Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Honiara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hong Kong and in Honiara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,742 in Honiara, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Honiara $1,742

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,873 in Honiara, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Honiara $2,873

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $4,004 in Honiara, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Honiara $4,004

Hong Kong costs about 71% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Hong Kong and Honiara sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Honiara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$6.66 SBD 53.8

27.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$62.8 SBD 507

0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$12.53 SBD 101

-50.52%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.41

$3.48 SBD 28.14

40.80%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$1.60 SBD 12.89

-20.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$1.05 SBD 8.49

0.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$2.42 SBD 19.58

217.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$5.70 SBD 46.04

10.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$2.57 SBD 20.75

11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$1.49 SBD 12.00

63.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$1.64 SBD 13.28

32.93%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$5.48 SBD 44.27

-35.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$6.61 SBD 53.4

280.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$8.34 SBD 67.4

6.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$15.18 SBD 123

16.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

$6.39 SBD 51.6

-35.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$2.70 SBD 21.83

0.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$8.70 SBD 70.2

-47.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$3.67 SBD 29.62

9.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$1.99 SBD 16.09

63.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$3.47 SBD 28.01

-5.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$1.40 SBD 11.30

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$1.03 SBD 8.36

67.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$4.26 SBD 34.39

208.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$10.37 SBD 83.7

59.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$1.69 SBD 13.67

18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$3.47 SBD 28.00

-37.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$0.39 SBD 3.12

269.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$25.14 SBD 203

254.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

$1.27 SBD 10.28

186.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$1.20 SBD 9.72

9.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$12.60 SBD 102

25.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.35 SBD 10.92

200.74%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

137.13%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

9.42%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$429 SBD 3,464

-42.32%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$27.02 SBD 218

-41.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$89.0 SBD 719

-75.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$36.76 SBD 297

148.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$8.94 SBD 72.2

1.57%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$4.41 SBD 35.65

216.55%

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

$100 SBD 811

1050.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

667.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$27.71 SBD 224

148.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$93.5 SBD 755

-56.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$95.9 SBD 774

-16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$103 SBD 829

14.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$870 SBD 7,024

150.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$434 SBD 3,507

295.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

172.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

153.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

-66.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

-71.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$444 SBD 3,583

627.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

15.67

-75.05%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 74.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 17% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 91.4% $260

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 18.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 4.2% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 61.8% $74

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Honiara

$34 2% 67.7% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $870 in Honiara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 627% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $63.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $415 in Hong Kong vs $345 in Honiara – so Honiara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

3 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Honiara 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Honiara

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

Hong Kong vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,742 in Honiara – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,614 in Honiara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Honiara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong and $63.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,984 in Hong Kong and $1,742 in Honiara. That's a gap of about 71%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,742, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,742 in Honiara to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.