Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Auckland

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,433 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Auckland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,742 in Honiara versus $2,433 in Auckland.

Honiara $1,742
Auckland $2,433

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,873 in Honiara versus $3,354 in Auckland.

Honiara $2,873
Auckland $3,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,004 in Honiara versus $4,274 in Auckland.

Honiara $4,004
Auckland $4,274

Living in Honiara costs roughly 28% less than in Auckland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Honiara 30% above, Auckland 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$13.84 NZ$24.68

-51.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$67.7 NZ$121

-7.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$9.14 NZ$16.31

37.09%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.15

$3.36 NZ$5.99

3.57%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.90

$1.93 NZ$3.45

-17.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$1.73 NZ$3.09

-39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.59

$6.82 NZ$12.16

-64.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.05

$6.54 NZ$11.66

-12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.76

$1.95 NZ$3.48

31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$2.18 NZ$3.88

-31.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.29

$1.90 NZ$3.40

-13.68%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.29

$6.20 NZ$11.05

-11.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$8.48 NZ$15.13

-22.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$9.96 NZ$17.76

-16.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$16.97 NZ$30.27

-10.55%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.7

$2.80 NZ$4.99

128.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.84

$2.07 NZ$3.69

30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.3

$2.86 NZ$5.11

204.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.63

$5.69 NZ$10.16

-35.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.10

$2.13 NZ$3.80

-6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.03

$1.58 NZ$2.82

119.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.31

$1.98 NZ$3.53

-29.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$1.04 NZ$1.86

-0.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.40

$27.14 NZ$48.41

-84.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$10.29 NZ$18.35

0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$2.85 NZ$5.09

-40.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.02

$3.34 NZ$5.96

3.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$2.55 NZ$4.55

-84.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$124 NZ$220

-79.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$2.28 NZ$4.06

-44.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$1.99 NZ$3.55

-39.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$32.10 NZ$57.3

-60.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-27.81%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$25.0K NZ$44.5K

-25.05%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.9K

$22.4K NZ$40.0K

52.16%

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

$429 SBD 3,466

$179 NZ$319

139.65%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$26.11 NZ$46.56

3.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$50.4 NZ$90.0

76.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$44.76 NZ$79.8

-17.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$17.91 NZ$31.95

-50.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.66

$12.81 NZ$22.85

-65.57%

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

$100 SBD 811

$1,110 NZ$1,979

-90.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$19.4K NZ$34.7K

-85.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$80.2 NZ$143

-65.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$39.62 NZ$70.7

136.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$93.9 NZ$168

2.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 830

$112 NZ$199

-8.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,027

$1,327 NZ$2,367

-34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,508

$1,215 NZ$2,168

-64.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$2,152 NZ$3,838

-14.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$1,652 NZ$2,946

-15.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.3K

$7,205 NZ$12.9K

1099.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.4K

$5,497 NZ$9,804

1029.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,585

$2,905 NZ$5,181

-84.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.37

191.81%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Auckland: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Auckland

$256 10.6% 53.1% $289

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Auckland

$1.2K 50.4% 180% $781

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Auckland

$338 14% 2% $6.9

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Auckland

$240 10% 44% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Auckland

$146 6.1% 1.7% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Auckland

$70 2.9% 54.4% $25

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Auckland

$146 6.1% 330% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $870 in Honiara and $1,327 in Auckland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 555% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Honiara vs $68.0 in Auckland. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $338, with Auckland cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Auckland

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

1,463,000

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Honiara Auckland 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Auckland

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 Auckland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Honiara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 555% lower in Auckland. 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: $870 in Honiara versus $1,327 in Auckland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $100 in Honiara versus $1,110 in Auckland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Auckland pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,742 in Honiara versus $2,433 in Auckland, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Honiara but tight or insufficient in Auckland. The gap between the two cities makes Honiara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Honiara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,742 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Honiara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Honiara and Auckland 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 Honiara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.