Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur: $1,067 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Kuala Lumpur

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Honiara $1,742
Kuala Lumpur $1,067

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $1,662 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Honiara $2,873
Kuala Lumpur $1,662

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $2,257 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Honiara $4,004
Kuala Lumpur $2,257

Honiara costs about 63% more than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Honiara sits 30% above the global median, while Kuala Lumpur is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$4.80 MYR 19.60

38.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$28.82 MYR 118

117.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$5.00 MYR 20.40

150.60%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.14

$3.05 MYR 12.47

14.10%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.89

$0.85 MYR 3.46

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$0.45 MYR 1.84

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.58

$4.51 MYR 18.41

-46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.04

$6.00 MYR 24.50

-5.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.75

$2.11 MYR 8.63

21.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$1.08 MYR 4.40

37.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.28

$2.02 MYR 8.24

-18.81%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.27

$2.55 MYR 10.40

114.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$13.85 MYR 56.6

-52.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$4.39 MYR 17.91

89.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$9.66 MYR 39.46

57.14%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.6

$3.47 MYR 14.16

84.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.83

$1.77 MYR 7.23

52.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.2

$2.25 MYR 9.21

286.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.62

$1.55 MYR 6.34

136.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.09

$1.33 MYR 5.43

49.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.01

$1.38 MYR 5.64

151.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$1.17 MYR 4.79

19.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$0.67 MYR 2.73

53.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.39

$4.38 MYR 17.87

-2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$18.87 MYR 77.1

-45.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$3.62 MYR 14.78

-53.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.00

$5.06 MYR 20.64

-31.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$0.72 MYR 2.92

-45.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$12.46 MYR 50.9

101.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$1.25 MYR 5.11

1.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$4.82 MYR 19.68

161.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$0.86 MYR 3.52

56.98%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$41.4K MYR 168.8K

-54.75%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

-1.19%

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

$429 SBD 3,464

$61.5 MYR 251

597.93%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$8.60 MYR 35.12

214.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$26.25 MYR 107

239.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$49.06 MYR 200

-25.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$7.69 MYR 31.39

16.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.65

$4.95 MYR 20.23

-10.91%

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

$100 SBD 811

$295 MYR 1,204

-65.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-78.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$72.6 MYR 296

-61.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$41.57 MYR 170

124.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$85.7 MYR 350

11.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 829

$95.2 MYR 389

7.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,024

$625 MYR 2,553

39.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,507

$378 MYR 1,545

14.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$1,177 MYR 4,806

57.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$639 MYR 2,608

118.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

$4,112 MYR 16.8K

2002.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

$1,504 MYR 6,141

4026.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,583

$1,491 MYR 6,088

-70.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

4.18

274.88%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.8% 82.3% $449

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$378 34.7% 12.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$273 25% 20.8% $72

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 11.9% 22.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 7.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.4% 29.3% $13

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 33% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $625 in Kuala Lumpur. 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 236% higher in Kuala Lumpur, 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 $63.0 in Honiara versus $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $273 – making Kuala Lumpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

3 h behind Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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 = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honiara Kuala Lumpur 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Kuala Lumpur

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 Kuala Lumpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Honiara, $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $1,600 in Kuala Lumpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 26% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Honiara and $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Lumpur, where all-in costs run around $1,067, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Kuala Lumpur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kuala Lumpur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur to $1,742 in Honiara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kuala Lumpur. 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.