Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Wanaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Wanaka: $1,666 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index

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Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gizo and in Wanaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,164 in Gizo versus $1,666 in Wanaka.

Gizo $2,164
Wanaka $1,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Gizo versus $2,631 in Wanaka.

Gizo $3,051
Wanaka $2,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,938 in Gizo versus $3,596 in Wanaka.

Gizo $3,938
Wanaka $3,596

Living in Gizo is roughly 30% more expensive than in Wanaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gizo 60% above, Wanaka 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 SBD 24.25

$14.13 NZ$24.98

-78.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 SBD 441

$56.3 NZ$99.6

-2.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.57 SBD 126

$8.22 NZ$14.53

89.42%

Cappuccino

$2.85 SBD 22.95

$3.00 NZ$5.31

-5.00%

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

$1.26 SBD 10.13

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-25.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-37.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 SBD 19.88

$6.53 NZ$11.56

-62.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SBD 19.41

$6.16 NZ$10.90

-60.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 SBD 26.35

$2.14 NZ$3.78

52.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SBD 11.19

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-27.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$1.75 NZ$3.09

-20.00%

Eggs

$7.24 SBD 58.4

$5.93 NZ$10.49

22.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 SBD 68.3

$8.45 NZ$14.94

0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 SBD 50.0

$9.37 NZ$16.57

-33.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 SBD 67.8

$16.30 NZ$28.82

-48.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.88 SBD 55.5

$3.00 NZ$5.30

129.33%

Banana (1kg)

$6.34 SBD 51.1

$2.11 NZ$3.73

200.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.06 SBD 48.84

$3.24 NZ$5.73

87.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 SBD 24.32

$4.92 NZ$8.70

-38.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 SBD 24.74

$1.79 NZ$3.16

71.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 SBD 19.45

$1.81 NZ$3.21

33.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SBD 20.39

$2.24 NZ$3.97

12.95%

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

$21.98 NZ$38.87

-80.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 SBD 99.6

$9.05 NZ$16.00

36.57%

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

$1.24 NZ$2.20

76.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 SBD 253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 SBD 10.09

$5.66 NZ$10.01

-77.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 SBD 19.56

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.52 SBD 101

$28.07 NZ$49.64

-55.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SBD 14.10

$1.80 NZ$3.18

-2.78%

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

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

-19.06%

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

582.91%

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

$13.42 SBD 108

$28.11 NZ$49.71

-52.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$123 SBD 989

$52.3 NZ$92.4

134.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.49 SBD 149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 SBD 33.87

$10.10 NZ$17.86

-58.42%

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

$126 SBD 1,014

$591 NZ$1,045

-78.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.29 SBD 204

$58.6 NZ$104

-56.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.4 SBD 761

$34.64 NZ$61.3

172.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 SBD 804

$68.3 NZ$121

46.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 SBD 730

$73.8 NZ$130

22.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 SBD 4,833

$970 NZ$1,716

-38.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 SBD 4,678

$793 NZ$1,403

-26.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 SBD 5,081

$1,852 NZ$3,275

-65.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 SBD 9,809

$1,595 NZ$2,821

-23.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

$5,611 NZ$9,923

1430.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

$4,296 NZ$7,597

-90.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

308.25%

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

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wanaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gizo

$886 41%

Wanaka

$190 11.4% 78.5% $696

Accommodation & Living

Gizo

$580 26.8%

Wanaka

$793 47.6% 36.7% $213

Groceries & Markets

Gizo

$353 16.3%

Wanaka

$318 19.1% 9.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Gizo

$139 6.5%

Wanaka

$106 6.4% 24.1% $34

Eating Out

Gizo

$132 6.1%

Wanaka

$233 14% 76.7% $101

Getting Around

Gizo

$46 2.1%

Wanaka

$5.7 * 0.3% 87.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Gizo

$27 1.2%

Wanaka

$20 * 1.2% 24.9% $6.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Gizo and $970 in Wanaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wanaka pays 1003% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Gizo vs $56.0 in Wanaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $318, with Wanaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Gizo

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

2 h ahead of Gizo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,177

11,600

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Wanaka 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gizo
Wanaka

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 Wanaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wanaka wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wanaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1003% lower in Wanaka. 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 $970 in Wanaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $126 in Gizo versus $591 in Wanaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wanaka – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,666 in Wanaka versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wanaka but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Wanaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wanaka delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,666 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wanaka hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gizo and Wanaka 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 Wanaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.