Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Blenheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Blenheim: $1,366 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Blenheim
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Blenheim Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Blenheim

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,366

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Blenheim

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $1,366 in Blenheim, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Blenheim $1,366

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $2,231 in Blenheim, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Blenheim $2,231

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $3,095 in Blenheim, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Blenheim $3,095

Honiara costs about 26% more than Blenheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Honiara and Blenheim sit above the global median – Honiara by 27%, Blenheim by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$13.77 NZ$24.35

-49.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$68.4 NZ$121

-8.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$7.91 NZ$13.99

58.79%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$3.16 NZ$5.58

10.44%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$2.21 NZ$3.90

-28.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$1.75 NZ$3.10

-37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$5.54 NZ$9.81

-53.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$6.90 NZ$12.20

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$1.65 NZ$2.92

50.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$1.42 NZ$2.51

8.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$1.07 NZ$1.90

54.21%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$5.38 NZ$9.51

2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$6.73 NZ$11.90

-4.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$4.97 NZ$8.78

72.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$10.32 NZ$18.26

49.22%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$2.57 NZ$4.55

148.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$1.71 NZ$3.03

51.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$2.63 NZ$4.65

220.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$3.82 NZ$6.75

-4.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$1.48 NZ$2.62

31.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$1.44 NZ$2.55

136.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-13.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$1.22 NZ$2.16

-12.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$23.74 NZ$41.98

-82.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$7.88 NZ$13.94

35.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$3.48 NZ$6.16

-48.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$4.44 NZ$7.85

-24.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$1.71 NZ$3.02

-77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

$80.9 NZ$143

-69.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$2.55 NZ$4.50

-52.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.10 NZ$1.95

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$28.38 NZ$50.2

-56.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.53 NZ$2.71

-15.03%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$10.6K NZ$18.7K

77.72%

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$17.4K NZ$30.7K

99.84%

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

$427 SBD 3,440

$44.61 NZ$78.9

856.60%

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$22.46 NZ$39.72

22.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$46.00 NZ$81.4

92.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

$22.16 NZ$39.19

67.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

$4.54 NZ$8.03

103.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$5.17 NZ$9.15

-17.79%

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

$98.2 SBD 792

$444 NZ$785

-77.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

$21.8K NZ$38.5K

-86.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$19.58 NZ$34.63

38.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$11.34 NZ$20.05

726.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$99.2 NZ$175

-3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$122 NZ$216

-15.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$669 NZ$1,182

34.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$526 NZ$931

-17.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$1,204 NZ$2,130

55.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$1,053 NZ$1,863

35.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$5,178 NZ$9,157

1575.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

$3,133 NZ$5,540

1914.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$2,398 NZ$4,241

-81.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.91

165.14%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Blenheim: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Blenheim

$113 8.3% 79.2% $430

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Blenheim

$526 38.5% 20.6% $90

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Blenheim

$256 18.7% 25.8% $89

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Blenheim

$229 16.8% 34.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Blenheim

$114 8.3% 21% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Blenheim

$33 2.4% 28.9% $13

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Blenheim

$96 7% 184% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $669 in Blenheim. 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 441% higher in Blenheim, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara versus $68.0 in Blenheim. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Honiara vs $256 in Blenheim – so Blenheim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Blenheim

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

28,800

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Honiara Blenheim 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Blenheim

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 Blenheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Honiara is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $2,050 in Blenheim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,718 in Honiara and $1,366 in Blenheim. That's a gap of about 26%.

Public transport costs about 225% less in Blenheim. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Blenheim, where all-in costs run around $1,366, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Blenheim it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Blenheim – 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 Blenheim. 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.