Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masterton 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 Masterton and in Honiara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $832 per month in Masterton vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Masterton $832
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $1,432 per month in Masterton vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Masterton $1,432
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $2,032 per month in Masterton vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Masterton $2,032
Honiara $3,948

Masterton is about 52% cheaper than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Masterton sits 38% below the global median, while Honiara is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.54 NZ$16.88

$6.94 SBD 56.0

37.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 NZ$115

$62.3 SBD 502

4.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$12.56 SBD 101

-31.85%

Cappuccino

$3.18 NZ$5.62

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-8.88%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$1.58 SBD 12.75

27.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$1.10 SBD 8.90

-0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 NZ$6.88

$2.55 SBD 20.59

52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NZ$5.79

$5.70 SBD 45.93

-42.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 NZ$2.51

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-42.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.54 SBD 12.42

43.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$1.65 SBD 13.29

-37.58%

Eggs

$6.32 NZ$11.17

$5.51 SBD 44.40

14.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 NZ$14.65

$6.43 SBD 51.8

28.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 NZ$16.76

$8.58 SBD 69.2

10.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.18 NZ$26.85

$15.40 SBD 124

-1.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-65.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.02

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-33.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 NZ$5.27

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-64.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 NZ$8.11

$3.66 SBD 29.48

25.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.71

$1.94 SBD 15.60

-21.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-68.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.45 SBD 11.72

17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.92

$1.07 SBD 8.62

-51.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.51 NZ$34.50

$4.18 SBD 33.67

366.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 NZ$19.83

$10.70 SBD 86.3

4.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NZ$1.50

$1.78 SBD 14.36

-52.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 NZ$2.02

$3.35 SBD 26.98

-65.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$0.38 SBD 3.09

486.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$1.20 SBD 9.70

50.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.21 SBD 9.79

44.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.16 NZ$60.4

$12.41 SBD 100

175.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.12

$1.30 SBD 10.50

36.15%

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

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

17.10%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-28.49%

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

$55.0 NZ$97.3

$427 SBD 3,440

-87.10%

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

$29.34 NZ$51.9

$27.52 SBD 222

6.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 NZ$93.3

$88.8 SBD 716

-40.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.79 NZ$73.9

$37.21 SBD 300

12.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.51 NZ$15.06

$9.24 SBD 74.5

-7.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 NZ$17.12

$4.25 SBD 34.29

127.76%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,868

$98.2 SBD 792

974.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

340.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 NZ$98.3

$27.02 SBD 218

105.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.59 NZ$48.79

$93.7 SBD 756

-70.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$95.3 SBD 768

7.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 NZ$251

$104 SBD 834

37.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 NZ$1,773

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-46.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,327 NZ$4,115

$443 SBD 3,574

424.81%

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 Masterton: October 13, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$288 34.7%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 19.7% $57

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.5%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 4.8% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$147 17.7%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 2.5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$137 16.5%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 296% $406

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.4%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 25.2% $15

Getting Around

Masterton

$19 * 2.3%

Honiara

$34 2% 73.2% $14

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Honiara

$436 25.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 425% higher in Masterton, 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 $65.0 in Masterton versus $62.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Masterton vs $345 in Honiara – so Masterton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

2 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masterton Honiara 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

Masterton vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $832 in Masterton, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 106% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,248 per month in Masterton and $2,577 in Honiara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Masterton and $62.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Masterton, where all-in costs run around $832, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Masterton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Masterton – 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 Masterton. 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.