Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and the Solomon Islands

Name: Solomon Islands
Address: SB

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in the Solomon Islands
Learn more

Solomon Islands Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China 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 China and in the Solomon Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,909 in the Solomon Islands.

China $791
Solomon Islands $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,946 in the Solomon Islands.

China $1,251
Solomon Islands $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $3,983 in the Solomon Islands.

China $1,711
Solomon Islands $3,983

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,719–$2,169 in the Solomon Islands. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China costs about 59% less than in the Solomon Islands on average.

China (42% below) and the Solomon Islands (40% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.76

$6.22 SBD 50.1

-52.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$64.0 SBD 516

-65.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.51

$12.38 SBD 99.7

-58.00%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.68

$3.26 SBD 26.28

-8.90%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.46 SBD 11.78

-67.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.13 SBD 9.09

-73.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.16

$2.75 SBD 22.16

-60.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.11

$4.71 SBD 37.98

-51.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.93

$2.71 SBD 21.85

-33.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.12

$1.53 SBD 12.34

9.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.55 SBD 12.48

-40.65%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$5.81 SBD 46.84

-72.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.8

$7.26 SBD 58.5

84.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.22

$8.21 SBD 66.2

-59.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.3

$14.50 SBD 117

-21.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.09

$6.59 SBD 53.1

-72.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.67

$2.67 SBD 21.52

-50.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.86

$8.30 SBD 66.9

-82.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.45

$3.64 SBD 29.29

-65.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$2.12 SBD 17.05

-66.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$3.40 SBD 27.36

-72.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.62 SBD 13.03

-61.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$1.19 SBD 9.59

-52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.08

$4.29 SBD 34.53

-11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.5

$12.23 SBD 98.5

-0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.81 SBD 14.56

-54.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.18

$3.24 SBD 26.11

-48.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.36 SBD 2.88

-19.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$31.41 SBD 253

-43.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.87

$1.25 SBD 10.07

19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.27 SBD 10.23

-70.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.11

$12.47 SBD 100

-43.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.35

$1.40 SBD 11.28

-10.00%

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

$19.4K ¥129.1K

$19.6K SBD 158.2K

-0.96%

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

$17.5K ¥116.4K

$28.3K SBD 228.3K

-38.11%

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

$54.6 ¥362

$527 SBD 4,244

-89.64%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$23.75 SBD 191

-63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$103 SBD 831

-89.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$28.16 SBD 227

44.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.1

$9.27 SBD 74.7

56.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.00

$4.43 SBD 35.72

53.05%

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

$517 ¥3,429

$126 SBD 1,016

309.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.5K

$2,337 SBD 18.8K

747.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$26.36 SBD 212

76.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$93.3 SBD 752

-61.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥511

$96.8 SBD 780

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$98.5 SBD 794

-18.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,560

$592 SBD 4,772

-34.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,557

$524 SBD 4,223

-55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,454

$1,577 SBD 12.7K

-47.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,007

$1,358 SBD 10.9K

-66.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$87.9K SBD 707.8K

-94.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.7K

$62.0K SBD 499.1K

-96.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,255

$471 SBD 3,795

132.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

17.78

-80.54%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for the Solomon Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Solomon Islands

$524 27.5% 124% $290

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Solomon Islands

$353 18.5% 67.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Solomon Islands

$142 7.4% 31.6% $34

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Solomon Islands

$160 8.4% 81.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Solomon Islands

$654 34.2% 779% $579

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Solomon Islands

$37 1.9% 31.9% $17

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Solomon Islands

$40 2.1% 81% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $741 in the Solomon Islands. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $890 in Honiara.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $419 in the Solomon Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 149% higher in the Solomon Islands.

Dining out costs 168% more in the Solomon Islands.

Public transport is 56% more expensive in the Solomon Islands.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

02:11 2:11 AM

3 h ahead of China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

611,343

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Solomon Islands 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

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

At $791 per month in China and $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, China comes out about 59% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $741 in the Solomon Islands and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.