Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Taipei

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $1,395 in Taipei, rent included.

Honiara $1,742
Taipei $1,395

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $2,227 in Taipei, rent included.

Honiara $2,873
Taipei $2,227

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $3,059 in Taipei, rent included.

Honiara $4,004
Taipei $3,059

Honiara costs about 25% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Honiara and Taipei sit above the global median – Honiara by 30%, Taipei by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$4.76 NT$152

39.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$48.18 NT$1,537

30.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$5.75 NT$183

117.91%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.14

$3.49 NT$112

-0.29%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.89

$0.88 NT$28.03

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$0.65 NT$20.61

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.58

$2.86 NT$91.4

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.04

$3.67 NT$117

55.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.75

$3.09 NT$98.5

-16.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$2.05 NT$65.5

-27.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.28

$3.06 NT$97.5

-46.41%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.27

$2.70 NT$86.0

102.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$19.66 NT$627

-66.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$9.83 NT$314

-15.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$21.11 NT$674

-28.09%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.6

$5.08 NT$162

25.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.83

$3.39 NT$108

-20.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.2

$3.00 NT$95.8

190.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.62

$4.56 NT$146

-19.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.09

$2.72 NT$86.8

-26.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.01

$2.28 NT$72.9

52.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$1.68 NT$53.7

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$1.15 NT$36.81

-10.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.39

$4.05 NT$129

5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$14.32 NT$457

-27.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$1.70 NT$54.2

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.00

$2.29 NT$73.0

51.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$0.61 NT$19.46

-36.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$38.47 NT$1,228

-34.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$2.73 NT$87.0

-53.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$0.75 NT$24.02

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$9.59 NT$306

31.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.02 NT$32.56

32.35%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-45.11%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

$24.2K NT$771.9K

41.16%

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

$429 SBD 3,464

$86.4 NT$2,756

396.72%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$17.12 NT$546

57.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$27.06 NT$864

228.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$40.77 NT$1,301

-9.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$16.04 NT$512

-44.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.65

$9.63 NT$307

-54.21%

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

$100 SBD 811

$656 NT$20.9K

-84.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$16.4K NT$524.1K

-82.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$62.7 NT$2,001

-55.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$39.50 NT$1,261

136.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$83.9 NT$2,677

14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 829

$106 NT$3,392

-3.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,024

$1,016 NT$32.4K

-14.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,507

$479 NT$15.3K

-9.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$1,568 NT$50.0K

17.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$952 NT$30.4K

46.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

$12.2K NT$389.2K

608.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

$7,207 NT$230.0K

761.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,583

$1,772 NT$56.5K

-74.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

2.4

552.92%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Taipei

$131 9.5% 76% $414

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Taipei

$479 34.8% 10.2% $44

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Taipei

$401 29.2% 16.5% $57

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Taipei

$125 9.1% 25% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Taipei

$132 9.6% 8.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 31.7% $14

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 39.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $1,016 in Taipei. 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 299% higher in Taipei, 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 $48.00 in Taipei. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Honiara vs $401 in Taipei – so Honiara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

3 h behind Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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 = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Honiara Taipei 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Taipei

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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Honiara, $1,395 in Taipei – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $2,092 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Honiara – 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 $63.0 in Honiara and $48.00 in Taipei. 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 Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,395, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. 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.