Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Napier and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $2,192 in Napier, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Napier
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Napier Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Napier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,192

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,192 per month in Napier vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Napier $2,192
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Napier vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Napier $3,179
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $4,165 per month in Napier vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Napier $4,165
Honiara $3,948

Napier costs about 28% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Napier and Honiara sit above the global median – Napier by 62%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.79 NZ$33.22

$6.94 SBD 56.0

170.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.3 NZ$163

$62.3 SBD 502

48.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 NZ$16.72

$12.56 SBD 101

-24.68%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-5.44%

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

$2.19 NZ$3.88

$1.58 SBD 12.75

38.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$1.10 SBD 8.90

109.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 NZ$11.57

$2.55 SBD 20.59

156.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 NZ$10.10

$5.70 SBD 45.93

0.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.83

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-35.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 NZ$2.58

$1.54 SBD 12.42

-5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.58

$1.65 SBD 13.29

-11.52%

Eggs

$5.85 NZ$10.35

$5.51 SBD 44.40

6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 NZ$13.05

$6.43 SBD 51.8

14.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.40 NZ$14.85

$8.58 SBD 69.2

-2.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.47 NZ$22.04

$15.40 SBD 124

-19.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 NZ$3.96

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-64.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 NZ$2.83

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-38.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.44

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-63.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 NZ$5.06

$3.66 SBD 29.48

-21.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$1.94 SBD 15.60

-10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 NZ$4.48

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.45 SBD 11.72

31.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.16

$1.07 SBD 8.62

14.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.90 NZ$35.20

$4.18 SBD 33.67

376.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 NZ$14.47

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-23.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NZ$4.43

$1.78 SBD 14.36

40.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 NZ$4.29

$3.35 SBD 26.98

-27.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 NZ$3.05

$0.38 SBD 3.09

355.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 NZ$146

$24.88 SBD 201

231.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 NZ$3.99

$1.20 SBD 9.70

87.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$1.21 SBD 9.79

54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.98 NZ$54.8

$12.41 SBD 100

149.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 NZ$2.77

$1.30 SBD 10.50

20.77%

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

$25.3K NZ$44.8K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

34.65%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.6K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-32.19%

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

$186 NZ$328

$427 SBD 3,440

-56.47%

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

$34.40 NZ$60.8

$27.52 SBD 222

25.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.56 NZ$85.9

$88.8 SBD 716

-45.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.97 NZ$58.3

$37.21 SBD 300

-11.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.51 NZ$18.58

$9.24 SBD 74.5

13.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.31 NZ$14.70

$4.25 SBD 34.29

95.53%

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

$660 NZ$1,167

$98.2 SBD 792

571.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NZ$29.3K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

473.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 NZ$188

$27.02 SBD 218

293.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 NZ$94.1

$93.7 SBD 756

-43.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 NZ$183

$95.3 SBD 768

8.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 NZ$210

$104 SBD 834

14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 NZ$2,143

$901 SBD 7,263

34.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 NZ$1,849

$436 SBD 3,518

139.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 NZ$2,928

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-11.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 NZ$2,640

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

4.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,715 NZ$8,339

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-94.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,238 NZ$5,726

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-94.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,953 NZ$5,223

$443 SBD 3,574

566.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

15.67

-58.26%

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

Last update for Napier: October 11, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Napier

$1K 47.7%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 58.3% $609

Eating Out

Napier

$280 12.8%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 39.3% $110

Groceries & Markets

Napier

$275 12.6%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 25.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Napier

$269 12.3%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 102% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Napier

$172 7.8%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 16.4% $28

Getting Around

Napier

$101 4.6%

Honiara

$34 2% 66.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Napier

$50 2.3%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 7.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,212 in Napier 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 566% higher in Napier, 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 $92.0 in Napier versus $62.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Napier vs $345 in Honiara – so Napier wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Napier

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

03:35 3:35 AM

2 h behind Napier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

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

Napier Honiara 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Napier
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

Napier vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,192 in Napier, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,288 per month in Napier 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 25% cheaper in Napier – 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 $92.0 in Napier 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 Napier at $2,192. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Napier 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, Napier makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.