Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,342 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
Learn more

Honiara Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index

Jump to prices

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Wellington

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $2,342 in Wellington, rent included.

Honiara $1,742
Wellington $2,342

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $3,316 in Wellington, rent included.

Honiara $2,873
Wellington $3,316

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $4,291 in Wellington, rent included.

Honiara $4,004
Wellington $4,291

Honiara is about 26% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Honiara and Wellington sit above the global median – Honiara by 30%, Wellington by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$13.89 NZ$24.77

-52.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$64.2 NZ$114

-2.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$8.95 NZ$15.97

40.00%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.15

$3.29 NZ$5.86

5.78%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.90

$2.35 NZ$4.20

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$1.67 NZ$2.98

-37.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.59

$7.24 NZ$12.91

-66.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.05

$6.75 NZ$12.04

-15.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.76

$1.90 NZ$3.38

35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-30.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.29

$1.82 NZ$3.24

-9.89%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.29

$6.73 NZ$12.00

-18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$9.05 NZ$16.15

-26.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$9.54 NZ$17.02

-12.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$15.30 NZ$27.29

-0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.7

$3.16 NZ$5.64

102.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.84

$2.23 NZ$3.98

21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.3

$2.97 NZ$5.29

192.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.63

$6.33 NZ$11.28

-42.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.10

$2.06 NZ$3.67

-3.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.03

$1.24 NZ$2.20

179.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.31

$1.99 NZ$3.55

-29.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$1.19 NZ$2.13

-13.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.40

$25.37 NZ$45.25

-83.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$11.37 NZ$20.28

-8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$3.17 NZ$5.66

-46.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.02

$2.76 NZ$4.92

25.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$2.74 NZ$4.89

-85.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$102 NZ$182

-75.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$1.82 NZ$3.24

-30.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$1.77 NZ$3.17

-32.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$33.17 NZ$59.2

-62.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.83 NZ$3.27

-26.23%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

-27.00%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.9K

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

34.35%

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

$429 SBD 3,466

$199 NZ$354

115.87%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$32.79 NZ$58.5

-17.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$53.5 NZ$95.4

66.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$38.58 NZ$68.8

-4.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$16.40 NZ$29.25

-45.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.66

$12.14 NZ$21.66

-63.67%

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

$100 SBD 811

$1,036 NZ$1,849

-90.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

-77.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$78.4 NZ$140

-64.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$28.23 NZ$50.4

231.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$103 NZ$184

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 830

$155 NZ$276

-33.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,027

$1,228 NZ$2,190

-29.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,508

$1,139 NZ$2,032

-61.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$2,171 NZ$3,873

-14.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$1,670 NZ$2,978

-16.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.3K

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

1186.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.4K

$3,505 NZ$6,252

1670.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,585

$2,818 NZ$5,027

-84.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.39

190.72%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Wellington

$285 12.1% 47.7% $260

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3% 162% $705

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Wellington

$343 14.5% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Wellington

$243 10.3% 45.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Wellington

$164 7% 14% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Wellington

$63 2.7% 37.9% $17

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Wellington

$124 5.2% 264% $90

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $1,228 in Wellington. 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 535% higher in Wellington, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Honiara versus $64.0 in Wellington. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Honiara vs $343 in Wellington – so Wellington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honiara Wellington 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Honiara, $2,342 in Wellington – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $3,513 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Wellington – 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 $64.0 in Wellington. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,742, than in Wellington at $2,342. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,742 in Honiara to $2,342 in Wellington. 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 Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.