Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Shanghai

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Honiara $1,742
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Honiara $2,873
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Honiara $4,004
Shanghai $2,789

Honiara costs about 39% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Honiara sits 30% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$4.55 ¥30.40

46.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$29.52 ¥197

112.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$5.10 ¥34.08

145.69%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.14

$3.42 ¥22.88

1.75%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.89

$0.61 ¥4.11

162.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$0.36 ¥2.40

191.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.58

$1.21 ¥8.07

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.04

$2.29 ¥15.31

148.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.75

$1.86 ¥12.46

38.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$2.01 ¥13.45

-25.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.28

$1.02 ¥6.83

60.78%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.27

$1.72 ¥11.46

218.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$17.19 ¥115

-61.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$3.35 ¥22.39

148.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$12.80 ¥85.5

18.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.6

$2.17 ¥14.51

194.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.83

$1.74 ¥11.65

55.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.2

$1.94 ¥12.96

348.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.62

$1.68 ¥11.23

118.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.09

$0.77 ¥5.17

158.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.01

$0.93 ¥6.21

273.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$0.62 ¥4.16

125.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$0.58 ¥3.88

77.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.39

$3.83 ¥25.60

11.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$10.94 ¥73.1

-5.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$0.84 ¥5.59

101.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.00

$1.60 ¥10.71

116.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$0.59 ¥3.92

-33.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$30.27 ¥202

-16.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$2.06 ¥13.77

-38.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$0.47 ¥3.13

155.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$8.80 ¥58.8

43.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.27 ¥8.51

6.30%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$19.6K ¥131.0K

-4.53%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

$18.6K ¥124.2K

83.80%

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

$429 SBD 3,464

$57.2 ¥382

649.64%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$8.06 ¥53.8

235.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$10.52 ¥70.3

746.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$64.6 ¥432

-43.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$17.63 ¥118

-49.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.65

$8.84 ¥59.1

-50.11%

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

$100 SBD 811

$1,437 ¥9,605

-93.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-89.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$54.7 ¥365

-49.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$36.43 ¥243

156.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$75.4 ¥504

27.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 829

$104 ¥695

-1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,024

$1,039 ¥6,945

-16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,507

$589 ¥3,933

-26.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-25.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$1,237 ¥8,268

13.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

$13.6K ¥90.8K

536.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

902.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,583

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-74.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

3.36

366.37%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 86.1% $469

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 35.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Shanghai

$237 19% 31.3% $108

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 35.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 15.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 80.5% $37

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Shanghai

$37 3% 8.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $1,039 in Shanghai. 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 287% higher in Shanghai, 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 $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

11:14 11:14 AM

3 h behind Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Honiara Shanghai 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Shanghai

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 Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Honiara, $1,250 in Shanghai – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $1,874 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 45% 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 $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – 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 Shanghai. 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.