Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Apia

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $851 a month against $2,121 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,121

/mo nomad

Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gizo and in Apia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,121 in Gizo versus $851 in Apia.

Gizo $2,121
Apia $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,041 in Gizo versus $2,281 in Apia.

Gizo $3,041
Apia $2,281

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,960 in Gizo versus $3,711 in Apia.

Gizo $3,960
Apia $3,711

Living in Gizo is roughly 149% more expensive than in Apia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gizo is 58% above, Apia is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.15 SBD 25.41

$47.76 WST 133

-93.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 SBD 456

$36.89 WST 103

53.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.76 SBD 127

$14.51 WST 40.39

8.61%

Cappuccino

$2.76 SBD 22.26

$2.93 WST 8.15

-5.80%

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

$1.26 SBD 10.17

$1.80 WST 5.01

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SBD 10.10

$1.39 WST 3.88

-10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.62

$3.51 WST 9.78

-27.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 SBD 20.44

$3.67 WST 10.20

-31.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.29 SBD 26.58

$1.83 WST 5.09

79.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 SBD 10.66

$0.84 WST 2.34

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 SBD 11.33

$1.86 WST 5.17

-24.73%

Eggs

$7.24 SBD 58.5

$4.15 WST 11.55

74.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 SBD 69.8

$0.94 WST 2.62

819.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 SBD 51.1

$3.67 WST 10.21

72.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 SBD 70.6

$8.60 WST 23.92

1.63%

Apples (1kg)

$6.88 SBD 55.6

$5.22 WST 14.54

31.80%

Banana (1kg)

$6.01 SBD 48.52

$1.79 WST 4.99

235.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.33 SBD 51.2

$1.87 WST 5.21

238.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 SBD 24.57

$4.34 WST 12.07

-29.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 SBD 24.50

$3.70 WST 10.29

-18.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 SBD 19.50

$1.11 WST 3.10

117.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 SBD 19.62

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SBD 10.77

$1.22 WST 3.40

9.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 SBD 34.51

$6.31 WST 17.55

-32.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.57 SBD 102

$16.32 WST 45.41

-22.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 SBD 15.25

$1.87 WST 5.19

1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SBD 17.68

$3.68 WST 10.24

-40.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$3.57 WST 9.94

-89.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.04 SBD 251

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 SBD 9.91

$5.33 WST 14.84

-76.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 SBD 19.77

$5.42 WST 15.08

-54.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$21.64 WST 60.2

-42.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SBD 14.26

$1.06 WST 2.95

66.98%

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

$20.6K SBD 166.4K

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

$21.5K SBD 173.5K

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

$756 SBD 6,110

$18.16 WST 50.6

4064.81%

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

$13.69 SBD 111

$18.40 WST 51.2

-25.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 SBD 1,009

$36.53 WST 102

241.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.41 SBD 149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.05 SBD 48.89

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 SBD 35.44

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

$121 SBD 981

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,253 SBD 10.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 SBD 201

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.0 SBD 743

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 SBD 809

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 SBD 731

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$608 SBD 4,910

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 SBD 4,801

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 SBD 4,993

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 SBD 9,968

$1,790 WST 4,982

-31.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.8K SBD 700.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$395 SBD 3,194

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

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

Last update for Gizo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Apia: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gizo

$895 40.9%

Apia

–

Accommodation & Living

Gizo

$594 27.2%

Apia

–

Groceries & Markets

Gizo

$354 16.2%

Apia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Gizo

$138 6.3%

Apia

–

Eating Out

Gizo

$133 6.1%

Apia

–

Getting Around

Gizo

$46 2.1%

Apia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Gizo

$27 1.2%

Apia

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $56.0 in Gizo vs $37.00 in Apia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $241 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Gizo

🇼🇸 Apia

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

2 h ahead of Gizo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,177

36,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 WST = 0.359 USD

1 WST = 0.321 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, USD, EUR to SBD – Solomon Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

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).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.78 WST (1 WST = 0.359 USD). 1 EUR = 3.12 WST (1 WST = 0.321 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gizo Apia 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gizo
Apia

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

Gizo vs Apia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 149% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,182 in Gizo and $1,277 in Apia 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.

All in, you'll spend $2,121 per month in Gizo versus $851 in Apia – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $851 in Apia versus $2,121 in Gizo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Apia but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Apia 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, Gizo and Apia 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 Apia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.