Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upper Hutt and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,830 in Upper Hutt, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Upper Hutt
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Upper Hutt Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
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Suva Living Index

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Upper Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,830

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,830 in Upper Hutt versus $946 in Suva.

Upper Hutt $1,830
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,844 in Upper Hutt versus $1,717 in Suva.

Upper Hutt $2,844
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in Upper Hutt versus $2,489 in Suva.

Upper Hutt $3,857
Suva $2,489

Living in Upper Hutt is roughly 93% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Upper Hutt is 36% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 NZ$14.64

$5.93 FJD 13.28

39.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 NZ$98.7

$44.78 FJD 100

24.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 NZ$14.91

$7.51 FJD 16.81

12.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$2.85 FJD 6.37

-0.70%

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

$2.48 NZ$4.38

$1.50 FJD 3.36

65.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.98

$0.75 FJD 1.67

125.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 NZ$13.02

$3.56 FJD 7.98

106.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 NZ$11.58

$4.57 FJD 10.24

43.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$1.33 FJD 2.97

39.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$0.57 FJD 1.28

273.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.13 FJD 2.53

67.26%

Eggs

$6.72 NZ$11.88

$3.38 FJD 7.57

98.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 NZ$9.71

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-46.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 NZ$17.17

$6.34 FJD 14.19

53.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.01 NZ$26.55

$7.96 FJD 17.82

88.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.55

$2.49 FJD 5.58

26.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-11.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.23

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-16.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.54 NZ$11.56

$3.17 FJD 7.11

106.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.69

$1.26 FJD 2.83

65.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.18

$1.06 FJD 2.37

16.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 NZ$3.68

$1.16 FJD 2.61

79.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 NZ$2.11

$0.69 FJD 1.54

72.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.35 NZ$44.83

$9.89 FJD 22.15

156.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 NZ$19.63

$7.19 FJD 16.10

54.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 NZ$5.53

$2.11 FJD 4.74

48.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$4.97

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-17.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 NZ$2.63

$0.88 FJD 1.97

69.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 NZ$146

$22.34 FJD 50.0

270.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$0.92 FJD 2.05

102.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$0.45 FJD 1.01

286.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.07 NZ$58.5

$8.80 FJD 19.70

275.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.43 FJD 3.21

30.77%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

3.71%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.3K

$24.7K FJD 55.3K

1.48%

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

$109 NZ$192

$46.26 FJD 104

134.61%

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

$25.17 NZ$44.52

$12.75 FJD 28.54

97.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 NZ$93.9

$24.21 FJD 54.2

119.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.65 NZ$64.8

$36.81 FJD 82.4

-0.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$12.00 NZ$21.22

$3.42 FJD 7.65

250.88%

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

$1,074 NZ$1,899

$225 FJD 503

377.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.7K

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

-4.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 NZ$139

$33.29 FJD 74.5

135.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.14 NZ$49.77

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-29.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$183

$68.6 FJD 154

50.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 NZ$274

$59.9 FJD 134

158.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 NZ$1,609

$889 FJD 1,992

2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$795 NZ$1,407

$329 FJD 736

142.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,733 NZ$3,065

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-33.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 NZ$2,719

$999 FJD 2,236

53.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,062 NZ$8,953

$1,310 FJD 2,933

286.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,581 NZ$6,332

$820 FJD 1,836

336.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 FJD 2,160

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

7.7

-30.00%

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

Last update for Upper Hutt: 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

Upper Hutt

$795 43.5%

Suva

$329 34.7% 58.7% $467

Groceries & Markets

Upper Hutt

$332 18.1%

Suva

$231 24.4% 30.5% $101

Eating Out

Upper Hutt

$192 10.5%

Suva

$140 14.8% 27.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upper Hutt

$187 10.2%

Suva

$83 8.8% 55.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Upper Hutt

$164 9%

Suva

$91 9.6% 44.8% $74

Getting Around

Upper Hutt

$99 5.4%

Suva

$29 3.1% 70.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Upper Hutt

$61 3.3%

Suva

$44 4.6% 28% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in Upper Hutt and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Upper Hutt vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Upper Hutt

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

1 h behind Upper Hutt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,600

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

Upper Hutt Suva 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Upper Hutt
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

Upper Hutt vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Upper Hutt. 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 $2,746 in Upper Hutt 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: $910 in Upper Hutt 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 270% less than in Upper Hutt. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,074 in Upper Hutt 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 $1,830 in Upper Hutt, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Upper Hutt. 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, Upper Hutt 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 93% less than in Upper Hutt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.