Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Budapest $3,429

Honiara costs about 6% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Honiara and Budapest sit above the global median – Honiara by 27%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-50.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$10.19 Ft 3,291

23.26%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$3.26 Ft 1,055

7.06%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$2.14 Ft 690

-26.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$1.78 Ft 577

-38.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-31.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$3.77 Ft 1,217

51.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$1.15 Ft 371

115.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$1.79 Ft 578

-13.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$2.49 Ft 804

-33.73%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$3.90 Ft 1,261

41.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-42.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$6.62 Ft 2,139

29.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$14.69 Ft 4,745

4.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$1.83 Ft 591

248.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$2.05 Ft 661

26.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$2.37 Ft 765

256.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-6.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$0.99 Ft 320

95.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$1.00 Ft 322

241.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$1.58 Ft 511

-8.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$0.67 Ft 216

59.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-47.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$6.22 Ft 2,009

72.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$1.27 Ft 411

40.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$2.03 Ft 654

65.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$1.52 Ft 490

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-63.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.37 Ft 442

-11.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-37.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.82 Ft 589

-28.57%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-36.82%

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

2.68%

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

$427 SBD 3,440

$171 Ft 55.3K

149.38%

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$23.51 Ft 7,596

17.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$23.29 Ft 7,526

281.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-44.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-51.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-54.30%

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

$98.2 SBD 792

$533 Ft 172.3K

-81.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-82.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-72.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

115.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$110 Ft 35.7K

-13.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$119 Ft 38.4K

-13.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$830 Ft 268.3K

8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$622 Ft 200.9K

-29.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

17.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

21.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

1387.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

1523.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-73.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

6.45

142.95%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 59.9% $325

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 42.5% $186

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 25.2% $87

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 31.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 16.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 88.4% $40

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 31.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $830 in Budapest. 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 272% higher in Budapest, 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 $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

9 h behind Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Honiara Budapest 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Honiara is pricier by about 6%, 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 $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 13% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $98.2 per month in Honiara and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. 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.