Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanaka and Suva

For one person, living is cheaper in Suva: $946 a month against $1,666 in Wanaka, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Suva
Learn more

Suva Living Index

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Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,666

/mo nomad

Suva

🇫🇯 Fiji

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,666 in Wanaka versus $946 in Suva.

Wanaka $1,666
Suva $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,631 in Wanaka versus $1,717 in Suva.

Wanaka $2,631
Suva $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,596 in Wanaka versus $2,489 in Suva.

Wanaka $3,596
Suva $2,489

Living in Wanaka is roughly 76% more expensive than in Suva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wanaka is 23% above, Suva is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.13 NZ$24.98

$5.93 FJD 13.28

138.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 NZ$99.6

$44.78 FJD 100

25.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.22 NZ$14.53

$7.51 FJD 16.81

9.45%

Cappuccino

$3.00 NZ$5.31

$2.85 FJD 6.37

5.26%

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

$1.69 NZ$2.99

$1.50 FJD 3.36

12.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$0.75 FJD 1.67

157.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 NZ$11.56

$3.56 FJD 7.98

83.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.90

$4.57 FJD 10.24

34.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$1.33 FJD 2.97

60.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$0.57 FJD 1.28

235.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.13 FJD 2.53

54.87%

Eggs

$5.93 NZ$10.49

$3.38 FJD 7.57

75.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 NZ$14.94

$10.18 FJD 22.78

-16.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 NZ$16.57

$6.34 FJD 14.19

47.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.30 NZ$28.82

$7.96 FJD 17.82

104.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$2.49 FJD 5.58

20.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.73

$2.43 FJD 5.43

-13.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NZ$5.73

$3.55 FJD 7.94

-8.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 NZ$8.70

$3.17 FJD 7.11

55.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.26 FJD 2.83

42.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$1.06 FJD 2.37

70.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 NZ$3.97

$1.16 FJD 2.61

93.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.97

$0.69 FJD 1.54

-20.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.98 NZ$38.87

$9.89 FJD 22.15

122.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$7.19 FJD 16.10

25.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 NZ$5.42

$2.11 FJD 4.74

45.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.20

$3.39 FJD 7.60

-63.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 FJD 1.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 FJD 50.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 NZ$10.01

$0.92 FJD 2.05

515.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FJD 1.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.07 NZ$49.64

$8.80 FJD 19.70

218.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 NZ$3.18

$1.43 FJD 3.21

25.87%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$24.3K FJD 54.5K

5.18%

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

137.48%

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

$28.11 NZ$49.71

$12.75 FJD 28.54

120.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.4

$24.21 FJD 54.2

115.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.81 FJD 82.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 FJD 25.32

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 NZ$17.86

$3.42 FJD 7.65

195.32%

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

$591 NZ$1,045

$225 FJD 503

162.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K FJD 30.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 NZ$104

$33.29 FJD 74.5

75.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$39.64 FJD 88.8

-12.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 NZ$121

$68.6 FJD 154

-0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.8 NZ$130

$59.9 FJD 134

23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 NZ$1,716

$889 FJD 1,992

9.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 NZ$1,403

$329 FJD 736

141.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,852 NZ$3,275

$2,589 FJD 5,797

-28.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 NZ$2,821

$999 FJD 2,236

59.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,611 NZ$9,923

$1,310 FJD 2,933

328.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$820 FJD 1,836

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 NZ$7,597

$965 FJD 2,160

345.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.7

-48.05%

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

Last update for Wanaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Suva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wanaka

$793 47.6%

Suva

$329 34.7% 58.6% $464

Groceries & Markets

Wanaka

$318 19.1%

Suva

$231 24.4% 27.4% $87

Eating Out

Wanaka

$233 14%

Suva

$140 14.8% 39.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wanaka

$190 11.4%

Suva

$83 8.8% 56.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Wanaka

$106 6.4%

Suva

$91 9.6% 14.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Wanaka

$20 * 1.2%

Suva

$44 4.6% 116% $23

Getting Around

Wanaka

$5.7 * 0.3%

Suva

$29 3.1% 413% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Wanaka and $889 in Suva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wanaka pays 345% 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: $56.0 in Wanaka vs $45.00 in Suva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $231 per month, with Suva cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🇫🇯 Suva

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

1 h behind Wanaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,600

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wanaka Suva 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wanaka
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

Wanaka vs Suva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suva wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Wanaka. 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 345% higher in Wanaka, 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: $970 in Wanaka versus $889 in Suva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Wanaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,666 per month in Wanaka versus $946 in Suva – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $946 in Suva versus $1,666 in Wanaka, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suva but tight or insufficient in Wanaka. 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 $946 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Suva hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Wanaka 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 Wanaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.