Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Honiara

For one person, living costs are similar in Oamaru and in Honiara: $1,769 and $1,718 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
Learn more

Honiara Living Index

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Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,769

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,769 per month in Oamaru vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Oamaru $1,769
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $2,802 per month in Oamaru vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Oamaru $2,802
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,834 per month in Oamaru vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Oamaru $3,834
Honiara $3,948

Oamaru costs about 3% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Oamaru and Honiara sit above the global median – Oamaru by 31%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 NZ$24.53

$6.94 SBD 56.0

99.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 NZ$120

$62.3 SBD 502

8.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 NZ$16.23

$12.56 SBD 101

-26.91%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-5.44%

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

$2.33 NZ$4.12

$1.58 SBD 12.75

47.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.10 SBD 8.90

61.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 NZ$11.63

$2.55 SBD 20.59

158.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 NZ$12.22

$5.70 SBD 45.93

21.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.94

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-32.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 NZ$2.27

$1.54 SBD 12.42

-16.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$1.65 SBD 13.29

-9.09%

Eggs

$5.48 NZ$9.70

$5.51 SBD 44.40

-0.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 NZ$12.83

$6.43 SBD 51.8

12.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 NZ$15.69

$8.58 SBD 69.2

3.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 NZ$24.04

$15.40 SBD 124

-11.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-62.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NZ$4.76

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-68.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.25

$3.66 SBD 29.48

-18.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$1.94 SBD 15.60

-22.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 NZ$2.35

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-61.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.45 SBD 11.72

42.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 NZ$1.24

$1.07 SBD 8.62

-34.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.24 NZ$42.87

$4.18 SBD 33.67

479.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 NZ$9.63

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-49.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 NZ$5.96

$1.78 SBD 14.36

89.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 NZ$7.60

$3.35 SBD 26.98

28.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 NZ$2.64

$0.38 SBD 3.09

292.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NZ$157

$24.88 SBD 201

257.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 NZ$4.52

$1.20 SBD 9.70

112.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.21 SBD 9.79

40.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.87 NZ$49.29

$12.41 SBD 100

124.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.79

$1.30 SBD 10.50

21.54%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

34.11%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.2K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-31.24%

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

$158 NZ$279

$427 SBD 3,440

-63.00%

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

$19.36 NZ$34.24

$27.52 SBD 222

-29.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.43 NZ$80.3

$88.8 SBD 716

-48.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.08 NZ$69.1

$37.21 SBD 300

5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 NZ$17.65

$4.25 SBD 34.29

134.82%

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

$668 NZ$1,181

$98.2 SBD 792

579.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

650.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 NZ$99.7

$27.02 SBD 218

108.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.83 NZ$29.77

$93.7 SBD 756

-82.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.83 NZ$79.3

$95.3 SBD 768

-52.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.3 NZ$88.9

$104 SBD 834

-51.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 NZ$1,720

$901 SBD 7,263

7.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 NZ$1,398

$436 SBD 3,518

81.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,725 NZ$3,051

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-7.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 NZ$2,884

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

14.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 NZ$8,403

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-94.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,236 NZ$5,724

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-94.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,926 NZ$3,405

$443 SBD 3,574

334.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

15.67

-62.28%

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

Last update for Oamaru: 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

Oamaru

$790 44.7%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 44.8% $354

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$274 15.5%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 25.9% $71

Eating Out

Oamaru

$241 13.6%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 29.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$223 12.6%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 144% $320

Getting Around

Oamaru

$106 6%

Honiara

$34 2% 68.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$76 4.3%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 89.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 22.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $973 in Oamaru 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 334% higher in Oamaru, 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 $68.0 in Oamaru versus $62.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Oamaru vs $345 in Honiara – so Oamaru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

2 h behind Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Oamaru Honiara 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
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

Oamaru vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,769 in Oamaru, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,654 per month in Oamaru 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 26% cheaper in Oamaru – 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 $68.0 in Oamaru 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 Oamaru at $1,769. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oamaru 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, Oamaru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.