Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Paihia

For one person, living is cheaper in Paihia: $1,878 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
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Paihia Living Index

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Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,878

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gizo and in Paihia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,164 in Gizo versus $1,878 in Paihia.

Gizo $2,164
Paihia $1,878

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Gizo versus $2,919 in Paihia.

Gizo $3,051
Paihia $2,919

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,938 in Gizo versus $3,960 in Paihia.

Gizo $3,938
Paihia $3,960

Living in Gizo is roughly 15% more expensive than in Paihia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gizo 60% above, Paihia 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 SBD 24.25

$13.79 NZ$24.39

-78.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 SBD 441

$33.24 NZ$58.8

64.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.57 SBD 126

$8.35 NZ$14.77

86.47%

Cappuccino

$2.85 SBD 22.95

$3.31 NZ$5.86

-13.90%

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

$1.26 SBD 10.13

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-34.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.80 NZ$3.18

-32.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 SBD 19.88

$6.68 NZ$11.81

-63.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SBD 19.41

$6.63 NZ$11.72

-63.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 SBD 26.35

$1.86 NZ$3.29

75.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SBD 11.19

$2.24 NZ$3.96

-37.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$1.89 NZ$3.34

-25.93%

Eggs

$7.24 SBD 58.4

$6.39 NZ$11.29

13.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 SBD 68.3

$8.42 NZ$14.89

0.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 SBD 50.0

$9.68 NZ$17.13

-35.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 SBD 67.8

$17.32 NZ$30.63

-51.44%

Apples (1kg)

$6.88 SBD 55.5

$2.83 NZ$5.00

143.11%

Banana (1kg)

$6.34 SBD 51.1

$2.11 NZ$3.74

200.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.06 SBD 48.84

$3.01 NZ$5.33

101.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 SBD 24.32

$5.68 NZ$10.05

-46.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 SBD 24.74

$2.08 NZ$3.67

47.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 SBD 19.45

$1.53 NZ$2.70

57.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SBD 20.39

$1.99 NZ$3.52

27.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 SBD 10.79

$1.04 NZ$1.83

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$27.24 NZ$48.17

-84.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 SBD 99.6

$10.39 NZ$18.37

18.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SBD 14.77

$2.73 NZ$4.82

-32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SBD 17.66

$3.30 NZ$5.84

-33.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.11

$1.60 NZ$2.82

-75.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 SBD 253

$82.1 NZ$145

-61.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 SBD 10.09

$1.70 NZ$3.01

-26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 SBD 19.56

$2.00 NZ$3.54

21.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.52 SBD 101

$31.30 NZ$55.4

-60.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SBD 14.10

$1.87 NZ$3.30

-6.42%

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

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

-18.96%

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

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

-1.91%

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

$750 SBD 6,048

$184 NZ$325

308.85%

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

$13.42 SBD 108

$26.10 NZ$46.16

-48.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$123 SBD 989

$50.5 NZ$89.4

142.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.49 SBD 149

$33.25 NZ$58.8

-44.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 SBD 33.87

$12.74 NZ$22.53

-67.03%

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

$126 SBD 1,014

$1,097 NZ$1,939

-88.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

$19.4K NZ$34.3K

-93.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.29 SBD 204

$77.9 NZ$138

-67.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.4 SBD 761

$39.32 NZ$69.5

139.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 SBD 804

$91.0 NZ$161

9.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 SBD 730

$108 NZ$192

-16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 SBD 4,833

$939 NZ$1,660

-36.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 SBD 4,678

$742 NZ$1,311

-21.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 SBD 5,081

$1,802 NZ$3,187

-65.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 SBD 9,809

$1,607 NZ$2,843

-24.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

$4,161 NZ$7,359

1963.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,605 NZ$6,376

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

5.37

204.10%

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

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Paihia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gizo

$886 41%

Paihia

$260 13.9% 70.7% $626

Accommodation & Living

Gizo

$580 26.8%

Paihia

$742 39.5% 27.8% $161

Groceries & Markets

Gizo

$353 16.3%

Paihia

$338 18% 4.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Gizo

$139 6.5%

Paihia

$143 7.6% 2.2% $3

Eating Out

Gizo

$132 6.1%

Paihia

$237 12.6% 79.3% $105

Getting Around

Gizo

$46 2.1%

Paihia

$100 5.3% 117% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Gizo

$27 1.2%

Paihia

$59 3.1% 118% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Gizo and $939 in Paihia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Gizo vs $33.00 in Paihia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $338 per month, with Paihia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Gizo

🇳🇿 Paihia

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

2 h ahead of Gizo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,177

1,800

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Gizo Paihia 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Gizo
Paihia

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 Paihia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paihia wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Paihia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,246 in Gizo and $2,816 in Paihia 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: $599 in Gizo versus $939 in Paihia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

At $1,878 in Paihia versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Paihia but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Paihia 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 Paihia 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 Paihia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.