Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Bikenibeu

For one person, living costs are similar in Honiara and in Bikenibeu: $1,742 and $1,741 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Bikenibeu
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Bikenibeu Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Bikenibeu

🇰🇮 Kiribati

$1,741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Bikenibeu

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $1,741 in Bikenibeu, rent included.

Honiara $1,742
Bikenibeu $1,741

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $2,710 in Bikenibeu, rent included.

Honiara $2,873
Bikenibeu $2,710

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $3,679 in Bikenibeu, rent included.

Honiara $4,004
Bikenibeu $3,679

Honiara and Bikenibeu have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Honiara and Bikenibeu sit above the global median – Honiara by 30%, Bikenibeu by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$5.20 KID 7.49

28.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$31.03 KID 44.68

102.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$10.34 KID 14.89

21.18%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.14

$3.25 KID 4.67

7.08%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.89

$1.02 KID 1.47

56.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$0.80 KID 1.15

31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.58

$1.95 KID 2.81

24.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.04

$3.47 KID 5.00

64.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.75

$2.36 KID 3.40

8.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$2.00 KID 2.88

-25.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.28

$1.51 KID 2.17

8.61%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.27

$6.86 KID 9.88

-20.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$17.33 KID 24.95

-61.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$6.04 KID 8.69

38.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$19.33 KID 27.84

-21.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.6

$6.77 KID 9.75

-5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.83

$3.57 KID 5.14

-24.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.2

$6.31 KID 9.09

37.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.62

$5.92 KID 8.52

-38.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.09

$4.82 KID 6.95

-58.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.01

$3.08 KID 4.44

12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$3.38 KID 4.87

-58.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$0.34 KID 0.48

202.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.39

$6.17 KID 8.88

-30.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$13.19 KID 19.00

-21.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$1.80 KID 2.59

-6.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.00

$3.43 KID 4.94

1.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$1.73 KID 2.49

-77.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$77.5 KID 112

-67.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$2.15 KID 3.10

-40.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$1.85 KID 2.66

-35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$2.08 KID 3.00

-35.10%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$27.7K KID 39.9K

-32.42%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

$24.5K KID 35.3K

39.39%

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

$429 SBD 3,464

$319 KID 459

34.58%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$3.50 KID 5.04

2443.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$34.46 KID 49.62

6.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$24.59 KID 35.41

-63.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.65

$4.68 KID 6.74

-5.77%

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

$100 SBD 811

$273 KID 393

-63.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$5,719 KID 8,235

-49.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$52.1 KID 75.0

-46.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$52.6 KID 75.8

77.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$83.4 KID 120

14.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 829

$64.4 KID 92.7

59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,024

$827 KID 1,191

5.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,507

$606 KID 872

-28.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$1,458 KID 2,099

26.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$1,349 KID 1,943

3.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

$4,507 KID 6,490

1818.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

$3,434 KID 4,944

1707.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,583

$349 KID 502

27.17%

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 Bikenibeu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Bikenibeu

$322 * 18.7% 40.9% $223

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Bikenibeu

$606 35.1% 39.5% $171

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Bikenibeu

$408 23.6% 18.4% $63

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Bikenibeu

$136 7.9% 18.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Bikenibeu

$114 6.6% 21% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Bikenibeu

$44 2.5% 3.9% $1.8

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Bikenibeu

$96 5.6% 182% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $827 in Bikenibeu. 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 27% higher in Honiara. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Honiara versus $31.00 in Bikenibeu. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Honiara vs $408 in Bikenibeu – so Honiara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇰🇮 Bikenibeu

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

6,500

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Kiribati Dollar KID $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 KID = 0.694 USD

1 KID = 0.619 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KID, 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).

Kiribati Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 KID (1 KID = 0.694 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 KID (1 KID = 0.619 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honiara Bikenibeu 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Bikenibeu

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 Bikenibeu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $2,612 in Bikenibeu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bikenibeu, 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 Honiara and $31.00 in Bikenibeu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 208% less in Bikenibeu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bikenibeu, where all-in costs run around $1,741, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Bikenibeu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bikenibeu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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