Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and the Solomon Islands

Name: Solomon Islands
Address: SB

For one person, living is cheaper in the Solomon Islands: $1,903 a month against $2,542 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in the Solomon Islands
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Solomon Islands Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,542

/mo nomad

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in the Solomon Islands

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

A single person spends $2,542 per month in Australia vs $1,903 in the Solomon Islands, rent included.

Australia $2,542
Solomon Islands $1,903

A couple spends around $3,717 per month in Australia vs $2,936 in the Solomon Islands, rent included.

Australia $3,717
Solomon Islands $2,936

A family of three spends $4,893 per month in Australia vs $3,969 in the Solomon Islands, rent included.

Australia $4,893
Solomon Islands $3,969

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,646–$3,152) than in the Solomon Islands ($1,718–$2,164), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 34% higher than in the Solomon Islands on average.

Both Australia and the Solomon Islands are pricier than the global median – Australia by 88%, the Solomon Islands by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 A$24.69

$6.13 SBD 49.41

179.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$121

$64.2 SBD 518

30.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 A$16.12

$12.17 SBD 98.2

-7.97%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.29 SBD 26.49

19.15%

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

$2.83 A$4.07

$1.41 SBD 11.36

100.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.12 SBD 9.02

105.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$11.06

$2.83 SBD 22.79

171.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.87

$4.71 SBD 37.94

75.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.53

$2.80 SBD 22.59

-37.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.99

$1.45 SBD 11.67

91.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.16

$1.54 SBD 12.41

42.21%

Eggs

$4.99 A$7.18

$5.90 SBD 47.56

-15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 A$14.31

$6.95 SBD 56.0

43.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.99

$7.90 SBD 63.7

14.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 A$21.94

$14.73 SBD 119

3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.28

$6.63 SBD 53.5

-44.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$2.65 SBD 21.39

15.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.50

$8.04 SBD 64.8

-61.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.56

$3.58 SBD 28.85

27.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$2.17 SBD 17.49

29.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$3.33 SBD 26.88

-28.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.39

$1.63 SBD 13.16

44.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.36

$1.14 SBD 9.20

43.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.42 A$55.3

$4.44 SBD 35.80

765.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$12.34 SBD 99.5

11.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 A$6.75

$1.78 SBD 14.36

163.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 A$7.31

$3.28 SBD 26.46

54.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 A$3.91

$0.38 SBD 3.08

615.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 A$138

$30.71 SBD 248

212.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.10

$1.28 SBD 10.29

176.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.22 SBD 9.81

27.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.00 A$57.6

$12.15 SBD 98.0

229.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.41 SBD 11.34

-7.80%

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

$28.2K A$40.5K

$19.6K SBD 158.2K

43.57%

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

$28.5K A$40.9K

$28.5K SBD 229.8K

-0.18%

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

$198 A$285

$529 SBD 4,264

-62.52%

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

$28.75 A$41.37

$23.93 SBD 193

20.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.4

$99.7 SBD 804

-41.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.6

$27.51 SBD 222

106.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.08 A$27.46

$9.05 SBD 73.0

110.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 A$21.62

$4.42 SBD 35.65

239.82%

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

$2,154 A$3,099

$126 SBD 1,017

1606.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K A$25.8K

$2,290 SBD 18.5K

682.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$26.50 SBD 214

194.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 A$78.8

$94.4 SBD 761

-41.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$97.8 SBD 788

14.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$179

$98.0 SBD 790

26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 A$2,215

$600 SBD 4,840

156.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 A$1,758

$524 SBD 4,227

133.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 A$3,566

$1,620 SBD 13.1K

52.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 A$2,778

$1,354 SBD 10.9K

42.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,153 A$11.7K

$88.0K SBD 709.2K

-90.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,053 A$8,711

$63.1K SBD 508.7K

-90.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,944 A$5,676

$459 SBD 3,703

758.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

17.78

-66.65%

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

Last update for Australia: October 13, 2026

Last update for the Solomon Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48.1%

Solomon Islands

$524 27.5% 57.1% $697

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.6%

Solomon Islands

$349 18.4% 5.6% $21

Eating Out

Australia

$293 11.5%

Solomon Islands

$159 8.3% 45.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$286 11.2%

Solomon Islands

$653 34.3% 129% $367

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

Solomon Islands

$142 7.5% 14.2% $24

Getting Around

Australia

$118 4.6%

Solomon Islands

$40 2.1% 66.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Solomon Islands

$36 1.9% 58.1% $50

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,366 in Australia vs $750 in the Solomon Islands. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,716 in Canberra and $901 in Honiara.

Average salary: $3,849 in Australia vs $416 in the Solomon Islands. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 82% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 39% more in Australia.

Public transport is 168% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 825% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

Same time as Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

611,343

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Solomon Islands 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Solomon Islands

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

Australia vs Solomon Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Solomon Islands is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 34% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $750 in the Solomon Islands.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in the Solomon Islands, adding to the overall 34% price gap.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Solomon Islands, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The Solomon Islands is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.