Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Dargaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,719 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,719

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Dargaville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,719 in Honiara versus $2,134 in Dargaville.

Honiara $1,719
Dargaville $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Honiara versus $3,019 in Dargaville.

Honiara $2,828
Dargaville $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,936 in Honiara versus $3,904 in Dargaville.

Honiara $3,936
Dargaville $3,904

Living in Honiara costs roughly 19% less than in Dargaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Honiara 26% above, Dargaville 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.79 SBD 54.7

$14.54 NZ$25.60

-53.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 SBD 498

$68.9 NZ$121

-10.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.30 SBD 99.1

$9.05 NZ$15.93

35.91%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.02

$3.69 NZ$6.50

-5.69%

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

$1.56 SBD 12.59

$2.18 NZ$3.84

-28.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.84

$2.09 NZ$3.68

-47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 SBD 20.41

$6.31 NZ$11.10

-59.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 SBD 44.77

$5.63 NZ$9.91

-1.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.52 SBD 20.36

$2.05 NZ$3.61

22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.38

$1.96 NZ$3.45

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 SBD 12.79

$1.52 NZ$2.68

4.61%

Eggs

$5.66 SBD 45.61

$6.70 NZ$11.79

-15.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 SBD 51.7

$8.49 NZ$14.95

-24.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 SBD 67.4

$10.47 NZ$18.43

-20.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 SBD 123

$12.69 NZ$22.34

20.57%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 SBD 50.1

$2.65 NZ$4.66

134.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 SBD 21.72

$2.14 NZ$3.76

25.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.72 SBD 70.3

$2.92 NZ$5.14

198.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 SBD 29.39

$5.86 NZ$10.32

-37.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 SBD 15.71

$1.73 NZ$3.04

12.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 SBD 27.62

$1.38 NZ$2.43

148.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 SBD 11.58

$2.49 NZ$4.38

-42.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 SBD 8.69

$1.18 NZ$2.07

-8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 SBD 32.50

$26.67 NZ$46.94

-84.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 SBD 83.9

$10.24 NZ$18.03

1.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 SBD 13.85

$3.02 NZ$5.32

-43.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 SBD 27.20

$3.13 NZ$5.50

7.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 SBD 2.86

$1.89 NZ$3.33

-81.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.21 SBD 203

$115 NZ$203

-78.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 SBD 9.80

$2.42 NZ$4.25

-49.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 SBD 9.80

$1.81 NZ$3.18

-32.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.28 SBD 99.0

$26.35 NZ$46.38

-53.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 SBD 10.73

$1.49 NZ$2.63

-10.74%

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

$18.5K SBD 149.4K

$25.5K NZ$44.8K

-27.24%

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

$34.2K SBD 275.5K

$23.7K NZ$41.7K

44.18%

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

$437 SBD 3,520

$128 NZ$225

240.88%

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

$26.84 SBD 216

$29.15 NZ$51.3

-7.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$51.3 NZ$90.3

73.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.66 SBD 296

$38.91 NZ$68.5

-5.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.06 SBD 73.0

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 SBD 34.61

$11.48 NZ$20.20

-62.63%

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

$98.9 SBD 797

$659 NZ$1,159

-84.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,868 SBD 23.1K

$14.6K NZ$25.7K

-80.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.51 SBD 222

$67.3 NZ$119

-59.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.1 SBD 751

$39.09 NZ$68.8

138.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 SBD 798

$90.9 NZ$160

8.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 SBD 818

$115 NZ$203

-11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 SBD 7,175

$1,125 NZ$1,981

-20.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 SBD 3,482

$1,011 NZ$1,780

-57.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 SBD 14.6K

$1,404 NZ$2,471

29.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 SBD 11.4K

$1,352 NZ$2,379

4.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$85.8K SBD 691.8K

$4,216 NZ$7,421

1935.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.0K SBD 499.6K

$3,111 NZ$5,475

1892.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 SBD 3,522

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.83

168.78%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$552 32.1%

Dargaville

$209 9.8% 62.2% $344

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$432 25.1%

Dargaville

$1K 47.4% 134% $579

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$344 20%

Dargaville

$330 15.5% 4.2% $15

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Dargaville

$248 11.6% 48.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Dargaville

$141 6.6% 2.7% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$45 2.6%

Dargaville

$62 2.9% 36.7% $17

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Dargaville

$134 6.3% 296% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $890 in Honiara and $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Honiara vs $69 in Dargaville. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $330, with Dargaville cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

00:52 12:52 AM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

4,600

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.511 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.97 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honiara Dargaville 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Dargaville

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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara and Dargaville differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,719 vs $2,134 including rent). Honiara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,579 in Honiara and $3,201 in Dargaville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $890 in Honiara versus $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $99 in Honiara versus $659 in Dargaville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Dargaville pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Honiara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.