Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Yaren

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaren: $531 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
135

Cost of Living Index in Yaren
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Yaren Living Index

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Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Yaren

🇳🇷 Nauru

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Yaren

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Honiara vs $531 in Yaren, rent included.

Honiara $1,742
Yaren $531

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Honiara vs $2,918 in Yaren, rent included.

Honiara $2,873
Yaren $2,918

A family of three spends $4,004 per month in Honiara vs $5,305 in Yaren, rent included.

Honiara $4,004
Yaren $5,305

Honiara costs about 228% more than Yaren, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Honiara sits 30% above the global median, while Yaren is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 SBD 53.8

$10.72 A$15.34

-37.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 SBD 507

$24.65 A$35.28

154.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

Cappuccino

$3.48 SBD 28.14

$3.52 A$5.04

-1.14%

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

$1.60 SBD 12.89

$1.03 A$1.47

55.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 SBD 8.49

$1.07 A$1.54

-1.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.58

$7.08 A$10.13

-65.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 46.04

$5.00 A$7.15

14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.75

$3.10 A$4.44

-17.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

$1.74 A$2.49

-14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.28

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.27

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 SBD 53.4

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 SBD 67.4

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 SBD 123

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 SBD 51.6

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.83

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.2

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.62

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.09

$3.41 A$4.88

-41.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.01

$3.45 A$4.94

0.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 SBD 11.30

$3.52 A$5.04

-60.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SBD 8.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 SBD 34.39

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 SBD 83.7

$17.72 A$25.36

-41.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.00

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

$1.43 A$2.04

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

$87.2 A$125

-71.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$7.01 A$10.03

-81.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

$3.55 A$5.08

-66.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

$42.35 A$60.6

-70.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 SBD 10.92

$1.70 A$2.43

-20.59%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

$34.8K A$49.7K

-46.17%

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

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

$10.4K A$14.9K

227.81%

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

$429 SBD 3,464

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

$27.02 SBD 218

$7.00 A$10.01

286.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 SBD 719

$27.63 A$39.54

222.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

$0.01 A$0.02

367500.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

$13.90 A$19.90

-35.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.65

$7.17 A$10.26

-38.49%

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

$100 SBD 811

$347 A$497

-71.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

$10.6K A$15.1K

-72.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 SBD 224

$14.17 A$20.28

95.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.5 SBD 755

$10.66 A$15.25

777.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 SBD 774

$34.98 A$50.1

174.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SBD 829

$69.6 A$99.6

47.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$870 SBD 7,024

$2,828 A$4,047

-69.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 SBD 3,507

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

$5,101 A$7,300

-63.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

$4,267 A$6,107

-67.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 SBD 3,583

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 3, 2026

Last update for Yaren: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Yaren

$35 * 6.6% 93.6% $510

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Yaren

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Yaren

$115 * 22.1% 66.6% $229

Eating Out

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Yaren

$182 * 34.8% 9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Yaren

$58 11.2% 59.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Yaren

$14 2.8% 68.5% $31

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Yaren

$118 22.6% 246% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $870 in Honiara versus $2,828 in Yaren. 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 $63.0 in Honiara versus $25.00 in Yaren. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $115 – making Yaren the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇳🇷 Yaren

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h ahead of Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

1,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Honiara Yaren 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Yaren

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 Yaren: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Honiara, $531 in Yaren – roughly 228% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,614 per month in Honiara and $796 in Yaren. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 199% 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 $25.00 in Yaren. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yaren, where all-in costs run around $531, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Yaren it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yaren – 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 Yaren. 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.