Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Gizo

For one person, living costs are similar in Christchurch and in Gizo: $2,035 and $2,121 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Christchurch
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Christchurch Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Christchurch

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,035

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Christchurch and in Gizo

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

A single person spends $2,035 per month in Christchurch vs $2,121 in Gizo, rent included.

Christchurch $2,035
Gizo $2,121

A couple spends around $3,004 per month in Christchurch vs $3,041 in Gizo, rent included.

Christchurch $3,004
Gizo $3,041

A family of three spends $3,973 per month in Christchurch vs $3,960 in Gizo, rent included.

Christchurch $3,973
Gizo $3,960

Christchurch is about 4% cheaper than Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Christchurch and Gizo sit above the global median – Christchurch by 52%, Gizo by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 NZ$24.78

$3.15 SBD 25.41

340.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 NZ$123

$56.5 SBD 456

22.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 NZ$16.41

$15.76 SBD 127

-41.62%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.88

$2.76 SBD 22.26

19.57%

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

$2.26 NZ$4.03

$1.26 SBD 10.17

79.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

$1.25 SBD 10.10

42.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$12.02

$2.55 SBD 20.62

164.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 NZ$12.23

$2.53 SBD 20.44

170.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.93

$3.29 SBD 26.58

-50.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.32 SBD 10.66

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 NZ$2.66

$1.40 SBD 11.33

6.43%

Eggs

$5.95 NZ$10.60

$7.24 SBD 58.5

-17.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.24 NZ$12.92

$8.64 SBD 69.8

-16.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 NZ$16.04

$6.33 SBD 51.1

42.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 NZ$24.02

$8.74 SBD 70.6

54.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 NZ$4.57

$6.88 SBD 55.6

-62.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.16

$6.01 SBD 48.52

-61.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NZ$4.80

$6.33 SBD 51.2

-57.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 NZ$6.73

$3.04 SBD 24.57

24.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.72

$3.03 SBD 24.50

-49.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.60

$2.41 SBD 19.50

-39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 NZ$3.98

$2.43 SBD 19.62

-8.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NZ$2.49

$1.33 SBD 10.77

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 NZ$42.24

$4.27 SBD 34.51

454.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 NZ$15.33

$12.57 SBD 102

-31.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 NZ$5.99

$1.89 SBD 15.25

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NZ$7.55

$2.19 SBD 17.68

93.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 NZ$2.95

$0.39 SBD 3.12

323.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.5 NZ$178

$31.04 SBD 251

220.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 NZ$4.47

$1.23 SBD 9.91

103.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$3.03

$2.45 SBD 19.77

-30.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.29 NZ$50.5

$12.41 SBD 100

127.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.77 SBD 14.26

5.08%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

$20.6K SBD 166.4K

24.46%

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

$24.3K NZ$43.3K

$21.5K SBD 173.5K

13.04%

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

$160 NZ$285

$756 SBD 6,110

-78.85%

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

$22.55 NZ$40.22

$13.69 SBD 111

64.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.39 NZ$81.0

$125 SBD 1,009

-63.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.21 NZ$41.40

$18.41 SBD 149

26.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.26 NZ$16.52

$6.05 SBD 48.89

53.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 NZ$19.79

$4.39 SBD 35.44

152.62%

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

$678 NZ$1,209

$121 SBD 981

458.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

$1,253 SBD 10.1K

1636.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$106

$24.88 SBD 201

138.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 NZ$70.4

$92.0 SBD 743

-57.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 NZ$180

$100 SBD 809

0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 NZ$217

$90.5 SBD 731

34.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 NZ$2,134

$608 SBD 4,910

96.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 NZ$1,760

$594 SBD 4,801

66.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 NZ$2,815

$618 SBD 4,993

155.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 NZ$2,568

$1,234 SBD 9,968

16.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 NZ$8,888

$86.8K SBD 700.9K

-94.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,682 NZ$4,783

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,576 NZ$4,595

$395 SBD 3,194

551.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

16.33

-63.81%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Christchurch

$987 47.7%

Gizo

$594 27.2% 39.8% $393

Groceries & Markets

Christchurch

$304 14.7%

Gizo

$354 16.2% 16.5% $50

Eating Out

Christchurch

$242 11.7%

Gizo

$133 6.1% 44.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Christchurch

$228 11%

Gizo

$895 40.9% 293% $667

Clothing & Footwear

Christchurch

$145 7%

Gizo

$138 6.3% 4.4% $6.3

Getting Around

Christchurch

$117 5.7%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 60.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Christchurch

$45 2.2%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 40.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,196 in Christchurch versus $608 in Gizo. 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 552% higher in Christchurch, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Christchurch versus $56.0 in Gizo. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Christchurch vs $354 in Gizo – so Christchurch wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Christchurch

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

2 h behind Christchurch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,600

7,177

💱 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 = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Christchurch Gizo 4,230 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Christchurch
Gizo

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

Christchurch vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gizo costs about 4% more than Christchurch, 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 $3,052 per month in Christchurch and $3,182 in Gizo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 221% less in Christchurch. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $678 per month in Christchurch and $121 in Gizo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Christchurch, where all-in costs run around $2,035, than in Gizo at $2,121. In Christchurch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gizo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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