Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
Learn more

Honiara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Honiara costs about 42% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Honiara sits 27% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$10.76 MX$199

-35.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$43.03 MX$795

44.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$11.79 MX$218

6.53%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$3.87 MX$71.4

-9.82%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$1.37 MX$25.29

15.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$0.84 MX$15.44

30.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$3.10 MX$57.3

-17.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$5.07 MX$93.6

12.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$1.44 MX$26.55

72.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$2.23 MX$41.23

-30.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$1.47 MX$27.17

12.24%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$2.53 MX$46.71

117.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$7.30 MX$135

-11.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$7.86 MX$145

9.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$12.79 MX$236

20.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$2.90 MX$53.6

120.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$1.44 MX$26.53

79.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$2.55 MX$47.07

230.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$2.06 MX$38.03

77.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$2.00 MX$36.97

-3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$2.01 MX$37.07

69.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$1.19 MX$22.02

21.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$1.26 MX$23.23

-15.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$4.40 MX$81.4

-5.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$9.59 MX$177

11.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$1.59 MX$29.41

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$2.81 MX$51.9

19.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$0.57 MX$10.47

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

$27.82 MX$514

-10.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$4.98 MX$92.1

-75.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$3.50 MX$64.6

-65.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$5.40 MX$99.8

129.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.47 MX$27.08

-11.56%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

-10.30%

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

45.22%

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

$427 SBD 3,440

$84.2 MX$1,556

406.76%

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$23.99 MX$443

14.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$29.02 MX$536

205.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

$63.0 MX$1,164

-40.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

$29.14 MX$539

-68.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$4.94 MX$91.3

-13.97%

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

$98.2 SBD 792

$204 MX$3,763

-51.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-26.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$43.60 MX$806

-38.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$43.12 MX$797

117.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$75.8 MX$1,400

25.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$88.6 MX$1,637

16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$374 MX$6,911

16.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

9.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

28.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

2098.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

923.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$754 MX$13.9K

-41.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

11.45

36.86%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 74.7% $406

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 14.3% $62

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 25.1% $87

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 18.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 21.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 59.4% $27

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 56% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. 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 70% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

19:15 7:15 PM

16 h behind Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honiara Playa del Carmen 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,718 in Honiara, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 33% 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 $62.0 in Honiara and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $1,718 in Honiara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. 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.