Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and the Solomon Islands

Name: Solomon Islands
Address: SB

For one person, living is cheaper in the Solomon Islands: $1,908 a month against $2,061 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in the Solomon Islands
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Solomon Islands Living Index

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🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,061

/mo nomad

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Zealand and in the Solomon Islands

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

A single person spends $2,061 per month in New Zealand vs $1,908 in the Solomon Islands, rent included.

New Zealand $2,061
Solomon Islands $1,908

A couple spends around $3,035 per month in New Zealand vs $2,956 in the Solomon Islands, rent included.

New Zealand $3,035
Solomon Islands $2,956

A family of three spends $4,009 per month in New Zealand vs $4,005 in the Solomon Islands, rent included.

New Zealand $4,009
Solomon Islands $4,005

The regional cost range is wider in New Zealand ($844–$2,493) than in the Solomon Islands ($1,713–$2,179), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in New Zealand is about 8% higher than in the Solomon Islands on average.

Both New Zealand and the Solomon Islands are pricier than the global median – New Zealand by 52%, the Solomon Islands by 41%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.67

$6.03 SBD 48.64

131.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 NZ$121

$65.0 SBD 524

5.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 NZ$16.45

$12.20 SBD 98.3

-23.77%

Cappuccino

$3.39 NZ$6.00

$3.26 SBD 26.25

3.99%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.43 SBD 11.55

54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.15 SBD 9.29

64.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 NZ$11.78

$2.72 SBD 21.97

144.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.77

$4.77 SBD 38.46

39.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.13

$2.83 SBD 22.81

-37.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.53 SBD 12.34

16.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$1.62 SBD 13.02

10.49%

Eggs

$6.15 NZ$10.88

$5.62 SBD 45.29

9.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 NZ$14.92

$7.00 SBD 56.5

20.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 NZ$16.25

$7.84 SBD 63.2

17.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 NZ$25.39

$14.39 SBD 116

-0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$6.57 SBD 53.0

-56.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.68

$2.68 SBD 21.60

-22.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 NZ$5.09

$7.87 SBD 63.5

-63.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 NZ$8.98

$3.67 SBD 29.55

38.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.49

$2.19 SBD 17.65

-9.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.66

$3.26 SBD 26.32

-53.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NZ$3.75

$1.64 SBD 13.19

29.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.20 SBD 9.67

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.16 NZ$42.72

$4.24 SBD 34.16

469.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 NZ$15.85

$12.45 SBD 100

-28.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$1.79 SBD 14.42

74.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 NZ$5.69

$3.36 SBD 27.05

-4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$0.36 SBD 2.90

438.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 NZ$182

$31.35 SBD 253

228.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 NZ$4.11

$1.27 SBD 10.28

82.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.21 SBD 9.77

59.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.39 NZ$57.3

$12.32 SBD 99.3

162.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$1.37 SBD 11.04

24.82%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.3K

$19.8K SBD 159.4K

43.92%

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

$23.2K NZ$41.1K

$28.1K SBD 226.9K

-17.50%

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

$153 NZ$271

$540 SBD 4,353

-71.62%

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

$32.13 NZ$56.8

$23.55 SBD 190

36.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 NZ$88.2

$99.8 SBD 805

-50.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 NZ$62.5

$27.42 SBD 221

28.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 NZ$26.30

$8.84 SBD 71.3

68.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 NZ$19.75

$4.31 SBD 34.74

159.16%

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

$886 NZ$1,568

$126 SBD 1,018

601.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NZ$29.0K

$2,349 SBD 18.9K

598.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 NZ$124

$26.89 SBD 217

159.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.70 NZ$63.1

$94.3 SBD 761

-62.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$96.4 SBD 777

-4.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 NZ$208

$100 SBD 809

17.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 NZ$1,903

$597 SBD 4,816

80.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 NZ$1,670

$519 SBD 4,182

82.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 NZ$3,077

$1,608 SBD 13.0K

8.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 NZ$2,625

$1,379 SBD 11.1K

7.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,609 NZ$9,920

$86.7K SBD 698.7K

-93.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,704 NZ$6,550

$61.7K SBD 497.6K

-94.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 NZ$5,024

$471 SBD 3,800

502.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

17.78

-64.74%

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Solomon Islands: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Zealand

$944 45.8%

Solomon Islands

$519 27.2% 45.1% $426

Groceries & Markets

New Zealand

$316 15.3%

Solomon Islands

$349 18.3% 10.6% $33

Eating Out

New Zealand

$243 11.8%

Solomon Islands

$157 8.3% 35.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Zealand

$235 11.4%

Solomon Islands

$663 34.8% 182% $428

Clothing & Footwear

New Zealand

$142 6.9%

Solomon Islands

$143 7.5% 0.8% $1.1

Getting Around

New Zealand

$123 6%

Solomon Islands

$40 2.1% 67.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

New Zealand

$58 2.8%

Solomon Islands

$36 1.9% 37.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $946 in New Zealand vs $739 in the Solomon Islands. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,217 in Wellington and $872 in Honiara.

Average salary: $2,900 in New Zealand vs $409 in the Solomon Islands. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 28% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 14% more in New Zealand.

Public transport is 150% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are 609% higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

2 h behind New Zealand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,118,700

611,343

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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

New Zealand Solomon Islands 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New Zealand
Solomon Islands

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

New Zealand vs Solomon Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Solomon Islands is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 8% lower on average.

Housing costs more in New Zealand: a central one-bedroom averages $946 versus $739 in the Solomon Islands.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Solomon Islands, but in New Zealand it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The Solomon Islands is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.