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 NZ$5.42

$2.11 FJD 4.74

45.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.09

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-65.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 NZ$2.91

$0.88 FJD 1.97

87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 NZ$163

$22.34 FJD 50.0

313.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.04

$0.92 FJD 2.05

148.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 NZ$3.68

$0.45 FJD 1.01

362.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.65 NZ$48.90

$8.80 FJD 19.70

214.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 NZ$2.61

$1.43 FJD 3.21

3.50%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

2.16%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

1.02%

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

$110 NZ$194

$46.26 FJD 104

137.25%

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

$22.70 NZ$40.15

$12.75 FJD 28.54

78.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.9

$24.21 FJD 54.2

112.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.87 NZ$68.7

$36.81 FJD 82.4

5.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 NZ$17.98

$3.42 FJD 7.65

197.37%

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

$579 NZ$1,025

$225 FJD 503

157.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

27.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 NZ$105

$33.29 FJD 74.5

77.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.65 NZ$61.3

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-12.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$161

$68.6 FJD 154

32.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$59.9 FJD 134

120.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 NZ$1,550

$889 FJD 1,992

-1.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 NZ$1,674

$329 FJD 736

187.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 NZ$2,857

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 NZ$2,670

$999 FJD 2,236

51.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,303 NZ$7,610

$1,310 FJD 2,933

228.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,018 NZ$5,337

$820 FJD 1,836

268.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

7.7

-8.18%

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

Last update for Timaru: 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

Timaru

$946 47.8%

Suva

$329 34.7% 65.3% $618

Groceries & Markets

Timaru

$297 15%

Suva

$231 24.4% 22.3% $66

Eating Out

Timaru

$239 12.1%

Suva

$140 14.8% 41.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timaru

$184 9.3%

Suva

$83 8.8% 54.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Timaru

$143 7.2%

Suva

$91 9.6% 36.4% $52

Getting Around

Timaru

$112 5.6%

Suva

$29 3.1% 74% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Timaru

$59 3%

Suva

$44 4.6% 26.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $877 in Timaru and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Timaru vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Timaru

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

1 h behind Timaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,600

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

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Between locations

Timaru Suva 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Timaru
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

Timaru vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Timaru. 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 $2,970 in Timaru 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: $877 in Timaru 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 314% less than in Timaru. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $579 in Timaru 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 $1,980 in Timaru, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Timaru. 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, Timaru 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 109% less than in Timaru. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.