Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Timaru: $1,980 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index

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Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gizo and in Timaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,164 in Gizo versus $1,980 in Timaru.

Gizo $2,164
Timaru $1,980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Gizo versus $2,925 in Timaru.

Gizo $3,051
Timaru $2,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,938 in Gizo versus $3,870 in Timaru.

Gizo $3,938
Timaru $3,870

Living in Gizo is roughly 9% more expensive than in Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gizo 60% above, Timaru 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 SBD 24.25

$13.80 NZ$24.41

-78.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 SBD 441

$62.1 NZ$110

-11.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.57 SBD 126

$10.70 NZ$18.93

45.51%

Cappuccino

$2.85 SBD 22.95

$3.37 NZ$5.95

-15.43%

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

$1.26 SBD 10.13

$2.03 NZ$3.59

-37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.81 NZ$3.20

-33.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 SBD 19.88

$5.72 NZ$10.11

-56.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SBD 19.41

$6.12 NZ$10.81

-60.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 SBD 26.35

$1.11 NZ$1.96

194.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SBD 11.19

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-23.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$1.09 NZ$1.93

28.44%

Eggs

$7.24 SBD 58.4

$5.69 NZ$10.06

27.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 SBD 68.3

$8.24 NZ$14.57

2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 SBD 50.0

$9.13 NZ$16.15

-32.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 SBD 67.8

$16.33 NZ$28.89

-48.50%

Apples (1kg)

$6.88 SBD 55.5

$2.92 NZ$5.17

135.62%

Banana (1kg)

$6.34 SBD 51.1

$2.33 NZ$4.12

172.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.06 SBD 48.84

$3.24 NZ$5.72

87.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 SBD 24.32

$5.19 NZ$9.18

-41.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 SBD 24.74

$1.87 NZ$3.30

64.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 SBD 19.45

$1.78 NZ$3.14

35.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SBD 20.39

$2.25 NZ$3.98

12.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 SBD 10.79

$0.55 NZ$0.97

143.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$20.75 NZ$36.70

-79.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 SBD 99.6

$5.63 NZ$9.96

119.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SBD 14.77

$3.07 NZ$5.42

-40.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SBD 17.66

$1.18 NZ$2.09

85.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.11

$1.65 NZ$2.91

-76.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 SBD 253

$92.4 NZ$163

-66.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 SBD 10.09

$2.29 NZ$4.04

-45.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 SBD 19.56

$2.08 NZ$3.68

16.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.52 SBD 101

$27.65 NZ$48.90

-54.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SBD 14.10

$1.48 NZ$2.61

18.24%

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

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

-16.66%

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

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

-12.01%

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

$750 SBD 6,048

$110 NZ$194

583.59%

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

$13.42 SBD 108

$22.70 NZ$40.15

-40.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$123 SBD 989

$51.4 NZ$90.9

138.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.49 SBD 149

$38.87 NZ$68.7

-52.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 SBD 33.87

$10.17 NZ$17.98

-58.70%

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

$126 SBD 1,014

$579 NZ$1,025

-78.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

-92.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.29 SBD 204

$59.1 NZ$105

-57.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.4 SBD 761

$34.65 NZ$61.3

172.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 SBD 804

$91.0 NZ$161

9.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 SBD 730

$132 NZ$234

-31.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 SBD 4,833

$877 NZ$1,550

-31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 SBD 4,678

$946 NZ$1,674

-38.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 SBD 5,081

$1,616 NZ$2,857

-60.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 SBD 9,809

$1,510 NZ$2,670

-19.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

$4,303 NZ$7,610

1895.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,018 NZ$5,337

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

7.07

130.98%

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

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gizo

$886 41%

Timaru

$184 9.3% 79.3% $703

Accommodation & Living

Gizo

$580 26.8%

Timaru

$946 47.8% 63.1% $366

Groceries & Markets

Gizo

$353 16.3%

Timaru

$297 15% 15.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Gizo

$139 6.5%

Timaru

$143 7.2% 2.3% $3.2

Eating Out

Gizo

$132 6.1%

Timaru

$239 12.1% 81.2% $107

Getting Around

Gizo

$46 2.1%

Timaru

$112 5.6% 141% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Gizo

$27 1.2%

Timaru

$59 3% 120% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Gizo and $877 in Timaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Gizo vs $62.0 in Timaru. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $297, with Timaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Gizo

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

2 h ahead of Gizo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,177

28,600

💱 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 Timaru 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gizo
Timaru

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 Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Timaru wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Timaru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,246 in Gizo and $2,970 in Timaru 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 $877 in Timaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Timaru – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,980 in Timaru versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Timaru but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Timaru 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 Timaru 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 Timaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.