Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,560 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Brisbane vs $1,742 in Honiara, rent included.

Brisbane $2,560
Honiara $1,742

A couple spends around $3,774 per month in Brisbane vs $2,873 in Honiara, rent included.

Brisbane $3,774
Honiara $2,873

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Brisbane vs $4,004 in Honiara, rent included.

Brisbane $4,987
Honiara $4,004

Brisbane costs about 47% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brisbane and Honiara sit above the global median – Brisbane by 91%, Honiara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.36

$6.66 SBD 53.8

166.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 A$107

$62.8 SBD 507

18.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 A$15.66

$12.53 SBD 101

-12.69%

Cappuccino

$4.24 A$6.07

$3.48 SBD 28.14

21.84%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$1.60 SBD 12.89

77.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.54

$1.05 SBD 8.49

136.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 A$12.29

$2.42 SBD 19.58

254.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.80

$5.70 SBD 46.04

44.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 A$2.34

$2.57 SBD 20.75

-36.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.75

$1.49 SBD 12.00

75.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.22

$1.64 SBD 13.28

37.20%

Eggs

$4.91 A$7.02

$5.48 SBD 44.27

-10.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.54

$6.61 SBD 53.4

43.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.89

$8.34 SBD 67.4

7.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 A$19.95

$15.18 SBD 123

-8.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$5.98

$6.39 SBD 51.6

-34.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.33

$2.70 SBD 21.83

11.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.24

$8.70 SBD 70.2

-65.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.84

$3.67 SBD 29.62

30.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.93

$1.99 SBD 16.09

38.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 A$3.40

$3.47 SBD 28.01

-31.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 A$3.37

$1.40 SBD 11.30

68.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 A$1.79

$1.03 SBD 8.36

21.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.83 A$55.6

$4.26 SBD 34.39

811.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 A$17.68

$10.37 SBD 83.7

19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.48

$1.69 SBD 13.67

209.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.10

$3.47 SBD 28.00

42.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$0.39 SBD 3.12

-12.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 A$30.44

$25.14 SBD 203

-15.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 A$4.20

$1.27 SBD 10.28

131.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.56

$1.20 SBD 9.72

49.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.65 A$59.6

$12.60 SBD 102

230.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.07

$1.35 SBD 10.92

7.41%

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

$26.9K A$38.6K

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

44.04%

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

$28.0K A$40.1K

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

-17.87%

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

$156 A$223

$429 SBD 3,464

-63.61%

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

$25.94 A$37.12

$27.02 SBD 218

-4.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 A$85.4

$89.0 SBD 719

-32.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 A$87.0

$36.76 SBD 297

65.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.05 A$32.99

$8.94 SBD 72.2

157.83%

Cinema Ticket

$17.49 A$25.03

$4.41 SBD 35.65

296.60%

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

$1,943 A$2,780

$100 SBD 811

1834.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K A$18.3K

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

342.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 A$117

$27.71 SBD 224

195.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.63 A$63.9

$93.5 SBD 755

-52.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$95.9 SBD 774

15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$161

$103 SBD 829

9.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 A$2,825

$870 SBD 7,024

126.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 A$1,945

$434 SBD 3,507

212.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,333 A$4,770

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

80.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,281

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

63.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,100 A$11.6K

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

-90.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,066 A$8,682

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

-90.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,133 A$5,915

$444 SBD 3,583

831.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

15.67

-62.92%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 4, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 53.2%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 68% $925

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$359 14.1%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 4.1% $15

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 45.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$242 9.5%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 126% $303

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$157 6.2%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 8.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$96 3.8%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 52.4% $50

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.4%

Honiara

$34 2% 1.5% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,974 in Brisbane versus $870 in Honiara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 831% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Brisbane versus $63.0 in Honiara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $345 – making Honiara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

1 h ahead of Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Honiara 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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

Brisbane vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 47% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,841 per month in Brisbane and $2,614 in Honiara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 4% more in Brisbane, 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 $74.0 in Brisbane and $63.0 in Honiara. 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 Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,742, than in Brisbane at $2,560. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Honiara – 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 Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.