Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waitakere and Nadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nadi: $1,386 a month against $1,758 in Waitakere, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Waitakere
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,758
/mo nomad
Nadi
🇫🇯 Fiji
$1,386
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Waitakere and in Nadi

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

A single person spends $1,758 per month in Waitakere vs $1,386 in Nadi, rent included.

  • Waitakere $1,758
  • Nadi $1,386

A couple spends around $2,769 per month in Waitakere vs $2,044 in Nadi, rent included.

  • Waitakere $2,769
  • Nadi $2,044

A family of three spends $3,779 per month in Waitakere vs $2,702 in Nadi, rent included.

  • Waitakere $3,779
  • Nadi $2,702

Waitakere costs about 27% more than Nadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Waitakere and Nadi sit above the global median – Waitakere by 30%, Nadi by 3%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.78 NZ$20.84
$8.87 FJD 19.85
32.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.0 NZ$129
$36.73 FJD 82.2
98.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.43 NZ$14.91
$9.00 FJD 20.16
-6.33%
Cappuccino
$3.32 NZ$5.88
$4.41 FJD 9.88
-24.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 NZ$4.04
$1.49 FJD 3.35
53.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 NZ$4.27
$1.28 FJD 2.86
89.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.21 NZ$10.98
$2.74 FJD 6.13
126.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 NZ$9.82
$4.55 FJD 10.19
21.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 NZ$2.61
$1.34 FJD 3.00
10.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.29 NZ$2.28
$1.08 FJD 2.43
19.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 NZ$3.50
$1.31 FJD 2.93
51.15%
Eggs
$5.20 NZ$9.19
$3.12 FJD 6.99
66.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.46 NZ$9.66
$12.07 FJD 27.01
-54.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.48 NZ$13.23
$13.75 FJD 30.78
-45.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.77 NZ$20.81
$15.66 FJD 35.07
-24.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.55 NZ$4.52
$2.94 FJD 6.57
-13.27%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 NZ$3.89
$2.77 FJD 6.20
-20.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.21 NZ$5.68
$3.71 FJD 8.30
-13.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.26 NZ$11.07
-
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.49
$1.98 FJD 4.44
-0.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.35 NZ$2.39
$1.98 FJD 4.44
-31.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.52 NZ$4.46
$1.10 FJD 2.45
129.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 NZ$1.67
$0.96 FJD 2.15
-2.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.90 NZ$44.04
$9.46 FJD 21.19
163.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 NZ$18.80
$10.00 FJD 22.39
6.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.02 NZ$7.11
$2.73 FJD 6.11
47.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.01 NZ$7.08
$3.41 FJD 7.63
17.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.76 NZ$3.12
$0.70 FJD 1.57
151.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.2 NZ$142
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.56 NZ$6.30
$1.14 FJD 2.55
212.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 NZ$3.54
$0.42 FJD 0.94
376.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.06 NZ$56.7
$4.84 FJD 10.84
562.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.63 NZ$2.89
$1.32 FJD 2.96
23.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.1K NZ$46.1K
$24.9K FJD 55.7K
4.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K NZ$40.7K
$22.3K FJD 50.0K
3.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.2 NZ$101
$65.8 FJD 147
-13.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.71 NZ$64.9
$17.97 FJD 40.23
104.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.7 NZ$95.0
$23.26 FJD 52.1
130.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.56 NZ$73.5
$37.21 FJD 83.3
11.69%
Cinema Ticket
$13.65 NZ$24.14
$5.45 FJD 12.19
150.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$676 NZ$1,196
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.3K NZ$39.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.2 NZ$110
$29.10 FJD 65.2
113.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.26 NZ$67.7
$43.62 FJD 97.7
-12.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 NZ$169
$56.8 FJD 127
68.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 NZ$187
$67.7 FJD 152
56.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$836 NZ$1,479
$1,127 FJD 2,524
-25.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$790 NZ$1,397
$645 FJD 1,444
22.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,657 NZ$2,930
$1,673 FJD 3,745
-0.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,479 NZ$2,615
$1,004 FJD 2,248
47.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,449 NZ$7,868
$679 FJD 1,521
555.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,591 NZ$6,350
$518 FJD 1,161
592.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Waitakere
Nadi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$806 FJD 1,805
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.83
7.25
-5.79%

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

Last update for Waitakere: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nadi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Waitakere
$790
Nadi
$645 18.4% $145
Groceries & Markets
Waitakere
$295
Nadi
$306 * 3.8% $11
Eating Out
Waitakere
$220
Nadi
$185 16.2% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Waitakere
$148
Nadi
$107 27.5% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Waitakere
$136
Nadi
$89 34.6% $47
Getting Around
Waitakere
$101
Nadi
$6 * 94% $95
Sport & Entertainment
Waitakere
$69
Nadi
$48 30.1% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Waitakere versus $1,127 in Nadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Waitakere versus $37.00 in Nadi. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Waitakere vs $306 in Nadi – so Waitakere wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Waitakere
🇫🇯 Nadi
🕒 Local time
09:10 9:10 AM
08:10 8:10 AM
1 h behind Waitakere
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,830
50,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Waitakere Nadi 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Waitakere
  • Nadi

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
Waitakere vs Nadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nadi cheaper than Waitakere?
Yes – Waitakere is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,637 per month in Waitakere and $2,079 in Nadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nadi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Waitakere and in Nadi?
Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Waitakere – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is eating out cheaper in Waitakere or in Nadi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Waitakere and $37.00 in Nadi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Waitakere or in Nadi?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nadi, where all-in costs run around $1,386, than in Waitakere at $1,758. In Nadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waitakere it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Waitakere or Nadi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nadi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Waitakere or Nadi?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nadi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Waitakere makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Waitakere vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?