Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Lautoka

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $333 in Lautoka, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Lautoka $333

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $722 in Lautoka, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Lautoka $722

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $1,112 in Lautoka, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Lautoka $1,112

Honiara costs about 417% more than Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Honiara sits 27% above the global median, while Lautoka is 75% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$5.19 FJD 11.61

33.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$79.2 FJD 177

-21.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$7.80 FJD 17.47

61.03%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$2.56 FJD 5.72

36.33%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$2.12 FJD 4.74

-25.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$1.51 FJD 3.38

-27.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$2.43 FJD 5.44

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$3.05 FJD 6.84

86.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$1.66 FJD 3.72

49.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$0.73 FJD 1.64

110.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$0.87 FJD 1.95

89.66%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$3.44 FJD 7.70

60.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$5.80 FJD 12.98

10.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$7.62 FJD 17.06

12.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$7.58 FJD 16.98

103.17%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$4.42 FJD 9.90

44.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$1.30 FJD 2.91

549.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$0.93 FJD 2.09

108.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$0.86 FJD 1.93

296.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$0.87 FJD 1.96

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$0.46 FJD 1.03

132.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$10.93 FJD 24.46

-61.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$5.46 FJD 12.22

95.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$2.57 FJD 5.74

-30.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$3.49 FJD 7.82

-4.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.33 FJD 2.99

-2.26%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

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

$427 SBD 3,440

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$13.14 FJD 29.43

109.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

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

$98.2 SBD 792

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$450 FJD 1,007

100.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$872 FJD 1,952

114.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$688 FJD 1,541

-35.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Lautoka

$13 * 4% 97.6% $530

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5% 44.6% $154

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Lautoka

$128 38.6% 24.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Lautoka

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $450 in Lautoka. 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 55% higher in Lautoka, 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 $62.0 in Honiara versus $79.0 in Lautoka. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Honiara vs $191 in Lautoka – so Lautoka wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

11:35 11:35 AM

1 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.04 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Honiara Lautoka 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,718 in Honiara, $333 in Lautoka – roughly 417% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $499 in Lautoka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara and $79.0 in Lautoka. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,718 in Honiara and $333 in Lautoka. That's a gap of about 417%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lautoka, where all-in costs run around $333, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Lautoka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lautoka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Lautoka. 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.