Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Apia vs Suva

Apia vs Suva

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Suva 15% cheaper N/A / Moderate

Apia

Wilson Stratton/Unsplash

Suva

Vijesh Datt/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$2,439

Apia

$2,066

Suva

Internet

Mbps

Safety

N/A

Apia

Moderate

Suva

Air Quality

5/5

Apia

5/5

Suva

Healthcare

N/A

Apia

Moderate

Suva

Population

35.7k

Apia

74.5k

Suva

Apia (Samoa) and Suva (Fiji) are both in Oceania, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

Suva has a modest cost advantage at $2066/mo compared to Apia's $2439/mo — a 15% gap that matters over time.

For families, Apia costs $2242.332589285714/mo compared to Suva's $2771.454657765833/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

For bandwidth-intensive work, Apia has a clear edge at 6 Mbps (#0 globally) compared to Suva's 3 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Apia and Suva share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Apia and Suva.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Apia is July (around 29 degrees, 1mm rain, score 345), while Suva peaks in June (28 degrees, 1mm rain, score 329). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

ApiaSuva

Nomad$2,439/mo$2,066/mo

Expat$1,392/mo$1,221/mo

Local$641/mo$792/mo

Family$2,242/mo$2,771/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

ApiaSuva

City Speed

6 Mbps

3 Mbps

Country Speed0 Mbps0 Mbps

Environment & Health

ApiaSuva

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionN/AModerate

ClimateN/AHigh

Humidity7691

Quality of Life

ApiaSuva

SafetyN/AModerate

HealthcareN/AModerate

Monthly Weather Comparison

Apia

Suva

Jan

33°

6mm171

36°

7mm180

Feb

34°

9mm140

37°

9mm242

Mar

34°

3mm258

35°

17mm149

Apr

33°

3mm340

34°

2mm242

May

32°

3mm140

31°

7mm149

Jun

30°

1mm258

28°

1mm329

Jul

29°

1mm345

28°

1mm323

Aug

28°

0mm335

27°

2mm313

Sep

30°

1mm340

28°

2mm313

Oct

30°

2mm258

33°

3mm226

Nov

31°

8mm109

33°

6mm180

Dec

32°

3mm171

35°

9mm211

Who Should Choose Apia?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $2242.332589285714/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 35.7k residents
Peak season in July — 29 degrees, score 345

Who Should Choose Suva?

Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $2771.454657765833/mo for families
Smaller city feel with 74.5k residents
Peak season in June — 28 degrees, score 329

Overall Verdict

The data favors Suva as the more well-rounded choice. At $2066/mo versus Apia's $2439/mo, that is a 15% saving that adds up significantly on an extended stay.

Granular Price Comparison

Apia Suva

ItemApiaSuvaDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$4.63$3.64

21%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$32.46$34.16

McMeal or equivalent combo$10.6$6.38

40%

Cappuccino (regular)$3.26$2.7

17%

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$3.71$2.73

26%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.97$4.55

35%

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$1.46$1.06

27%

Water (0.33L)$1.1$0.85

23%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.11$1.24

10%

White bread (500g)$1.23$0.48

61%

White rice (1kg)$1.11$1.11

Eggs (12)$2.74$2.67

Chicken fillets (1kg)$5.94$5.45

Beef round (1kg)$9.81$4.39

55%

Local cheese (1kg)$16.35$7.83

52%

Apples (1kg)$2.45$2.03

17%

Bananas (1kg)$2.45$1.78

27%

Oranges (1kg)$2.45$1.7

31%

Tomatoes (1kg)$9.28$1.37

85%

Potatoes (1kg)$1.71$1.17

32%

Onions (1kg)$1.85$0.98

47%

Lettuce (1 head)—$0.97

—

Water (1.5L bottle)$1.48$0.62

58%

Wine, mid-range bottle$9.27$8.2

12%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$2.13$1.71

20%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.59$2.62

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$5.56$7.29

24%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$2.22$0.46

79%

Monthly transport pass—$36.21

—

Taxi start (normal tariff)$1.85$0.68

63%

Taxi per 1km$1.38$0.57

59%

Taxi 1hr waiting—$4.92

—

Gasoline (1L)$1.04$1.29

19%

Volkswagen Golf (new)—$18,219.5

—

Toyota Corolla (new)—$19,870.64

—

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$556.06$47.86

91%

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$110.84$26.61

76%

Mobile prepaid per minute—$0.12

—

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$50.05$31.76

37%

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$5.56$5.01

10%

Cinema, 1 ticket$5.56$3.64

35%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$77.23$187.66

59%

International primary school/yr$2,224.24$6,187.04

64%

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$51.79$19.73

62%

Summer dress (chain store)$50.37$19.36

62%

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$77.68$54.73

30%

Men's leather business shoes$103.57$52.38

49%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$1,112.12$563.67

49%

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$315.1$298.28

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$926.77$1,399

34%

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$667.27$761.31

12%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre—$2,505.18

—

Price per m², outside centre—$1,343.69

—

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary—$1,597.77

—

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)—$5.87

—

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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