Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Apia

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $851 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Apia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,742 in Honiara versus $851 in Apia.

Honiara $1,742
Apia $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,873 in Honiara versus $2,281 in Apia.

Honiara $2,873
Apia $2,281

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,004 in Honiara versus $3,711 in Apia.

Honiara $4,004
Apia $3,711

Living in Honiara is roughly 105% more expensive than in Apia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Honiara is 30% above, Apia is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$47.76 WST 133

-86.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$36.89 WST 103

70.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$14.51 WST 40.39

-13.65%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.15

$2.93 WST 8.15

18.77%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.90

$1.80 WST 5.01

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$1.39 WST 3.88

-24.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.59

$3.51 WST 9.78

-31.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.05

$3.67 WST 10.20

55.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.76

$1.83 WST 5.09

40.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$0.84 WST 2.34

77.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.29

$1.86 WST 5.17

-11.83%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.29

$4.15 WST 11.55

32.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$0.94 WST 2.62

603.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$3.67 WST 10.21

127.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$8.60 WST 23.92

76.51%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.7

$5.22 WST 14.54

22.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.84

$1.79 WST 4.99

50.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.3

$1.87 WST 5.21

365.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.63

$4.34 WST 12.07

-15.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.10

$3.70 WST 10.29

-46.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.03

$1.11 WST 3.10

212.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$1.22 WST 3.40

-15.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.40

$6.31 WST 17.55

-32.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$16.32 WST 45.41

-36.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$1.87 WST 5.19

-9.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.02

$3.68 WST 10.24

-5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$3.57 WST 9.94

-89.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$5.33 WST 14.84

-76.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$5.42 WST 15.08

-77.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$21.64 WST 60.2

-41.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.06 WST 2.95

27.36%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

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

$34.1K SBD 275.9K

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

$429 SBD 3,466

$18.16 WST 50.6

2262.44%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$18.40 WST 51.2

46.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$36.53 WST 102

143.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.66

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

$100 SBD 811

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 830

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,027

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,508

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$1,790 WST 4,982

-21.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,585

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Apia: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Apia

–

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Apia

–

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Apia

–

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Apia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Apia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Apia

–

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Apia

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $63.0 in Honiara vs $37.00 in Apia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $241 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇼🇸 Apia

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

20:11 8:11 PM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

36,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 WST = 0.359 USD

1 WST = 0.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, USD, EUR to SBD – Solomon Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.78 WST (1 WST = 0.359 USD). 1 EUR = 3.12 WST (1 WST = 0.32 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Honiara Apia 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Apia

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

Honiara vs Apia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Honiara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,614 in Honiara and $1,277 in Apia 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.

All in, you'll spend $1,742 per month in Honiara versus $851 in Apia – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Honiara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $851 in Apia versus $1,742 in Honiara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Apia but tight or insufficient in Honiara. The gap between the two cities makes Apia 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, Honiara and Apia 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 Apia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Honiara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.