Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiribati and the Solomon Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiribati: $1,713 a month against $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kiribati
Solomon Islands
🇰🇮 Kiribati
$1,713
/mo nomad
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
$1,909
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kiribati and in the Solomon Islands

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kiribati and in the Solomon Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,713 in Kiribati versus $1,909 in the Solomon Islands.

  • Kiribati $1,713
  • Solomon Islands $1,909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,652 in Kiribati versus $2,946 in the Solomon Islands.

  • Kiribati $2,652
  • Solomon Islands $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,590 in Kiribati versus $3,983 in the Solomon Islands.

  • Kiribati $3,590
  • Solomon Islands $3,983

Internal cost variation is higher in the Solomon Islands: monthly costs span $1,719 to $2,169, compared to $1,694–$1,694 in Kiribati. City choice carries more weight in the Solomon Islands.

Living in Kiribati costs about 10% less than in the Solomon Islands on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Kiribati 26% above, the Solomon Islands 40% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.14 KID 7.30
$6.22 SBD 50.1
-17.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.31 KID 40.20
$64.0 SBD 516
-55.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.40 KID 14.77
$12.38 SBD 99.8
-15.99%
Cappuccino
$3.25 KID 4.61
$3.26 SBD 26.30
-0.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 KID 1.46
$1.46 SBD 11.79
-29.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 KID 1.07
$1.13 SBD 9.10
-33.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 KID 5.49
$2.75 SBD 22.18
40.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.27 KID 8.90
$4.71 SBD 38.01
33.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.29 KID 3.25
$2.71 SBD 21.87
-15.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.08 KID 2.95
$1.53 SBD 12.35
35.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 KID 2.05
$1.55 SBD 12.49
-6.45%
Eggs
$6.82 KID 9.69
$5.81 SBD 46.88
17.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.40 KID 24.71
$7.26 SBD 58.5
139.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.79 KID 8.22
$8.21 SBD 66.2
-29.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.46 KID 27.64
$14.50 SBD 117
34.21%
Apples (1kg)
$6.87 KID 9.75
$6.59 SBD 53.2
4.25%
Banana (1kg)
$3.57 KID 5.07
$2.67 SBD 21.53
33.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.07 KID 8.62
$8.30 SBD 66.9
-26.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.61 KID 7.97
$3.64 SBD 29.32
54.12%
Potato (1kg)
$4.71 KID 6.68
$2.12 SBD 17.06
122.17%
Onion (1kg)
$3.09 KID 4.38
$3.40 SBD 27.39
-9.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.27 KID 4.64
$1.62 SBD 13.04
101.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 KID 0.47
$1.19 SBD 9.59
-72.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.18 KID 8.78
$4.29 SBD 34.55
44.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.14 KID 18.66
$12.23 SBD 98.6
7.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 KID 2.52
$1.81 SBD 14.57
-1.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 KID 4.89
$3.24 SBD 26.13
6.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.72 KID 2.44
$0.36 SBD 2.88
377.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.1 KID 108
$31.41 SBD 253
142.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.16 KID 3.07
$1.25 SBD 10.08
72.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 KID 2.59
$1.27 SBD 10.24
44.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$12.47 SBD 101
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 KID 2.91
$1.40 SBD 11.29
46.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K KID 40.4K
$19.6K SBD 158.3K
44.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K KID 34.4K
$28.3K SBD 228.5K
-14.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$317 KID 450
$527 SBD 4,247
-39.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$23.75 SBD 192
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$3.61 KID 5.13
$103 SBD 832
-96.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.10 KID 49.85
$28.16 SBD 227
24.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.51 KID 34.81
$9.27 SBD 74.8
164.40%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 KID 6.41
$4.43 SBD 35.75
2.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$270 KID 384
$126 SBD 1,016
114.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,640 KID 8,009
$2,337 SBD 18.8K
141.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.1 KID 74.0
$26.36 SBD 212
97.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.1 KID 74.0
$93.3 SBD 752
-44.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.3 KID 120
$96.8 SBD 780
-12.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.2 KID 91.2
$98.5 SBD 794
-34.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$837 KID 1,189
$592 SBD 4,776
41.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$587 KID 834
$524 SBD 4,226
12.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,479 KID 2,100
$1,577 SBD 12.7K
-6.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,317 KID 1,870
$1,358 SBD 10.9K
-3.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,576 KID 6,497
$87.9K SBD 708.3K
-94.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,434 KID 4,876
$62.0K SBD 499.5K
-94.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$348 KID 495
$471 SBD 3,798
-26.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
17.78
-

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

Last update for Kiribati: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Solomon Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kiribati
$587
Solomon Islands
$524 10.7% $63
Groceries & Markets
Kiribati
$404
Solomon Islands
$353 12.7% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiribati
$320 *
Solomon Islands
$654 104% $334
Eating Out
Kiribati
$150
Solomon Islands
$160 6.2% $9.3
Clothing & Footwear
Kiribati
$114
Solomon Islands
$142 24.7% $28
Getting Around
Kiribati
$94
Solomon Islands
$40 57.1% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Kiribati
$44
Solomon Islands
$37 16.1% $7.1

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

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $348 in Kiribati, $419 in the Solomon Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 12% higher in Kiribati.

Dining out costs 84% more in the Solomon Islands.

Public transport is 168% more expensive in Kiribati.

Salaries are 20% higher in the Solomon Islands.

Good to know
🇰🇮 Kiribati
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
🕒 Local time
14:52 2:52 PM
13:52 1:52 PM
1 h behind Kiribati
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
119,438
611,343
Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to KID – Kiribati Dollar Converter

Kiribati Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 KID (1 KID = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 KID (1 KID = 0.633 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.97 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kiribati Solomon Islands 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kiribati
  • Solomon Islands

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
Kiribati vs Solomon Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: Kiribati or the Solomon Islands?
At $1,713 per month in Kiribati and $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, Kiribati comes out about 10% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Does the cost gap hold in every spending category?
Overall, Kiribati is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.
How do I choose between living in Kiribati and in the Solomon Islands?
It depends on what you’re after: Kiribati wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Kiribati vs other spots: cost of living compared

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