Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gisborne and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,713 a month against $1,943 in Gisborne, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gisborne
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Gisborne Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Gisborne

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,943

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,943 in Gisborne versus $1,713 in Honiara.

Gisborne $1,943
Honiara $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,973 in Gisborne versus $2,811 in Honiara.

Gisborne $2,973
Honiara $2,811

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,003 in Gisborne versus $3,908 in Honiara.

Gisborne $4,003
Honiara $3,908

Living in Gisborne is roughly 13% more expensive than in Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gisborne 43% above, Honiara 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.26 NZ$49.97

$6.63 SBD 53.5

326.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.7 NZ$94.9

$60.9 SBD 491

-11.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 NZ$15.96

$12.54 SBD 101

-27.99%

Cappuccino

$3.44 NZ$6.09

$3.39 SBD 27.30

1.47%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$1.58 SBD 12.78

31.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$1.11 SBD 8.96

74.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.22 NZ$11.01

$2.43 SBD 19.58

155.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 NZ$10.18

$5.51 SBD 44.41

4.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$2.51 SBD 20.26

-29.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$1.51 SBD 12.20

34.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.65 SBD 13.27

6.06%

Eggs

$5.93 NZ$10.49

$5.74 SBD 46.27

3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 NZ$14.40

$6.55 SBD 52.8

24.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 NZ$17.13

$8.53 SBD 68.8

13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 NZ$25.09

$14.93 SBD 120

-4.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.68

$6.24 SBD 50.3

-57.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$2.67 SBD 21.53

-19.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.25

$8.51 SBD 68.6

-65.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 NZ$9.69

$3.79 SBD 30.54

44.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NZ$3.53

$1.97 SBD 15.90

1.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$3.47 SBD 28.01

-57.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.47 SBD 11.83

50.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$1.03 SBD 8.29

7.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$4.22 SBD 34.06

489.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 NZ$16.85

$10.40 SBD 83.9

-8.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NZ$6.24

$1.71 SBD 13.83

106.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 NZ$5.21

$3.33 SBD 26.86

-11.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 NZ$2.77

$0.35 SBD 2.86

348.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 NZ$134

$25.03 SBD 202

203.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 NZ$4.32

$1.23 SBD 9.91

99.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 NZ$2.96

$1.23 SBD 9.91

35.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.09 NZ$49.68

$12.30 SBD 99.2

128.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NZ$3.88

$1.29 SBD 10.40

69.77%

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

$30.9K NZ$54.6K

$18.9K SBD 152.1K

63.62%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$34.5K SBD 278.1K

-26.89%

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

$103 NZ$182

$428 SBD 3,448

-75.98%

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

$24.95 NZ$44.12

$26.94 SBD 217

-7.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.54 NZ$85.8

$90.3 SBD 728

-46.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.81 NZ$61.6

$36.99 SBD 298

-5.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.05 SBD 73.0

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 NZ$20.12

$4.30 SBD 34.67

164.65%

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

$664 NZ$1,174

$97.9 SBD 789

578.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

$2,854 SBD 23.0K

583.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 NZ$105

$27.64 SBD 223

114.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.00 NZ$61.9

$92.3 SBD 744

-62.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 NZ$155

$96.6 SBD 779

-9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 NZ$169

$105 SBD 845

-8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 NZ$1,854

$872 SBD 7,029

20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 NZ$1,440

$434 SBD 3,499

87.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 NZ$3,310

$1,849 SBD 14.9K

1.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 NZ$2,599

$1,397 SBD 11.3K

5.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,477 NZ$9,685

$85.5K SBD 689.3K

-93.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,709 NZ$6,560

$61.2K SBD 493.2K

-93.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$431 SBD 3,478

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

15.67

-64.45%

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

Last update for Gisborne: October 18, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gisborne

$814 41.9%

Honiara

$434 25.4% 46.7% $380

Eating Out

Gisborne

$353 18.2%

Honiara

$165 9.7% 53.2% $188

Groceries & Markets

Gisborne

$323 16.6%

Honiara

$344 20.1% 6.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gisborne

$176 9.1%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 209% $369

Clothing & Footwear

Gisborne

$125 6.4%

Honiara

$145 8.5% 15.8% $20

Getting Around

Gisborne

$93 4.8%

Honiara

$34 2% 63.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Gisborne

$58 3%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 20.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,048 in Gisborne and $872 in Honiara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Gisborne vs $61.0 in Honiara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $344 per month, with Gisborne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Gisborne

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

2 h behind Gisborne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,300

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 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

Gisborne Honiara 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Gisborne
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

Gisborne vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,914 in Gisborne and $2,569 in Honiara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,048 in Gisborne versus $872 in Honiara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,943 per month in Gisborne versus $1,713 in Honiara – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Honiara runs roughly 204% less than in Gisborne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,713 in Honiara versus $1,943 in Gisborne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Honiara but tight or insufficient in Gisborne. 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, Gisborne 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 13% less than in Gisborne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.