Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and Fiji

Name: Fiji
Address: FJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $1,035 a month against $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Vanuatu
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Vanuatu Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Fiji
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Fiji Living Index

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🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,216

/mo nomad

🇫🇯 Fiji

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vanuatu and in Fiji

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

A single person spends $3,216 per month in Vanuatu vs $1,035 in Fiji, rent included.

Vanuatu $3,216
Fiji $1,035

A couple spends around $4,324 per month in Vanuatu vs $1,708 in Fiji, rent included.

Vanuatu $4,324
Fiji $1,708

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Vanuatu vs $2,380 in Fiji, rent included.

Vanuatu $5,432
Fiji $2,380

The cost of living in Vanuatu is about 211% higher than in Fiji on average.

Vanuatu sits 137% above the global median, while Fiji is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 VUV 1,457

$5.16 FJD 11.56

140.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,553

$40.29 FJD 90.2

38.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 VUV 1,660

$6.91 FJD 15.48

104.78%

Cappuccino

$3.97 VUV 466

$2.94 FJD 6.57

35.03%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$1.51 FJD 3.39

52.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 274

$1.02 FJD 2.27

128.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 VUV 590

$3.07 FJD 6.87

63.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 VUV 863

$4.26 FJD 9.54

72.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.13 VUV 367

$1.34 FJD 3.00

133.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 VUV 293

$0.70 FJD 1.57

257.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 452

$1.11 FJD 2.49

247.75%

Eggs

$6.21 VUV 728

$3.29 FJD 7.37

88.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 VUV 1,911

$9.30 FJD 20.81

75.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.00 VUV 1,876

$9.24 FJD 20.68

73.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 VUV 1,554

$7.94 FJD 17.79

66.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 VUV 771

$2.56 FJD 5.74

156.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 VUV 243

$2.66 FJD 5.97

-22.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 VUV 459

$3.32 FJD 7.43

17.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.09 VUV 1,184

$2.85 FJD 6.39

254.04%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,052

$1.23 FJD 2.75

628.46%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 VUV 510

$1.18 FJD 2.64

267.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 305

$1.02 FJD 2.28

154.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 137

$0.81 FJD 1.81

43.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 VUV 1,122

$9.52 FJD 21.32

0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.45 VUV 1,460

$8.28 FJD 18.55

50.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 VUV 344

$2.29 FJD 5.14

28.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 VUV 351

$3.64 FJD 8.15

-17.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$0.78 FJD 1.74

65.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 VUV 7,943

$22.41 FJD 50.2

202.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 VUV 295

$0.87 FJD 1.94

188.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 VUV 95.4

$0.45 FJD 1.01

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 VUV 587

$8.79 FJD 19.67

-43.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 VUV 216

$1.32 FJD 2.96

39.39%

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

$23.0K VUV 2.7M

$24.2K FJD 54.1K

-4.67%

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

$37.3K VUV 4.4M

$25.7K FJD 57.5K

45.35%

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

$624 VUV 73.2K

$57.0 FJD 128

996.02%

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

$22.95 VUV 2,692

$14.14 FJD 31.66

62.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$360 VUV 42.2K

$20.36 FJD 45.58

1667.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 VUV 7,963

$36.65 FJD 82.1

85.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 VUV 1,971

$7.10 FJD 15.89

136.62%

Cinema Ticket

$3.75 FJD 8.40

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

$632 VUV 74.1K

$188 FJD 420

236.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,850 VUV 803.5K

$13.1K FJD 29.3K

-47.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.81 VUV 4,787

$27.77 FJD 62.2

46.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.5 VUV 7,797

$34.89 FJD 78.1

90.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 VUV 9,991

$68.2 FJD 153

24.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.1K

$62.5 FJD 140

65.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 VUV 183.7K

$919 FJD 2,058

70.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 VUV 140.6K

$406 FJD 908

195.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,359 VUV 394.0K

$2,016 FJD 4,514

66.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 VUV 222.5K

$897 FJD 2,007

111.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,080 VUV 713.1K

$1,191 FJD 2,667

410.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 VUV 256.2K

$800 FJD 1,792

172.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$345 VUV 40.4K

$766 FJD 1,716

-55.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

7.38

-16.26%

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

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 2026

Last update for Fiji: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vanuatu

$1.2K 37.3%

Fiji

$406 39.2% 66.2% $793

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vanuatu

$1K 31.3%

Fiji

$91 8.8% 90.9% $916

Groceries & Markets

Vanuatu

$482 15%

Fiji

$247 23.9% 48.7% $235

Eating Out

Vanuatu

$248 7.7%

Fiji

$131 12.7% 47% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Vanuatu

$133 4.1%

Fiji

$87 8.4% 34.6% $46

Getting Around

Vanuatu

$79 2.5%

Fiji

$29 2.8% 63.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Vanuatu

$68 * 2.1%

Fiji

$44 4.3% 35% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $794 in Vanuatu vs $347 in Fiji. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,587 in Port Vila and $880 in Suva.

Average salary: $488 in Vanuatu vs $676 in Fiji. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 129% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 17% more in Vanuatu.

Public transport is 1550% more expensive in Vanuatu.

Salaries are 39% higher in Fiji, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Fiji.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

🇫🇯 Fiji

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

01:23 1:23 AM

1 h ahead of Vanuatu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,019

926,276

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.397 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.52 FJD (1 FJD = 0.397 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vanuatu Fiji 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Vanuatu
Fiji

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

Vanuatu vs Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fiji is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 211% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Vanuatu: a central one-bedroom averages $794 versus $347 in Fiji.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Fiji, adding to the overall 211% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Fiji, but in Vanuatu it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Fiji is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.