Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Lower Hutt

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $2,199 in Lower Hutt, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Lower Hutt
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Lower Hutt Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Lower Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,199

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Lower Hutt

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $2,199 in Lower Hutt, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Lower Hutt $2,199

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $3,027 in Lower Hutt, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Lower Hutt $3,027

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $3,854 in Lower Hutt, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Lower Hutt $3,854

Honiara is about 22% cheaper than Lower Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Honiara and Lower Hutt sit above the global median – Honiara by 27%, Lower Hutt by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$10.42 NZ$18.43

-33.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$33.22 NZ$58.8

87.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$9.17 NZ$16.21

36.97%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$2.99 NZ$5.28

16.72%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-34.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$2.75 NZ$4.86

-7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$6.64 NZ$11.74

-14.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$1.85 NZ$3.27

34.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-9.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$1.85 NZ$3.26

-10.81%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$6.98 NZ$12.34

-21.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$8.48 NZ$15.00

-24.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$8.25 NZ$14.59

4.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$12.41 NZ$21.95

24.09%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$2.83 NZ$5.00

125.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$2.01 NZ$3.56

28.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$2.93 NZ$5.18

188.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$4.35 NZ$7.70

-15.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$2.09 NZ$3.69

-7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$1.28 NZ$2.26

166.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$2.06 NZ$3.64

-29.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$1.18 NZ$2.09

-9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$16.53 NZ$29.24

-74.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$8.49 NZ$15.01

26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$3.12 NZ$5.52

-42.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$2.81 NZ$4.97

19.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$2.68 NZ$4.74

-85.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

$88.5 NZ$156

-71.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$1.79 NZ$3.16

-32.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.74 NZ$3.08

-30.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$33.71 NZ$59.6

-63.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-20.73%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$25.3K NZ$44.7K

-25.52%

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

40.35%

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

$427 SBD 3,440

$144 NZ$254

196.88%

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$32.73 NZ$57.9

-15.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$52.4 NZ$92.7

69.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

$38.70 NZ$68.5

-3.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$9.59 NZ$16.96

-55.68%

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

$98.2 SBD 792

$683 NZ$1,208

-85.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

$11.1K NZ$19.6K

-73.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$78.0 NZ$138

-65.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$28.28 NZ$50.0

231.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$101 NZ$178

-5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$143 NZ$252

-27.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$1,396 NZ$2,469

-35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$1,153 NZ$2,039

-62.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$2,045 NZ$3,617

-8.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$1,653 NZ$2,923

-13.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$4,821 NZ$8,526

1698.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

$3,282 NZ$5,804

1823.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$3,100 NZ$5,482

-85.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.39

190.72%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lower Hutt: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Lower Hutt

$229 10.4% 57.8% $314

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Lower Hutt

$1.2K 52.4% 164% $716

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Lower Hutt

$304 13.8% 11.9% $41

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Lower Hutt

$188 8.6% 10.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Lower Hutt

$157 7.2% 9.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Lower Hutt

$58 2.6% 26.6% $12

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Lower Hutt

$110 5% 226% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $1,396 in Lower Hutt. 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 599% higher in Lower Hutt, 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 $62.0 in Honiara versus $33.00 in Lower Hutt. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $304 – making Lower Hutt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Lower Hutt

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

111,800

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Honiara Lower Hutt 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Lower Hutt

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 Lower Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,718 in Honiara, $2,199 in Lower Hutt – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $3,298 in Lower Hutt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Lower Hutt – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara and $33.00 in Lower Hutt. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,718, than in Lower Hutt at $2,199. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lower Hutt it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lower Hutt makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.