Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Dunedin

For one person, living costs are similar in Honiara and in Dunedin: $1,742 and $1,821 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Dunedin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,742 in Honiara versus $1,821 in Dunedin.

Honiara $1,742
Dunedin $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,873 in Honiara versus $2,717 in Dunedin.

Honiara $2,873
Dunedin $2,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,004 in Honiara versus $3,613 in Dunedin.

Honiara $4,004
Dunedin $3,613

Living in Honiara costs roughly 4% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Honiara 30% above, Dunedin 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$13.73 NZ$24.47

-51.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$61.8 NZ$110

1.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$11.42 NZ$20.35

9.72%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.14

$3.23 NZ$5.75

7.74%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.89

$2.08 NZ$3.71

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$2.09 NZ$3.72

-49.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.58

$6.85 NZ$12.21

-64.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.04

$6.02 NZ$10.72

-5.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.75

$2.18 NZ$3.88

17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$1.94 NZ$3.46

-23.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.28

$1.75 NZ$3.12

-6.29%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.27

$5.83 NZ$10.39

-6.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$8.15 NZ$14.52

-18.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$9.43 NZ$16.80

-11.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$16.55 NZ$29.49

-8.28%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.6

$2.87 NZ$5.12

122.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.83

$2.34 NZ$4.17

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.2

$3.10 NZ$5.52

180.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.62

$5.04 NZ$8.99

-27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.09

$1.83 NZ$3.26

8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.01

$1.84 NZ$3.28

88.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$2.38 NZ$4.24

-41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$0.55 NZ$0.99

87.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.39

$20.93 NZ$37.29

-79.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$8.87 NZ$15.81

16.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-46.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.00

$1.24 NZ$2.22

179.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$1.09 NZ$1.94

-64.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$68.1 NZ$121

-63.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$5.65 NZ$10.08

-77.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$27.97 NZ$49.83

-54.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.71 NZ$3.05

-21.05%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$25.1K NZ$44.8K

-25.56%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

$25.0K NZ$44.6K

36.38%

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

$429 SBD 3,464

$111 NZ$197

287.69%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$28.28 NZ$50.4

-4.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$51.1 NZ$91.0

74.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$48.05 NZ$85.6

-23.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.65

$10.43 NZ$18.58

-57.72%

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

$100 SBD 811

$591 NZ$1,053

-83.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$57.5 NZ$102

-51.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$34.52 NZ$61.5

170.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$92.9 NZ$165

3.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 829

$132 NZ$236

-22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,024

$876 NZ$1,561

-0.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,507

$751 NZ$1,338

-42.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$1,474 NZ$2,627

25.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$1,150 NZ$2,049

21.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

$2,256 NZ$4,019

2651.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,583

$2,455 NZ$4,375

-81.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

7.07

121.64%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Dunedin

$190 10.6% 65.1% $355

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Dunedin

$751 41.8% 72.9% $316

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Dunedin

$320 17.8% 7.1% $24

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 47.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Dunedin

$143 7.9% 0.9% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Dunedin

$69 3.8% 51.2% $23

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Dunedin

$78 * 4.4% 130% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $870 in Honiara and $876 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 453% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Honiara vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $320 per month, with Dunedin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

23:12 11:12 PM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

105,000

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Honiara Dunedin 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Dunedin

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 Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara and Dunedin differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,742 vs $1,821 including rent). Honiara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 453% lower in Dunedin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $870 in Honiara versus $876 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Honiara runs roughly 171% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $100 in Honiara versus $591 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,742 in Honiara versus $1,821 in Dunedin, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Honiara but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Honiara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Honiara and Dunedin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Honiara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.