Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Honiara

For one person, living costs are similar in Dunedin and in Honiara: $1,821 and $1,742 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Dunedin versus $1,742 in Honiara.

Dunedin $1,821
Honiara $1,742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,717 in Dunedin versus $2,873 in Honiara.

Dunedin $2,717
Honiara $2,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,613 in Dunedin versus $4,004 in Honiara.

Dunedin $3,613
Honiara $4,004

Living in Dunedin is roughly 5% more expensive than in Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 36% above, Honiara 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 NZ$24.47

$6.66 SBD 53.8

106.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 NZ$110

$62.8 SBD 507

-1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 NZ$20.35

$12.53 SBD 101

-8.86%

Cappuccino

$3.23 NZ$5.75

$3.48 SBD 28.14

-7.18%

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

$2.08 NZ$3.71

$1.60 SBD 12.89

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.72

$1.05 SBD 8.49

99.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 NZ$12.21

$2.42 SBD 19.58

183.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 NZ$10.72

$5.70 SBD 46.04

5.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NZ$3.88

$2.57 SBD 20.75

-15.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$1.49 SBD 12.00

30.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.12

$1.64 SBD 13.28

6.71%

Eggs

$5.83 NZ$10.39

$5.48 SBD 44.27

6.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 NZ$14.52

$6.61 SBD 53.4

23.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 NZ$16.80

$8.34 SBD 67.4

13.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 NZ$29.49

$15.18 SBD 123

9.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.12

$6.39 SBD 51.6

-55.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 NZ$4.17

$2.70 SBD 21.83

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 NZ$5.52

$8.70 SBD 70.2

-64.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 NZ$8.99

$3.67 SBD 29.62

37.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$1.99 SBD 16.09

-8.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$3.47 SBD 28.01

-46.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 NZ$4.24

$1.40 SBD 11.30

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.99

$1.03 SBD 8.36

-46.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.93 NZ$37.29

$4.26 SBD 34.39

391.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 NZ$15.81

$10.37 SBD 83.7

-14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.64

$1.69 SBD 13.67

87.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.22

$3.47 SBD 28.00

-64.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$0.39 SBD 3.12

179.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.1 NZ$121

$25.14 SBD 203

170.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 NZ$10.08

$1.27 SBD 10.28

344.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.97 NZ$49.83

$12.60 SBD 102

121.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.05

$1.35 SBD 10.92

26.67%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

34.33%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.6K

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

-26.68%

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

$111 NZ$197

$429 SBD 3,464

-74.21%

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

$28.28 NZ$50.4

$27.02 SBD 218

4.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 NZ$91.0

$89.0 SBD 719

-42.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 NZ$85.6

$36.76 SBD 297

30.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 NZ$18.58

$4.41 SBD 35.65

136.51%

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

$591 NZ$1,053

$100 SBD 811

488.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 NZ$102

$27.71 SBD 224

107.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 NZ$61.5

$93.5 SBD 755

-63.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 NZ$165

$95.9 SBD 774

-3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$236

$103 SBD 829

28.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 NZ$1,561

$870 SBD 7,024

0.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 NZ$1,338

$434 SBD 3,507

72.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,474 NZ$2,627

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

-20.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 NZ$2,049

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

-17.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,256 NZ$4,019

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

-96.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,455 NZ$4,375

$444 SBD 3,583

453.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

15.67

-54.88%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$751 41.8%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 42.2% $316

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$320 17.8%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 7.6% $24

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 32.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$190 10.6%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 187% $355

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 7.9%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 0.9% $1.3

Getting Around

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4%

Honiara

$34 2% 56.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$69 3.8%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 33.8% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $876 in Dunedin and $870 in Honiara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 453% 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: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $63.0 in Honiara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $345 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

2 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

54,600 Capital

💱 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 = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Honiara 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

Dunedin vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Honiara differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $1,742 including rent). Honiara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 453% higher in Dunedin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $876 in Dunedin versus $870 in Honiara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Honiara runs roughly 171% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $591 in Dunedin versus $100 in Honiara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,742 in Honiara versus $1,821 in Dunedin, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Honiara but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Honiara 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.

Safety-wise, Dunedin and Honiara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Honiara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.