Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Lower Hutt

For one person, living costs are similar in Gizo and in Lower Hutt: $2,164 and $2,199 a month, rent and utilities included.

105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lower Hutt
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Lower Hutt Living Index

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Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Lower Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gizo and in Lower Hutt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,164 in Gizo versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt.

Gizo $2,164
Lower Hutt $2,199

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Gizo versus $3,027 in Lower Hutt.

Gizo $3,051
Lower Hutt $3,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,938 in Gizo versus $3,854 in Lower Hutt.

Gizo $3,938
Lower Hutt $3,854

Living in Gizo costs roughly 2% less than in Lower Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gizo 60% above, Lower Hutt 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 SBD 24.25

$10.42 NZ$18.43

-71.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 SBD 441

$33.22 NZ$58.8

64.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.57 SBD 126

$9.17 NZ$16.21

69.79%

Cappuccino

$2.85 SBD 22.95

$2.99 NZ$5.28

-4.68%

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

$1.26 SBD 10.13

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-28.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 SBD 19.88

$2.75 NZ$4.86

-10.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SBD 19.41

$6.64 NZ$11.74

-63.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 SBD 26.35

$1.85 NZ$3.27

76.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SBD 11.19

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-18.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$1.85 NZ$3.26

-24.32%

Eggs

$7.24 SBD 58.4

$6.98 NZ$12.34

3.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 SBD 68.3

$8.48 NZ$15.00

-0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 SBD 50.0

$8.25 NZ$14.59

-24.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 SBD 67.8

$12.41 NZ$21.95

-32.23%

Apples (1kg)

$6.88 SBD 55.5

$2.83 NZ$5.00

143.11%

Banana (1kg)

$6.34 SBD 51.1

$2.01 NZ$3.56

215.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.06 SBD 48.84

$2.93 NZ$5.18

106.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 SBD 24.32

$4.35 NZ$7.70

-30.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 SBD 24.74

$2.09 NZ$3.69

46.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 SBD 19.45

$1.28 NZ$2.26

88.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SBD 20.39

$2.06 NZ$3.64

22.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 SBD 10.79

$1.18 NZ$2.09

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$16.53 NZ$29.24

-74.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 SBD 99.6

$8.49 NZ$15.01

45.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SBD 14.77

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-41.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SBD 17.66

$2.81 NZ$4.97

-22.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.11

$2.68 NZ$4.74

-85.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 SBD 253

$88.5 NZ$156

-64.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 SBD 10.09

$1.79 NZ$3.16

-30.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 SBD 19.56

$1.74 NZ$3.08

39.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.52 SBD 101

$33.71 NZ$59.6

-62.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SBD 14.10

$1.64 NZ$2.90

6.71%

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

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

$25.3K NZ$44.7K

-18.07%

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

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

-11.27%

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

$750 SBD 6,048

$144 NZ$254

421.94%

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

$13.42 SBD 108

$32.73 NZ$57.9

-59.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$123 SBD 989

$52.4 NZ$92.7

134.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.49 SBD 149

$38.70 NZ$68.5

-52.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 SBD 33.87

$9.59 NZ$16.96

-56.20%

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

$126 SBD 1,014

$683 NZ$1,208

-81.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

$11.1K NZ$19.6K

-88.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.29 SBD 204

$78.0 NZ$138

-67.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.4 SBD 761

$28.28 NZ$50.0

233.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 SBD 804

$101 NZ$178

-1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 SBD 730

$143 NZ$252

-36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 SBD 4,833

$1,396 NZ$2,469

-57.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 SBD 4,678

$1,153 NZ$2,039

-49.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 SBD 5,081

$2,045 NZ$3,617

-69.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 SBD 9,809

$1,653 NZ$2,923

-26.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

$4,821 NZ$8,526

1681.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,282 NZ$5,804

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

$3,100 NZ$5,482

-87.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

5.39

202.97%

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

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lower Hutt: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gizo

$886 41%

Lower Hutt

$229 10.4% 74.2% $658

Accommodation & Living

Gizo

$580 26.8%

Lower Hutt

$1.2K 52.4% 98.7% $573

Groceries & Markets

Gizo

$353 16.3%

Lower Hutt

$304 13.8% 13.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Gizo

$139 6.5%

Lower Hutt

$157 7.2% 12.8% $18

Eating Out

Gizo

$132 6.1%

Lower Hutt

$188 8.6% 42.7% $56

Getting Around

Gizo

$46 2.1%

Lower Hutt

$110 5% 137% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Gizo

$27 1.2%

Lower Hutt

$58 2.6% 115% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Gizo and $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lower Hutt pays 696% 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: $55.0 in Gizo vs $33.00 in Lower Hutt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $304 per month, with Lower Hutt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Gizo

🇳🇿 Lower Hutt

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

2 h ahead of Gizo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,177

111,800

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Lower Hutt 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gizo
Lower Hutt

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 Lower Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gizo wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Lower Hutt. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gizo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 696% lower in Lower Hutt. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $599 in Gizo versus $1,396 in Lower Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lower Hutt pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Gizo – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $33.00 in Lower Hutt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,164 in Gizo versus $2,199 in Lower Hutt, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gizo but tight or insufficient in Lower Hutt. The gap between the two cities makes Gizo 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 Lower Hutt 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 Gizo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Lower Hutt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.