Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Wanaka

For one person, living costs are similar in Honiara and in Wanaka: $1,718 and $1,666 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Wanaka

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $1,666 in Wanaka, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Wanaka $1,666

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $2,631 in Wanaka, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Wanaka $2,631

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $3,596 in Wanaka, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Wanaka $3,596

Honiara costs about 3% more than Wanaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Honiara and Wanaka sit above the global median – Honiara by 27%, Wanaka by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$14.13 NZ$24.98

-50.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$56.3 NZ$99.6

10.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$8.22 NZ$14.53

52.80%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$3.00 NZ$5.31

16.33%

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

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$1.69 NZ$2.99

-6.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-43.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$6.53 NZ$11.56

-60.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$6.16 NZ$10.90

-7.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$2.14 NZ$3.78

15.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$1.75 NZ$3.09

-5.71%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$5.93 NZ$10.49

-7.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$8.45 NZ$14.94

-23.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$9.37 NZ$16.57

-8.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$16.30 NZ$28.82

-5.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$3.00 NZ$5.30

112.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$2.11 NZ$3.73

22.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$3.24 NZ$5.73

160.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$4.92 NZ$8.70

-25.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$1.79 NZ$3.16

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$1.81 NZ$3.21

88.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$2.24 NZ$3.97

-35.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$0.55 NZ$0.97

94.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$21.98 NZ$38.87

-80.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$9.05 NZ$16.00

18.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$3.07 NZ$5.42

-42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$1.24 NZ$2.20

170.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$5.66 NZ$10.01

-78.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$28.07 NZ$49.64

-55.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.80 NZ$3.18

-27.78%

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

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

-26.41%

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

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

39.18%

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

$427 SBD 3,440

$110 NZ$194

288.44%

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

$27.52 SBD 222

$28.11 NZ$49.71

-2.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$52.3 NZ$92.4

69.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$10.10 NZ$17.86

-57.92%

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

$98.2 SBD 792

$591 NZ$1,045

-83.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$58.6 NZ$104

-53.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$34.64 NZ$61.3

170.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$68.3 NZ$121

39.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$73.8 NZ$130

40.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$970 NZ$1,716

-7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$793 NZ$1,403

-44.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$1,852 NZ$3,275

0.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$1,595 NZ$2,821

-10.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$5,611 NZ$9,923

1445.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$4,296 NZ$7,597

-89.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

291.75%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Wanaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Wanaka

$190 11.4% 65% $353

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Wanaka

$793 47.6% 81.7% $357

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Wanaka

$318 19.1% 7.8% $27

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Wanaka

$233 14% 37.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Wanaka

$106 6.4% 26.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Wanaka

$20 * 1.2% 55.8% $26

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Wanaka

$5.7 * 0.3% 83.2% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $970 in Wanaka. 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 869% higher in Wanaka, 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 $56.0 in Wanaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $318 – making Wanaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

11,600

💱 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 Wanaka 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Wanaka

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 Wanaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,718 in Honiara, $1,666 in Wanaka – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $2,499 in Wanaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara and $56.0 in Wanaka. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wanaka, where all-in costs run around $1,666, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Wanaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Honiara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,666 in Wanaka to $1,718 in Honiara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Wanaka. 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.