Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Whangarei

For one person, living is cheaper in Whangarei: $1,437 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Honiara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Whangarei
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Whangarei Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Whangarei

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Whangarei

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $1,437 in Whangarei, rent included.

Honiara $1,742
Whangarei $1,437

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $2,302 in Whangarei, rent included.

Honiara $2,873
Whangarei $2,302

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $3,167 in Whangarei, rent included.

Honiara $4,004
Whangarei $3,167

Honiara costs about 21% more than Whangarei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Honiara and Whangarei sit above the global median – Honiara by 30%, Whangarei by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$12.15 NZ$21.65

-45.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$73.8 NZ$132

-14.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

$8.21 NZ$14.63

52.62%

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.14

$3.41 NZ$6.08

2.05%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.89

$2.00 NZ$3.56

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$1.59 NZ$2.84

-33.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.58

$5.98 NZ$10.65

-59.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.04

$5.53 NZ$9.85

3.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.75

$1.48 NZ$2.63

73.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$1.30 NZ$2.31

14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.28

$1.62 NZ$2.89

1.23%

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.27

$5.30 NZ$9.44

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

$5.60 NZ$9.98

18.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

$7.40 NZ$13.18

12.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

$14.64 NZ$26.09

3.69%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.6

$2.62 NZ$4.68

143.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.83

$2.15 NZ$3.83

25.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.2

$2.99 NZ$5.32

190.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.62

$2.92 NZ$5.20

25.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.09

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-10.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.01

$1.72 NZ$3.06

101.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$1.64 NZ$2.92

-14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

$1.21 NZ$2.15

-14.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.39

$25.58 NZ$45.58

-83.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$9.36 NZ$16.68

10.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

$2.22 NZ$3.95

-23.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.00

$2.81 NZ$5.01

23.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$1.66 NZ$2.96

-76.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$127 NZ$226

-80.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$3.71 NZ$6.61

-65.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$1.63 NZ$2.91

-26.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$13.35 NZ$23.79

-5.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.70 NZ$3.02

-20.59%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$26.8K NZ$47.7K

-30.16%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

$21.7K NZ$38.7K

57.39%

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

$429 SBD 3,464

$152 NZ$271

181.60%

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$27.05 NZ$48.20

-0.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$50.1 NZ$89.3

77.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$35.43 NZ$63.1

3.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$2.75 NZ$4.90

225.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.65

$10.22 NZ$18.21

-56.85%

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

$100 SBD 811

$695 NZ$1,239

-85.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$22.1K NZ$39.4K

-86.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$70.0 NZ$125

-60.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$32.07 NZ$57.2

191.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$69.6 NZ$124

37.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 829

$92.2 NZ$164

11.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,024

$418 NZ$745

108.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,507

$408 NZ$726

6.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$753 NZ$1,342

145.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$750 NZ$1,336

86.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

$4,306 NZ$7,673

1907.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

$3,210 NZ$5,720

1833.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,583

$2,283 NZ$4,068

-80.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.75

172.52%

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

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Last update for Whangarei: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Whangarei

$230 15.9% 57.9% $316

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Whangarei

$408 28.2% 6.2% $27

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Whangarei

$272 18.8% 21% $72

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Whangarei

$218 15.1% 30.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Whangarei

$119 8.2% 17.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Whangarei

$56 3.9% 22.5% $10

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Whangarei

$145 10.1% 328% $111

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $418 in Whangarei. 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 414% higher in Whangarei, 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 $74.0 in Whangarei. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Honiara vs $272 in Whangarei – so Whangarei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇿 Whangarei

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

23:30 11:30 PM

2 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

54,300

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 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 = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 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 = 0.501 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honiara Whangarei 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Whangarei

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 Whangarei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Honiara, $1,437 in Whangarei – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $2,155 in Whangarei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $74.0 in Whangarei. 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 Whangarei, where all-in costs run around $1,437, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Whangarei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Whangarei – 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 Whangarei. 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.