Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,433 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,433

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Auckland and in Honiara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,433 in Auckland versus $1,742 in Honiara.

Auckland $2,433
Honiara $1,742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,354 in Auckland versus $2,873 in Honiara.

Auckland $3,354
Honiara $2,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,274 in Auckland versus $4,004 in Honiara.

Auckland $4,274
Honiara $4,004

Living in Auckland is roughly 40% more expensive than in Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Auckland 82% above, Honiara 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 NZ$24.68

$6.66 SBD 53.8

107.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 NZ$121

$62.8 SBD 507

7.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 NZ$16.31

$12.53 SBD 101

-27.06%

Cappuccino

$3.36 NZ$5.99

$3.48 SBD 28.15

-3.45%

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

$1.93 NZ$3.45

$1.60 SBD 12.90

20.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.09

$1.05 SBD 8.49

64.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 NZ$12.16

$2.42 SBD 19.59

181.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 NZ$11.66

$5.70 SBD 46.05

14.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 NZ$3.48

$2.57 SBD 20.76

-24.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$1.49 SBD 12.00

46.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.40

$1.64 SBD 13.29

15.85%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$11.05

$5.48 SBD 44.29

13.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 NZ$15.13

$6.61 SBD 53.4

28.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 NZ$17.76

$8.34 SBD 67.4

19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 NZ$30.27

$15.18 SBD 123

11.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.99

$6.39 SBD 51.7

-56.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.69

$2.70 SBD 21.84

-23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 NZ$5.11

$8.70 SBD 70.3

-67.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.69 NZ$10.16

$3.67 SBD 29.63

55.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.80

$1.99 SBD 16.10

7.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 NZ$2.82

$3.47 SBD 28.03

-54.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.53

$1.40 SBD 11.31

41.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.86

$1.03 SBD 8.36

0.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.14 NZ$48.41

$4.26 SBD 34.40

537.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.29 NZ$18.35

$10.37 SBD 83.7

-0.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 NZ$5.09

$1.69 SBD 13.67

68.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.96

$3.47 SBD 28.02

-3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 NZ$4.55

$0.39 SBD 3.12

553.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$124 NZ$220

$25.14 SBD 203

391.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 NZ$4.06

$1.27 SBD 10.28

79.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$1.20 SBD 9.72

65.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.10 NZ$57.3

$12.60 SBD 102

154.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.35 SBD 10.92

38.52%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.5K

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

33.42%

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

$22.4K NZ$40.0K

$34.1K SBD 275.9K

-34.28%

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

$179 NZ$319

$429 SBD 3,466

-58.27%

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

$26.11 NZ$46.56

$27.02 SBD 218

-3.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 NZ$90.0

$89.0 SBD 719

-43.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 NZ$79.8

$36.76 SBD 297

21.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.91 NZ$31.95

$8.94 SBD 72.2

100.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.81 NZ$22.85

$4.41 SBD 35.66

190.48%

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

$1,110 NZ$1,979

$100 SBD 811

1005.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.7K

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

570.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 NZ$143

$27.71 SBD 224

189.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.62 NZ$70.7

$93.5 SBD 755

-57.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 NZ$168

$95.9 SBD 774

-2.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NZ$199

$103 SBD 830

8.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 NZ$2,367

$870 SBD 7,027

52.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 NZ$2,168

$434 SBD 3,508

179.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 NZ$3,838

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

16.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,652 NZ$2,946

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

18.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,205 NZ$12.9K

$86.4K SBD 698.3K

-91.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,497 NZ$9,804

$62.1K SBD 501.4K

-91.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 NZ$5,181

$444 SBD 3,585

554.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

15.67

-65.73%

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

Last update for Auckland: October 6, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Auckland

$1.2K 50.4%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 64.3% $781

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$338 14%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 2% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$256 10.6%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 113% $289

Eating Out

Auckland

$240 10%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 30.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$146 6.1%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 1.7% $2.5

Getting Around

Auckland

$146 6.1%

Honiara

$34 2% 76.7% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$70 2.9%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 35.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,327 in Auckland and $870 in Honiara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 555% 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: $68.0 in Auckland vs $63.0 in Honiara. Groceries flip the comparison at $338 vs $345, with Auckland cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

2 h behind Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auckland Honiara 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Auckland
Honiara

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

Auckland vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Honiara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 555% higher in Auckland, 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: $1,327 in Auckland versus $870 in Honiara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,110 in Auckland versus $100 in Honiara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Auckland pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,742 in Honiara versus $2,433 in Auckland, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Honiara but tight or insufficient in Auckland. The gap between the two cities makes Honiara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Honiara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,742 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Honiara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Auckland and Honiara 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 Honiara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.