Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Christchurch and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,035 in Christchurch, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Christchurch
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Christchurch Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Christchurch

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,035

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,035 per month in Christchurch vs $1,742 in Honiara, rent included.

Christchurch $2,035
Honiara $1,742

A couple spends around $3,004 per month in Christchurch vs $2,873 in Honiara, rent included.

Christchurch $3,004
Honiara $2,873

A family of three spends $3,973 per month in Christchurch vs $4,004 in Honiara, rent included.

Christchurch $3,973
Honiara $4,004

Christchurch costs about 17% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Christchurch and Honiara sit above the global median – Christchurch by 52%, Honiara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 NZ$24.75

$6.66 SBD 53.8

108.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 NZ$123

$62.8 SBD 507

9.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 NZ$16.39

$12.53 SBD 101

-26.58%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.87

$3.48 SBD 28.14

-5.17%

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

$2.26 NZ$4.03

$1.60 SBD 12.89

41.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.05 SBD 8.49

69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$12.01

$2.42 SBD 19.58

178.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 NZ$12.21

$5.70 SBD 46.04

20.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.93

$2.57 SBD 20.75

-36.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$1.49 SBD 12.00

25.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 NZ$2.66

$1.64 SBD 13.28

-9.15%

Eggs

$5.95 NZ$10.59

$5.48 SBD 44.27

8.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.24 NZ$12.91

$6.61 SBD 53.4

9.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 NZ$16.02

$8.34 SBD 67.4

7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 NZ$24.00

$15.18 SBD 123

-11.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 NZ$4.56

$6.39 SBD 51.6

-59.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.16

$2.70 SBD 21.83

-13.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NZ$4.79

$8.70 SBD 70.2

-69.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 NZ$6.73

$3.67 SBD 29.62

2.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.99 SBD 16.09

-23.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.60

$3.47 SBD 28.01

-57.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.40 SBD 11.30

59.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NZ$2.49

$1.03 SBD 8.36

35.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.68 NZ$42.20

$4.26 SBD 34.39

455.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 NZ$15.32

$10.37 SBD 83.7

-17.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 NZ$5.98

$1.69 SBD 13.67

98.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NZ$7.54

$3.47 SBD 28.00

21.90%

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$177

$25.14 SBD 203

295.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 NZ$4.46

$1.27 SBD 10.28

96.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$3.03

$1.20 SBD 9.72

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.29 NZ$50.4

$12.60 SBD 102

124.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.35 SBD 10.92

37.78%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

37.00%

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

$24.3K NZ$43.3K

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

-28.92%

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

$160 NZ$285

$429 SBD 3,464

-62.72%

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

$22.55 NZ$40.18

$27.02 SBD 218

-16.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.39 NZ$80.9

$89.0 SBD 719

-49.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.21 NZ$41.36

$36.76 SBD 297

-36.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.26 NZ$16.51

$8.94 SBD 72.2

3.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 NZ$19.77

$4.41 SBD 35.65

151.47%

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

$678 NZ$1,208

$100 SBD 811

575.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

651.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$106

$27.71 SBD 224

114.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 NZ$70.3

$93.5 SBD 755

-57.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 NZ$180

$95.9 SBD 774

5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 NZ$217

$103 SBD 829

18.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 NZ$2,132

$870 SBD 7,024

37.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 NZ$1,759

$434 SBD 3,507

127.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 NZ$2,812

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

-14.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 NZ$2,565

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

2.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 NZ$8,880

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

-94.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,682 NZ$4,779

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

-95.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,576 NZ$4,591

$444 SBD 3,583

480.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

15.67

-62.28%

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

Last update for Christchurch: October 5, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Christchurch

$987 47.7%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 56% $553

Groceries & Markets

Christchurch

$304 14.7%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 13.3% $41

Eating Out

Christchurch

$242 11.7%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 31% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Christchurch

$228 11%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 139% $317

Clothing & Footwear

Christchurch

$145 7%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 0.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Christchurch

$117 5.7%

Honiara

$34 2% 71% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Christchurch

$45 2.2%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 0.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,196 in Christchurch 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 481% higher in Christchurch, 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 $69.0 in Christchurch versus $63.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Christchurch vs $345 in Honiara – so Christchurch wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Christchurch

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

01:25 1:25 AM

2 h behind Christchurch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,600

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 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 = 0.501 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 = 0.111 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Christchurch Honiara 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Christchurch
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

Christchurch vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Christchurch costs about 17% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $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.

Public transport costs about 296% less in Honiara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $678 per month in Christchurch and $100 in Honiara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,742, than in Christchurch at $2,035. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Christchurch 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, Christchurch makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.