Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Gizo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Honiara versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Honiara $1,718
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Honiara versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Honiara $2,833
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,948 in Honiara versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Honiara $3,948
Gizo $3,938

Living in Honiara costs roughly 21% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Honiara 27% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$3.01 SBD 24.25

130.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$54.7 SBD 441

13.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$15.57 SBD 126

-19.33%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$2.85 SBD 22.95

22.46%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$1.26 SBD 10.13

25.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$1.21 SBD 9.79

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$2.47 SBD 19.88

3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$2.41 SBD 19.41

136.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-24.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$1.39 SBD 11.19

10.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$1.40 SBD 11.30

17.86%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-23.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-24.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$6.20 SBD 50.0

38.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$8.41 SBD 67.8

83.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-7.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-59.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$6.06 SBD 48.84

39.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$3.02 SBD 24.32

21.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-36.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$2.41 SBD 19.45

41.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-42.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-20.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$4.25 SBD 34.29

-1.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$1.83 SBD 14.77

-2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$2.19 SBD 17.66

52.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$0.39 SBD 3.11

-2.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

$31.36 SBD 253

-20.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$1.25 SBD 10.09

-4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-50.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$12.52 SBD 101

-0.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.75 SBD 14.10

-25.71%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

-9.09%

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

58.18%

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

$427 SBD 3,440

$750 SBD 6,048

-43.12%

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$13.42 SBD 108

105.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$123 SBD 989

-27.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

$18.49 SBD 149

101.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

$6.14 SBD 49.54

50.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$4.20 SBD 33.87

1.19%

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

$98.2 SBD 792

$126 SBD 1,014

-21.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

132.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$25.29 SBD 204

6.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$94.4 SBD 761

-0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$99.8 SBD 804

-4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$90.6 SBD 730

14.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$599 SBD 4,833

50.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$580 SBD 4,678

-24.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$630 SBD 5,081

196.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$1,217 SBD 9,809

16.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

1.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$389 SBD 3,140

13.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

16.33

-4.04%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Gizo

$886 41% 63.2% $343

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 33% $144

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 2.3% $8.1

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 22.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 3% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 41.2% $19

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 37.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $901 in Honiara and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Honiara pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Honiara vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $353, with Honiara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

Same time as Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

7,177

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Honiara Gizo 380 km

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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 Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Honiara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Honiara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $901 in Honiara versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Honiara – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,718 in Honiara versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Honiara but tight or insufficient in Gizo. 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 Gizo 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 26% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.