Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paihia and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Paihia: $1,878 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
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Paihia Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

Jump to prices

Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,878

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paihia and in Gizo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,878 in Paihia versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Paihia $1,878
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Paihia versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Paihia $2,919
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,960 in Paihia versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Paihia $3,960
Gizo $3,938

Living in Paihia costs roughly 13% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paihia 39% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.79 NZ$24.39

$3.01 SBD 24.25

358.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.24 NZ$58.8

$54.7 SBD 441

-39.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 NZ$14.77

$15.57 SBD 126

-46.37%

Cappuccino

$3.31 NZ$5.86

$2.85 SBD 22.95

16.14%

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

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.26 SBD 10.13

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 NZ$3.18

$1.21 SBD 9.79

48.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.81

$2.47 SBD 19.88

170.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 NZ$11.72

$2.41 SBD 19.41

175.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-43.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 NZ$3.96

$1.39 SBD 11.19

61.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.34

$1.40 SBD 11.30

35.00%

Eggs

$6.39 NZ$11.29

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-11.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 NZ$14.89

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-0.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.13

$6.20 SBD 50.0

56.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 NZ$30.63

$8.41 SBD 67.8

105.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.00

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-58.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.74

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-66.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NZ$5.33

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-50.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 NZ$10.05

$3.02 SBD 24.32

88.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.67

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-32.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.70

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-36.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NZ$3.52

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-21.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.83

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.24 NZ$48.17

$4.25 SBD 34.29

540.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 NZ$18.37

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-15.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$1.83 SBD 14.77

49.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$2.19 SBD 17.66

50.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 NZ$2.82

$0.39 SBD 3.11

310.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.1 NZ$145

$31.36 SBD 253

161.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 NZ$3.01

$1.25 SBD 10.09

36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-17.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.30 NZ$55.4

$12.52 SBD 101

150.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$1.75 SBD 14.10

6.86%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

23.40%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

1.94%

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

$184 NZ$325

$750 SBD 6,048

-75.54%

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

$26.10 NZ$46.16

$13.42 SBD 108

94.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 NZ$89.4

$123 SBD 989

-58.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.25 NZ$58.8

$18.49 SBD 149

79.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$12.74 NZ$22.53

$4.20 SBD 33.87

203.33%

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

$1,097 NZ$1,939

$126 SBD 1,014

772.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.3K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

1460.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.9 NZ$138

$25.29 SBD 204

208.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 NZ$69.5

$94.4 SBD 761

-58.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$161

$99.8 SBD 804

-8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 NZ$192

$90.6 SBD 730

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 NZ$1,660

$599 SBD 4,833

56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 NZ$1,311

$580 SBD 4,678

27.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 NZ$3,187

$630 SBD 5,081

185.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 NZ$2,843

$1,217 SBD 9,809

32.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 NZ$7,359

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-95.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,605 NZ$6,376

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

16.33

-67.12%

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

Last update for Paihia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paihia

$742 39.5%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 21.8% $161

Groceries & Markets

Paihia

$338 18%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 4.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paihia

$260 13.9%

Gizo

$886 41% 241% $626

Eating Out

Paihia

$237 12.6%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 44.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Paihia

$143 7.6%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 2.1% $3

Getting Around

Paihia

$100 5.3%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 53.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Paihia

$59 3.1%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 54.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $939 in Paihia and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33.00 in Paihia vs $55.0 in Gizo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $353 per month, with Paihia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Paihia

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

2 h behind Paihia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

7,177

💱 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

Paihia Gizo 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Paihia
Gizo

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

Paihia vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paihia wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Paihia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,816 in Paihia and $3,246 in Gizo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $939 in Paihia versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Paihia – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,878 in Paihia versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Paihia but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Paihia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Paihia and Gizo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Paihia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.