Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $927 a month against $1,635 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
Learn more

Suva Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Tokyo versus $927 in Suva.

Tokyo $1,635
Suva $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,608 in Tokyo versus $1,681 in Suva.

Tokyo $2,608
Suva $1,681

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,581 in Tokyo versus $2,435 in Suva.

Tokyo $3,581
Suva $2,435

Living in Tokyo is roughly 76% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 22% above, Suva is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,207

$5.72 FJD 12.81

33.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.51 ¥6,087

$44.13 FJD 98.8

-12.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ¥799

$7.76 FJD 17.37

-34.92%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ¥570

$2.91 FJD 6.52

24.05%

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

$1.62 ¥257

$1.50 FJD 3.36

8.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$0.73 FJD 1.64

17.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.67 FJD 8.21

0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥834

$4.33 FJD 9.70

21.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.28 FJD 2.86

19.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥278

$0.56 FJD 1.26

214.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 ¥883

$1.13 FJD 2.52

394.69%

Eggs

$2.24 ¥354

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-33.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥1,684

$10.04 FJD 22.48

6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,043

$6.06 FJD 13.57

8.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 ¥2,646

$7.82 FJD 17.50

114.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 ¥768

$2.47 FJD 5.54

96.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

$2.42 FJD 5.43

-2.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥684

$3.48 FJD 7.79

24.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 ¥835

$3.12 FJD 6.99

69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ¥539

$1.22 FJD 2.72

179.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 ¥504

$1.07 FJD 2.39

198.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.22 FJD 2.73

-3.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥131

$0.73 FJD 1.64

13.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥607

$9.66 FJD 21.62

-60.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 ¥1,466

$7.33 FJD 16.41

26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$2.07 FJD 4.64

-20.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.43 FJD 7.69

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.94 FJD 2.11

37.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,819

$22.37 FJD 50.1

177.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$0.87 FJD 1.94

254.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.42 FJD 0.94

664.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.41 ¥2,909

$8.95 FJD 20.04

105.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.46 FJD 3.26

-26.71%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$24.4K FJD 54.6K

-9.17%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$25.6K FJD 57.4K

-40.31%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$46.38 FJD 104

218.24%

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

$21.97 ¥3,472

$12.79 FJD 28.65

71.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.43 ¥4,810

$23.98 FJD 53.7

26.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$36.85 FJD 82.5

76.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 ¥4,039

$11.30 FJD 25.29

126.11%

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 ¥2,034

$3.43 FJD 7.68

275.22%

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

$1,360 ¥215.0K

$228 FJD 509

497.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

36.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ¥8,932

$33.19 FJD 74.3

70.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 ¥5,241

$40.53 FJD 90.8

-18.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$68.9 FJD 154

-6.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ¥11.3K

$61.4 FJD 138

16.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ¥201.5K

$891 FJD 1,995

43.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥111.0K

$330 FJD 740

112.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 ¥405.5K

$2,641 FJD 5,913

-2.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ¥234.0K

$1,001 FJD 2,241

47.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,152 ¥1.4M

$1,320 FJD 2,956

593.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,191 ¥662.4K

$818 FJD 1,832

412.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.8K

$961 FJD 2,151

212.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

7.7

-70.78%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$702 42.2%

Suva

$330 34.9% 53% $372

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Suva

$228 24.1% 29.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 12%

Suva

$83 8.8% 58.4% $117

Eating Out

Tokyo

$158 9.5%

Suva

$140 14.8% 11.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$102 6.1%

Suva

$92 9.7% 9.6% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$91 5.5%

Suva

$44 4.6% 51.9% $47

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Suva

$29 3.1% 66.3% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,275 in Tokyo and $891 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 212% 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: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $44.00 in Suva. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $228, with Suva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

17:03 5:03 PM

3 h ahead of Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

100,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Tokyo Suva 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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

Tokyo vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Tokyo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suva the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 212% higher in Tokyo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,275 in Tokyo versus $891 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 178% less than in Tokyo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,360 in Tokyo versus $228 in Suva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $927 in Suva versus $1,635 in Tokyo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. 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, Tokyo 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 76% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.