Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Honiara
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
$1,742
/mo nomad
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Honiara $1,742
  • Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Honiara $2,873
  • Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Honiara $4,004
  • Hong Kong $6,132

Honiara is about 42% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Honiara and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Honiara by 30%, Hong Kong by 123%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.66 SBD 53.8
$8.46 HK$66.4
-21.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.8 SBD 507
$63.2 HK$496
-0.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.53 SBD 101
$6.20 HK$48.66
102.10%
Cappuccino
$3.48 SBD 28.14
$4.90 HK$38.41
-28.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 SBD 12.89
$1.27 HK$10.01
25.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 SBD 8.49
$1.06 HK$8.31
-0.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.42 SBD 19.58
$7.68 HK$60.3
-68.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 SBD 46.04
$6.28 HK$49.24
-9.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.57 SBD 20.75
$2.86 HK$22.45
-10.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 SBD 12.00
$2.43 HK$19.10
-38.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 SBD 13.28
$2.18 HK$17.09
-24.77%
Eggs
$5.48 SBD 44.27
$3.54 HK$27.80
54.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.61 SBD 53.4
$25.12 HK$197
-73.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 SBD 67.4
$8.89 HK$69.8
-6.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.18 SBD 123
$17.63 HK$138
-13.90%
Apples (1kg)
$6.39 SBD 51.6
$4.11 HK$32.22
55.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.70 SBD 21.83
$2.72 HK$21.32
-0.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.70 SBD 70.2
$4.59 HK$36.05
89.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.67 SBD 29.62
$4.02 HK$31.52
-8.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 SBD 16.09
$3.25 HK$25.50
-38.77%
Onion (1kg)
$3.47 SBD 28.01
$3.27 HK$25.70
6.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 SBD 11.30
$1.60 HK$12.54
-12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 SBD 8.36
$1.73 HK$13.56
-40.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 SBD 34.39
$13.14 HK$103
-67.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.37 SBD 83.7
$16.59 HK$130
-37.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 SBD 13.67
$2.01 HK$15.80
-15.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 SBD 28.00
$2.18 HK$17.13
59.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.39 SBD 3.12
$1.44 HK$11.31
-72.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.14 SBD 203
$89.1 HK$699
-71.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 SBD 10.28
$3.64 HK$28.53
-65.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 SBD 9.72
$1.31 HK$10.29
-8.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.60 SBD 102
$15.82 HK$124
-20.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 SBD 10.92
$4.06 HK$31.89
-66.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.7K SBD 151.1K
$44.4K HK$348.2K
-57.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K SBD 275.7K
$37.4K HK$293.2K
-8.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$429 SBD 3,464
$247 HK$1,942
73.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.02 SBD 218
$15.89 HK$125
70.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$89.0 SBD 719
$21.46 HK$168
314.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.76 SBD 297
$91.4 HK$717
-59.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.94 SBD 72.2
$9.08 HK$71.3
-1.54%
Cinema Ticket
$4.41 SBD 35.65
$13.96 HK$110
-68.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 SBD 811
$1,155 HK$9,067
-91.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,898 SBD 23.4K
$22.3K HK$174.6K
-86.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.71 SBD 224
$68.9 HK$541
-59.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$93.5 SBD 755
$40.44 HK$317
131.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.9 SBD 774
$79.9 HK$627
19.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 SBD 829
$118 HK$923
-12.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$870 SBD 7,024
$2,180 HK$17.1K
-60.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$434 SBD 3,507
$1,718 HK$13.5K
-74.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,851 SBD 14.9K
$5,047 HK$39.6K
-63.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,398 SBD 11.3K
$3,543 HK$27.8K
-60.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$86.4K SBD 698.0K
$29.1K HK$228.7K
196.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$62.1K SBD 501.2K
$17.6K HK$137.9K
253.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Honiara
Hong Kong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$444 SBD 3,583
$3,228 HK$25.3K
-86.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15.67
3.91
300.77%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Honiara
$545
Hong Kong
$285 47.7% $260
Accommodation & Living
Honiara
$434
Hong Kong
$1.7K 296% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Honiara
$345
Hong Kong
$415 20.4% $70
Eating Out
Honiara
$167
Hong Kong
$205 23.1% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Honiara
$144
Hong Kong
$138 4% $5.8
Sport & Entertainment
Honiara
$46
Hong Kong
$119 162% $74
Getting Around
Honiara
$34
Hong Kong
$105 209% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $2,180 in Hong Kong. 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 627% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Honiara versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $415 – making Honiara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇧 Honiara
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🕒 Local time
17:36 5:36 PM
14:36 2:36 PM
3 h behind Honiara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
54,600 Capital
1,367,900 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Honiara Hong Kong 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Honiara
  • Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Honiara and in Hong Kong compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Honiara, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Honiara compared to Hong Kong?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Honiara and Hong Kong?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Honiara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Honiara and $63.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Honiara or Hong Kong?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,742 in Honiara and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 71%.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,742, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Honiara and Hong Kong?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,742 in Honiara to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Honiara or Hong Kong safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Honiara and Hong Kong?
If budget matters most, go with Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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