Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mata Utu and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $5,241 in Mata Utu, rent and utilities included – about $42,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Mata Utu

🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna

$5,241

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,241 per month in Mata Utu vs $1,742 in Honiara, rent included.

Mata Utu $5,241
Honiara $1,742

A couple spends around $6,656 per month in Mata Utu vs $2,873 in Honiara, rent included.

Mata Utu $6,656
Honiara $2,873

A family of three spends $8,071 per month in Mata Utu vs $4,004 in Honiara, rent included.

Mata Utu $8,071
Honiara $4,004

Mata Utu costs about 201% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Mata Utu and Honiara sit above the global median – Mata Utu by 291%, Honiara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 CFPF 1,176

$6.66 SBD 53.8

66.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CFPF 11.8K

$62.8 SBD 507

76.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 SBD 101

Cappuccino

$7.68 CFPF 817

$3.48 SBD 28.15

120.69%

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

$5.73 CFPF 610

$1.60 SBD 12.90

258.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CFPF 350

$1.05 SBD 8.49

213.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CFPF 590

$5.70 SBD 46.05

-2.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 SBD 20.76

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 SBD 12.00

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 SBD 13.29

Eggs

$5.48 SBD 44.29

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 51.7

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 SBD 21.84

Oranges (1kg)

$8.70 SBD 70.3

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.63

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 SBD 16.10

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 SBD 28.03

Lettuce (1 head)

$11.17 CFPF 1,189

$1.40 SBD 11.31

697.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.43 CFPF 471

$1.03 SBD 8.36

330.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.77 CFPF 1,784

$4.26 SBD 34.40

293.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.69 CFPF 1,776

$10.37 SBD 83.7

60.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 SBD 13.67

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 SBD 28.02

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.12

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.14 SBD 203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 SBD 9.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.60 SBD 102

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 CFPF 194

$1.35 SBD 10.92

35.56%

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

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

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

$34.1K SBD 275.9K

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

$145 CFPF 15.4K

$429 SBD 3,466

-66.27%

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

$112 CFPF 12.0K

$27.02 SBD 218

316.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3,335 CFPF 354.8K

$89.0 SBD 719

3646.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 SBD 297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.94 SBD 72.2

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 SBD 35.66

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

$100 SBD 811

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$220 CFPF 23.4K

$27.71 SBD 224

695.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$91.5 CFPF 9,736

$93.5 SBD 755

-2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$228 CFPF 24.3K

$95.9 SBD 774

137.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$283 CFPF 30.1K

$103 SBD 830

175.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 CFPF 95.5K

$870 SBD 7,027

3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 CFPF 97.1K

$434 SBD 3,508

110.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 CFPF 238.1K

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,282 CFPF 242.8K

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

63.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.4K SBD 698.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.1K SBD 501.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,338 CFPF 355.2K

$444 SBD 3,585

652.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

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

Last update for Mata Utu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mata Utu

–

Honiara

$545 31.8%

Accommodation & Living

Mata Utu

–

Honiara

$434 25.3%

Groceries & Markets

Mata Utu

–

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Eating Out

Mata Utu

–

Honiara

$167 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Mata Utu

–

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Mata Utu

–

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Getting Around

Mata Utu

–

Honiara

$34 2%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $898 in Mata Utu versus $870 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 652% higher in Mata Utu, 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 $111 in Mata Utu versus $63.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $131 in Mata Utu vs $345 in Honiara – so Mata Utu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇼🇫 Mata Utu

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

12:54 12:54 PM

1 h behind Mata Utu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,200 Capital

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

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).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mata Utu Honiara 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mata Utu
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

Mata Utu vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $5,241 in Mata Utu, $1,742 in Honiara – roughly 201% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,862 per month in Mata Utu and $2,614 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $111 in Mata Utu and $63.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $5,241 in Mata Utu and $1,742 in Honiara. That's a gap of about 201%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,742, than in Mata Utu at $5,241. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mata Utu 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, Mata Utu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.