Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lower Hutt and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $2,199 in Lower Hutt, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lower Hutt
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Lower Hutt Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Lower Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,199

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lower Hutt and in Honiara

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

A single person spends $2,199 per month in Lower Hutt vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Lower Hutt $2,199
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $3,027 per month in Lower Hutt vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Lower Hutt $3,027
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,854 per month in Lower Hutt vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Lower Hutt $3,854
Honiara $3,948

Lower Hutt costs about 28% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lower Hutt and Honiara sit above the global median – Lower Hutt by 63%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 NZ$18.43

$6.94 SBD 56.0

50.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.22 NZ$58.8

$62.3 SBD 502

-46.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 NZ$16.21

$12.56 SBD 101

-26.99%

Cappuccino

$2.99 NZ$5.28

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-14.33%

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

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.58 SBD 12.75

25.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.99

$1.10 SBD 8.90

53.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 NZ$4.86

$2.55 SBD 20.59

7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.74

$5.70 SBD 45.93

16.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-25.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.54 SBD 12.42

10.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.26

$1.65 SBD 13.29

12.12%

Eggs

$6.98 NZ$12.34

$5.51 SBD 44.40

26.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 NZ$15.00

$6.43 SBD 51.8

31.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 NZ$14.59

$8.58 SBD 69.2

-3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 NZ$21.95

$15.40 SBD 124

-19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-55.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 NZ$3.56

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-22.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.18

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-65.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 NZ$7.70

$3.66 SBD 29.48

18.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.69

$1.94 SBD 15.60

7.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 NZ$2.26

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-62.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.45 SBD 11.72

42.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.09

$1.07 SBD 8.62

10.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.53 NZ$29.24

$4.18 SBD 33.67

295.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 NZ$15.01

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-20.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$1.78 SBD 14.36

75.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$4.97

$3.35 SBD 26.98

-16.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 NZ$4.74

$0.38 SBD 3.09

605.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.5 NZ$156

$24.88 SBD 201

255.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.20 SBD 9.70

49.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$1.21 SBD 9.79

43.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.71 NZ$59.6

$12.41 SBD 100

171.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.30 SBD 10.50

26.15%

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

$25.3K NZ$44.7K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

34.26%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-28.75%

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

$144 NZ$254

$427 SBD 3,440

-66.32%

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

$32.73 NZ$57.9

$27.52 SBD 222

18.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$88.8 SBD 716

-40.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.70 NZ$68.5

$37.21 SBD 300

4.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$9.59 NZ$16.96

$4.25 SBD 34.29

125.65%

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

$683 NZ$1,208

$98.2 SBD 792

595.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K NZ$19.6K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

283.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 NZ$138

$27.02 SBD 218

188.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.28 NZ$50.0

$93.7 SBD 756

-69.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 NZ$178

$95.3 SBD 768

5.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NZ$252

$104 SBD 834

37.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 NZ$2,469

$901 SBD 7,263

54.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 NZ$2,039

$436 SBD 3,518

164.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 NZ$3,617

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

9.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 NZ$2,923

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

16.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,821 NZ$8,526

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-94.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,282 NZ$5,804

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-94.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,100 NZ$5,482

$443 SBD 3,574

599.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

15.67

-65.60%

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

Last update for Lower Hutt: October 10, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lower Hutt

$1.2K 52.4%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 62.1% $716

Groceries & Markets

Lower Hutt

$304 13.8%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 13.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lower Hutt

$229 10.4%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 137% $314

Eating Out

Lower Hutt

$188 8.6%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 9.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lower Hutt

$157 7.2%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 8.6% $14

Getting Around

Lower Hutt

$110 5%

Honiara

$34 2% 69.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Lower Hutt

$58 2.6%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 21% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,396 in Lower Hutt versus $901 in Honiara. 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 599% higher in Lower Hutt, 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 $33.00 in Lower Hutt versus $62.0 in Honiara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $345 – making Lower Hutt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Lower Hutt

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

00:59 12:59 AM

2 h behind Lower Hutt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,800

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lower Hutt Honiara 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lower Hutt
Honiara

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

Lower Hutt vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,199 in Lower Hutt, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,298 per month in Lower Hutt and $2,577 in Honiara. 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 14% cheaper in Lower Hutt – 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 $33.00 in Lower Hutt and $62.0 in Honiara. 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 $1,718, than in Lower Hutt at $2,199. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lower Hutt it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Honiara – 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 Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lower Hutt makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.