Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Gisborne

For one person, living is cheaper in Gisborne: $1,943 a month against $2,179 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gisborne
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Gisborne Living Index

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Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,179

/mo nomad

Gisborne

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gizo and in Gisborne

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 Gisborne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,179 in Gizo versus $1,943 in Gisborne.

Gizo $2,179
Gisborne $1,943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in Gizo versus $2,973 in Gisborne.

Gizo $3,076
Gisborne $2,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,972 in Gizo versus $4,003 in Gisborne.

Gizo $3,972
Gisborne $4,003

Living in Gizo is roughly 12% more expensive than in Gisborne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gizo 61% above, Gisborne 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 SBD 24.77

$28.26 NZ$49.97

-89.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 SBD 442

$53.7 NZ$94.9

2.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.76 SBD 127

$9.03 NZ$15.96

74.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 SBD 22.82

$3.44 NZ$6.09

-17.73%

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

$1.21 SBD 9.77

$2.07 NZ$3.66

-41.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 SBD 10.29

$1.94 NZ$3.43

-34.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.51

$6.22 NZ$11.01

-61.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SBD 20.33

$5.76 NZ$10.18

-56.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 SBD 26.19

$1.76 NZ$3.12

84.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 SBD 11.13

$2.03 NZ$3.58

-32.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 SBD 11.75

$1.75 NZ$3.10

-16.57%

Eggs

$7.15 SBD 57.7

$5.93 NZ$10.49

20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 SBD 69.8

$8.14 NZ$14.40

6.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 SBD 48.62

$9.69 NZ$17.13

-37.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 SBD 69.6

$14.19 NZ$25.09

-39.18%

Apples (1kg)

$6.73 SBD 54.3

$2.65 NZ$4.68

153.96%

Banana (1kg)

$6.08 SBD 49.04

$2.15 NZ$3.81

182.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.19 SBD 49.90

$2.97 NZ$5.25

108.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 SBD 24.25

$5.48 NZ$9.69

-45.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 SBD 25.49

$2.00 NZ$3.53

58.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 SBD 20.37

$1.47 NZ$2.60

72.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 SBD 19.81

$2.21 NZ$3.91

11.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 SBD 10.81

$1.11 NZ$1.97

20.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 SBD 35.86

$24.86 NZ$43.96

-82.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 SBD 98.2

$9.53 NZ$16.85

27.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SBD 14.78

$3.53 NZ$6.24

-48.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 SBD 17.58

$2.95 NZ$5.21

-26.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$1.57 NZ$2.77

-75.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.63 SBD 247

$76.0 NZ$134

-59.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 SBD 9.83

$2.45 NZ$4.32

-50.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 SBD 20.53

$1.67 NZ$2.96

52.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.36 SBD 99.7

$28.09 NZ$49.68

-56.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SBD 14.62

$2.19 NZ$3.88

-17.35%

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

$20.5K SBD 164.9K

$30.9K NZ$54.6K

-33.73%

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

$21.4K SBD 172.7K

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

-15.07%

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

$755 SBD 6,084

$103 NZ$182

634.60%

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

$13.43 SBD 108

$24.95 NZ$44.12

-46.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$122 SBD 981

$48.54 NZ$85.8

150.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.57 SBD 150

$34.81 NZ$61.6

-46.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.27 SBD 50.6

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 SBD 35.34

$11.38 NZ$20.12

-61.51%

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

$124 SBD 998

$664 NZ$1,174

-81.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,243 SBD 10.0K

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

-93.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.51 SBD 206

$59.3 NZ$105

-56.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.7 SBD 747

$35.00 NZ$61.9

164.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 SBD 807

$87.7 NZ$155

14.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 SBD 733

$95.5 NZ$169

-4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 SBD 4,890

$1,048 NZ$1,854

-42.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 SBD 4,782

$814 NZ$1,440

-27.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 SBD 5,014

$1,871 NZ$3,310

-66.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 SBD 10.1K

$1,470 NZ$2,599

-14.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$88.5K SBD 713.2K

$5,477 NZ$9,685

1515.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,709 NZ$6,560

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$386 SBD 3,115

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

5.57

193.18%

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

Last update for Gizo: October 20, 2026

Last update for Gisborne: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gizo

$890 40.8%

Gisborne

$176 9.1% 80.2% $714

Accommodation & Living

Gizo

$593 27.2%

Gisborne

$814 41.9% 37.3% $221

Groceries & Markets

Gizo

$351 16.1%

Gisborne

$323 16.6% 7.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Gizo

$139 6.4%

Gisborne

$125 6.4% 10.3% $14

Eating Out

Gizo

$133 6.1%

Gisborne

$353 18.2% 166% $220

Getting Around

Gizo

$46 2.1%

Gisborne

$93 4.8% 102% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Gizo

$27 1.3%

Gisborne

$58 3% 111% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $607 in Gizo and $1,048 in Gisborne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Gizo vs $54.0 in Gisborne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $323 per month, with Gisborne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Gizo

🇳🇿 Gisborne

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

2 h ahead of Gizo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,177

37,300

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gizo Gisborne 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gizo
Gisborne

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 Gisborne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gisborne is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,269 in Gizo and $2,914 in Gisborne 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: $607 in Gizo versus $1,048 in Gisborne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,179 per month in Gizo versus $1,943 in Gisborne – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Gisborne runs roughly 148% less than in Gizo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,943 in Gisborne versus $2,179 in Gizo, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gisborne but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Gisborne 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 Gisborne 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 Gisborne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.