Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Te Awamutu

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $1,868 in Te Awamutu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Honiara
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
$1,718
/mo nomad
Te Awamutu
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,868
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Te Awamutu

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $1,868 in Te Awamutu, rent included.

  • Honiara $1,718
  • Te Awamutu $1,868

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $2,865 in Te Awamutu, rent included.

  • Honiara $2,833
  • Te Awamutu $2,865

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $3,862 in Te Awamutu, rent included.

  • Honiara $3,948
  • Te Awamutu $3,862

Honiara is about 8% cheaper than Te Awamutu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Honiara and Te Awamutu sit above the global median – Honiara by 27%, Te Awamutu by 38%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.94 SBD 56.0
$12.01 NZ$21.24
-42.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 SBD 502
$67.3 NZ$119
-7.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.56 SBD 101
$8.19 NZ$14.48
53.36%
Cappuccino
$3.49 SBD 28.17
$3.30 NZ$5.84
5.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 SBD 12.75
$1.95 NZ$3.44
-18.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 SBD 8.90
$1.74 NZ$3.08
-36.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 SBD 20.59
$6.02 NZ$10.64
-57.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 SBD 45.93
$5.43 NZ$9.60
4.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.48 SBD 20.01
$1.45 NZ$2.57
71.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 SBD 12.42
$1.29 NZ$2.27
19.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 SBD 13.29
$1.83 NZ$3.23
-9.84%
Eggs
$5.51 SBD 44.40
$5.20 NZ$9.19
5.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.43 SBD 51.8
$5.56 NZ$9.83
15.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.58 SBD 69.2
$7.47 NZ$13.21
14.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.40 SBD 124
$11.71 NZ$20.71
31.51%
Apples (1kg)
$6.38 SBD 51.4
$2.64 NZ$4.66
141.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.59 SBD 20.89
$2.11 NZ$3.74
22.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.44 SBD 68.1
$2.92 NZ$5.16
189.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.66 SBD 29.48
$5.83 NZ$10.32
-37.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 SBD 15.60
$2.01 NZ$3.56
-3.48%
Onion (1kg)
$3.41 SBD 27.53
$1.35 NZ$2.39
152.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 SBD 11.72
$1.98 NZ$3.50
-26.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 SBD 8.62
$0.94 NZ$1.67
13.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 SBD 33.67
$25.38 NZ$44.89
-83.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.70 SBD 86.3
$10.17 NZ$17.98
5.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 SBD 14.36
$2.82 NZ$4.99
-36.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 SBD 26.98
$3.41 NZ$6.04
-1.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 SBD 3.09
$1.74 NZ$3.07
-78.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.88 SBD 201
$88.5 NZ$157
-71.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 SBD 9.70
$2.23 NZ$3.94
-46.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 SBD 9.79
$1.98 NZ$3.51
-38.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.41 SBD 100
$32.17 NZ$56.9
-61.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 SBD 10.50
$1.64 NZ$2.89
-20.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K SBD 151.8K
$25.6K NZ$45.4K
-26.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K SBD 279.9K
$22.0K NZ$38.8K
58.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$427 SBD 3,440
$57.5 NZ$102
642.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.52 SBD 222
$26.19 NZ$46.32
5.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$88.8 SBD 716
$49.60 NZ$87.7
78.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.21 SBD 300
$37.50 NZ$66.3
-0.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.24 SBD 74.5
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 SBD 34.29
$12.69 NZ$22.45
-66.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$98.2 SBD 792
$676 NZ$1,196
-85.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,891 SBD 23.3K
$19.5K NZ$34.4K
-85.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.02 SBD 218
$62.0 NZ$110
-56.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$93.7 SBD 756
$37.34 NZ$66.0
151.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.3 SBD 768
$94.1 NZ$166
1.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 SBD 834
$104 NZ$183
-0.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 SBD 7,263
$875 NZ$1,548
2.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 SBD 3,518
$934 NZ$1,651
-53.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,867 SBD 15.1K
$1,847 NZ$3,266
1.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,422 SBD 11.5K
$1,648 NZ$2,914
-13.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$86.7K SBD 699.2K
$5,280 NZ$9,337
1542.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$63.1K SBD 508.8K
$3,487 NZ$6,167
1710.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Honiara
Te Awamutu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$443 SBD 3,574
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15.67
5.37
191.81%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Te Awamutu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Honiara
$543
Te Awamutu
$133 75.5% $410
Accommodation & Living
Honiara
$436
Te Awamutu
$934 114% $497
Groceries & Markets
Honiara
$345
Te Awamutu
$281 18.7% $64
Eating Out
Honiara
$170
Te Awamutu
$216 27% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Honiara
$144
Te Awamutu
$134 7% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Honiara
$46
Te Awamutu
$63 37.5% $17
Getting Around
Honiara
$34
Te Awamutu
$108 219% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $875 in Te Awamutu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara versus $67.0 in Te Awamutu. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Honiara vs $281 in Te Awamutu – so Te Awamutu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇧 Honiara
🇳🇿 Te Awamutu
🕒 Local time
06:50 6:50 AM
08:50 8:50 AM
2 h ahead of Honiara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
54,600 Capital
13,350
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Honiara Te Awamutu 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Honiara
  • Te Awamutu

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 Te Awamutu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Honiara and in Te Awamutu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,718 in Honiara, $1,868 in Te Awamutu – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Honiara compared to Te Awamutu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $2,801 in Te Awamutu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Honiara and Te Awamutu?
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.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Te Awamutu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara and $67.0 in Te Awamutu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,718, than in Te Awamutu at $1,868. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Te Awamutu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Honiara or Te Awamutu?
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.
Is Honiara or Te Awamutu safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Honiara and Te Awamutu?
If budget matters most, go with Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Te Awamutu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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