Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashburton and in Gizo

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Ashburton vs $2,164 in Gizo, rent included.

Ashburton $1,806
Gizo $2,164

A couple spends around $2,897 per month in Ashburton vs $3,051 in Gizo, rent included.

Ashburton $2,897
Gizo $3,051

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Ashburton vs $3,938 in Gizo, rent included.

Ashburton $3,987
Gizo $3,938

Ashburton is about 17% cheaper than Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ashburton and Gizo sit above the global median – Ashburton by 34%, Gizo by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$3.01 SBD 24.25

362.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 NZ$120

$54.7 SBD 441

23.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 NZ$15.65

$15.57 SBD 126

-43.16%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NZ$5.77

$2.85 SBD 22.95

14.39%

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

$2.32 NZ$4.10

$1.26 SBD 10.13

84.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$1.21 SBD 9.79

49.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 NZ$12.19

$2.47 SBD 19.88

178.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$2.41 SBD 19.41

180.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-48.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$1.39 SBD 11.19

35.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.64

$1.40 SBD 11.30

7.14%

Eggs

$5.80 NZ$10.26

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.23

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-11.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.53

$6.20 SBD 50.0

50.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 NZ$23.96

$8.41 SBD 67.8

61.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-64.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.51

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-68.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-54.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.37

$3.02 SBD 24.32

0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-51.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 NZ$3.83

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-14.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.33

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 NZ$42.70

$4.25 SBD 34.29

468.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 NZ$14.94

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-31.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$1.83 SBD 14.77

92.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NZ$7.53

$2.19 SBD 17.66

94.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$0.39 SBD 3.11

315.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 NZ$132

$31.36 SBD 253

137.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 NZ$4.38

$1.25 SBD 10.09

98.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.93

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-31.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.91 NZ$49.35

$12.52 SBD 101

122.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$1.75 SBD 14.10

10.29%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

19.35%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

8.96%

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

$156 NZ$276

$750 SBD 6,048

-79.23%

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

$22.75 NZ$40.23

$13.42 SBD 108

69.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.32 NZ$78.4

$123 SBD 989

-63.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 NZ$71.0

$18.49 SBD 149

117.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 NZ$19.66

$4.20 SBD 33.87

164.76%

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

$659 NZ$1,165

$126 SBD 1,014

423.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

1665.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 NZ$102

$25.29 SBD 204

128.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 NZ$70.4

$94.4 SBD 761

-57.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$99.8 SBD 804

-0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NZ$214

$90.6 SBD 730

33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,792

$599 SBD 4,833

69.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 NZ$1,317

$580 SBD 4,678

28.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 NZ$2,506

$630 SBD 5,081

124.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 NZ$2,830

$1,217 SBD 9,809

31.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,546 NZ$8,039

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-94.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 NZ$5,479

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

16.33

-63.81%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$745 41.2%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 22.1% $165

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 16.6%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 17.8% $53

Eating Out

Ashburton

$242 13.4%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 45.4% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$223 12.3%

Gizo

$886 41% 298% $664

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$143 7.9%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 2.7% $3.8

Getting Around

Ashburton

$92 5.1%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 49.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$62 3.5%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 56.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Ashburton versus $599 in Gizo. 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 $68.0 in Ashburton versus $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Ashburton vs $353 in Gizo – so Ashburton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

2 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

7,177

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashburton Gizo 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
Gizo

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

Ashburton vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Ashburton, $2,164 in Gizo – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Ashburton and $3,246 in Gizo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Gizo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton and $55.0 in Gizo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Gizo at $2,164. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gizo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ashburton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Ashburton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gizo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.