Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ba and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ba: $92.7 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Ba
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Ba Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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🇫🇯 Fiji

$92.7

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ba 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 Ba and in Honiara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $92.7 in Ba versus $1,718 in Honiara.

Ba $92.7
Honiara $1,718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $207 in Ba versus $2,833 in Honiara.

Ba $207
Honiara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $321 in Ba versus $3,948 in Honiara.

Ba $321
Honiara $3,948

Living in Ba costs roughly 95% less than in Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ba is 93% below, Honiara is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.05 FJD 4.59

$6.94 SBD 56.0

-70.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 FJD 66.7

$62.3 SBD 502

-52.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 FJD 13.66

$12.56 SBD 101

-51.43%

Cappuccino

$1.96 FJD 4.39

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-43.84%

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

$0.98 FJD 2.20

$1.58 SBD 12.75

-37.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 FJD 2.19

$1.10 SBD 8.90

-10.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 FJD 8.84

$2.55 SBD 20.59

54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 FJD 7.72

$5.70 SBD 45.93

-39.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

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

$427 SBD 3,440

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

$27.52 SBD 222

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

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

$98.2 SBD 792

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 FJD 863

$443 SBD 3,574

-13.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

-74.47%

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

Last update for Ba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

$93 100%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 83.4% $77

Groceries & Markets

- * 0%

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Getting Around

- * 0%

Honiara

$34 2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

- * 0%

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Sport & Entertainment

- * 0%

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Clothing & Footwear

- * 0%

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Accommodation & Living

- * 0%

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Honiara pays 15% 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 at a mid-range restaurant: $30.00 in Ba vs $62.0 in Honiara for two.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Ba

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

1 h behind Ba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.04 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ba Honiara 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ba
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

Ba vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ba wins on cost – living expenses run 1752% lower than in Honiara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Honiara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in Ba – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $62.0 in Honiara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $92.7 per month in Ba versus $1,718 in Honiara – a 1752% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $92.7 in Ba versus $1,718 in Honiara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ba but tight or insufficient in Honiara. The gap between the two cities makes Ba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1752% less than in Honiara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.