Destination: Fiji

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION

Money & Costs

Although cheaper than many Pacific countries, Fiji doesn’t provide travellers with the same value as, say, Southeast Asia. Many backpackers are surprised to discover that Fiji is not a US$20-a-day destination.

Regardless of your budget, accommodation will easily be your greatest expense. Restaurants, transport and shops can be extremely good value, particularly in more remote areas, however, anything geared for tourists is far more expensive. On average, budget travellers can expect to pay about $60 to $90 per day for food, transport and accommodation. If you stay in dorms and dine on corned beef, you can do it for less. Island-hopping is generally fairly pricey: if you’re planning to move around a lot, expenses will go up. It’s good to plan your route to avoid backtracking.

Solo midrange travellers can expect to pay around $180 per day, and couples can expect to pay around $120 per person per day. These costs are based on transport, comfortable accommodation and eating out three times a day. Abundant self-catering options enable travellers in this price bracket to reduce their overall costs significantly; shopping at local markets for fruit and veggies is cheap. Families benefit the most from self-contained units as children are often charged either heavily discounted rates or nothing at all. Other tips to reduce daily costs include always looking for a ‘return’ boat, on its way back to base, and asking for walk-in rates at hotels – they can be a fraction of the advertised rate.

Resorts usually include all meals and plenty of activities in their tariffs, and hover around $200 to $300 per night for a single or double room, and $300 to $400 for a family. They can be especially good value for the latter, particularly as many offer free kids clubs. Moreover, some of the activities kids most enjoy, such as swimming, are free. Top-end options can cost anywhere up to $2000 a night for accommodation, food, alcohol and activities.

Most budget and midrange accommodation includes Fiji’s 12.5% VAT (value-added tax) in the advertised rates, but this is not always the case with top-end options, so check before you book. All rates quoted in this book are peak season rates, which tend to be 10% to 20% higher than low season rates.

HOW MUCH?

Taxi in Nadi or Suva: $4-10
Snorkel hire: $5-10
Local bus ride: $0.65
Coffee: $2
Cocktail: $6

Travelling to Fiji?
Lonely Planet recommends World Nomads Travel insurance