Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Chiang Mai $1,914

Honiara costs about 83% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Honiara sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$2.26 ฿75.4

207.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$19.18 ฿641

224.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$5.59 ฿187

124.69%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$1.72 ฿57.6

102.91%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$0.64 ฿21.54

146.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$0.33 ฿11.18

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$2.36 ฿78.7

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$3.90 ฿130

46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$2.05 ฿68.6

20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$1.40 ฿46.70

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$1.28 ฿42.89

28.91%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$2.25 ฿75.3

144.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$16.94 ฿566

-62.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$2.74 ฿91.6

213.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$9.36 ฿313

64.53%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$2.40 ฿80.3

165.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$1.01 ฿33.92

156.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$1.61 ฿53.9

424.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$1.52 ฿50.7

140.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$1.28 ฿42.90

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$1.11 ฿37.22

207.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$0.72 ฿24.09

101.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$0.52 ฿17.54

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$4.33 ฿145

-3.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$17.73 ฿593

-39.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$1.63 ฿54.4

9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$2.85 ฿95.3

17.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$0.85 ฿28.31

-55.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

$53.9 ฿1,801

-53.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$1.17 ฿39.18

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$0.57 ฿19.00

112.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$2.37 ฿79.2

423.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.45 ฿48.32

-10.34%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-8.06%

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

30.94%

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

$427 SBD 3,440

$62.3 ฿2,083

584.65%

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$12.27 ฿410

124.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$19.97 ฿668

344.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

$37.91 ฿1,267

-1.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

$3.76 ฿126

145.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$6.71 ฿224

-36.66%

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

$98.2 SBD 792

$797 ฿26.6K

-87.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-80.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$53.3 ฿1,780

-49.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$25.05 ฿837

274.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$91.6 ฿3,062

3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$73.5 ฿2,455

40.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$464 ฿15.5K

94.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$305 ฿10.2K

43.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$915 ฿30.6K

103.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$552 ฿18.5K

157.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

4436.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

4288.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$595 ฿19.9K

-25.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.57

181.33%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 82.6% $448

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 30.2% $132

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 31% $107

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 53.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 23.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.3% $5.6

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 82% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 34% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

4 h behind Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Honiara Chiang Mai 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara costs about 83% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $98.2 per month in Honiara and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Honiara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,718 in Honiara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. 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.