Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masterton and in Gizo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Masterton versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Masterton $832
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,432 in Masterton versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Masterton $1,432
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Masterton versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Masterton $2,032
Gizo $3,938

Living in Masterton costs roughly 62% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Gizo is 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.54 NZ$16.88

$3.01 SBD 24.25

216.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 NZ$115

$54.7 SBD 441

18.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$15.57 SBD 126

-45.02%

Cappuccino

$3.18 NZ$5.62

$2.85 SBD 22.95

11.58%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$1.26 SBD 10.13

60.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$1.21 SBD 9.79

-9.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 NZ$6.88

$2.47 SBD 19.88

57.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.79

$2.41 SBD 19.41

36.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 NZ$2.51

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-56.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.39 SBD 11.19

58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$1.40 SBD 11.30

-26.43%

Eggs

$6.32 NZ$11.17

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-12.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 NZ$14.65

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-2.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.76

$6.20 SBD 50.0

52.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 NZ$26.85

$8.41 SBD 67.8

80.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-68.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-73.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.27

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-50.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 NZ$8.11

$3.02 SBD 24.32

51.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.71

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-50.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-55.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-32.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.92

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-61.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.51 NZ$34.50

$4.25 SBD 34.29

359.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 NZ$19.83

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NZ$1.50

$1.83 SBD 14.77

-53.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$2.19 SBD 17.66

-47.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$0.39 SBD 3.11

471.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 SBD 253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$1.25 SBD 10.09

44.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-27.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.16 NZ$60.4

$12.52 SBD 101

172.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.12

$1.75 SBD 14.10

1.14%

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

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

6.46%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

13.12%

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

$55.0 NZ$97.3

$750 SBD 6,048

-92.67%

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

$29.34 NZ$51.9

$13.42 SBD 108

118.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 NZ$93.3

$123 SBD 989

-57.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 NZ$73.9

$18.49 SBD 149

126.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.51 NZ$15.06

$6.14 SBD 49.54

38.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NZ$17.12

$4.20 SBD 33.87

130.48%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$126 SBD 1,014

739.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

924.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 NZ$98.3

$25.29 SBD 204

119.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 NZ$48.79

$94.4 SBD 761

-70.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$99.8 SBD 804

2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 NZ$251

$90.6 SBD 730

56.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 SBD 4,833

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 SBD 4,678

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 NZ$1,773

$630 SBD 5,081

59.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 SBD 9,809

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,327 NZ$4,115

$389 SBD 3,140

497.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

16.33

-66.99%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$288 34.7%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 22.5% $65

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.5%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 26.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$147 17.7%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 5.4% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$137 16.5%

Gizo

$886 41% 546% $749

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.4%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 56% $34

Getting Around

Masterton

$19 * 2.3%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 138% $27

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Gizo

$580 26.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays 497% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Masterton vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $353, with Masterton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

2 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

7,177

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masterton Gizo 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
Gizo

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

Masterton vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton wins on cost – living expenses run 160% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Masterton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 497% higher in Masterton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,056 in Masterton versus $126 in Gizo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Masterton – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $832 in Masterton versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Masterton and Gizo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.