Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palau and the Solomon Islands

Name: Solomon Islands
Address: SB

For one person, living costs are similar in Palau and in the Solomon Islands: $1,976 and $1,908 a month, rent and utilities included.

96

Cost of Living Index in Palau
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Palau Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in the Solomon Islands
Learn more

Solomon Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,976

/mo nomad

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palau 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 Palau and in the Solomon Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,976 in Palau versus $1,908 in the Solomon Islands.

Palau $1,976
Solomon Islands $1,908

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,045 in Palau versus $2,956 in the Solomon Islands.

Palau $3,045
Solomon Islands $2,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,113 in Palau versus $4,005 in the Solomon Islands.

Palau $4,113
Solomon Islands $4,005

Internal cost variation is higher in Palau: monthly costs span $1,821 to $1,821, compared to $1,713–$2,179 in the Solomon Islands. City choice carries more weight in Palau.

Living in Palau is roughly 4% more expensive than in the Solomon Islands on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Palau 46% above, the Solomon Islands 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 $13.36

$6.03 SBD 48.64

121.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$65.0 SBD 524

14.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$12.20 SBD 98.3

-18.36%

Cappuccino

$4.06 $4.06

$3.26 SBD 26.25

24.54%

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

$1.39 $1.39

$1.43 SBD 11.55

-2.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.15 SBD 9.29

-8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.72 SBD 21.97

-43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$4.77 SBD 38.46

-54.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.83 SBD 22.81

-5.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.53 SBD 12.34

101.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.62 SBD 13.02

-85.19%

Eggs

$6.48 $6.48

$5.62 SBD 45.29

15.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 $9.98

$7.00 SBD 56.5

42.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$7.84 SBD 63.2

76.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$14.39 SBD 116

33.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$6.57 SBD 53.0

-20.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.68 SBD 21.60

-16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$7.87 SBD 63.5

-29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$16.48 $16.48

$3.67 SBD 29.55

349.05%

Potato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.19 SBD 17.65

114.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.26 SBD 26.32

3.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.64 SBD 13.19

23.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.20 SBD 9.67

43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.20 $15.20

$4.24 SBD 34.16

258.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.80 $22.80

$12.45 SBD 100

83.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.79 SBD 14.42

90.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.36 SBD 27.05

1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 SBD 2.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.35 SBD 253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.27 SBD 10.28

91.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.77

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$12.32 SBD 99.3

-50.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.37 SBD 11.04

38.69%

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

$17.2K $17.2K

$19.8K SBD 159.4K

-13.15%

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

$15.0K $15.0K

$28.1K SBD 226.9K

-46.75%

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

$170 $170

$540 SBD 4,353

-68.59%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$23.55 SBD 190

119.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$199 $199

$99.8 SBD 805

99.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 $81.3

$27.42 SBD 221

196.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.84 SBD 71.3

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 SBD 34.74

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

$250 $250

$126 SBD 1,018

98.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,349 SBD 18.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 $85.4

$26.89 SBD 217

217.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 $66.0

$94.3 SBD 761

-30.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$191 $191

$96.4 SBD 777

98.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 $196

$100 SBD 809

95.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 $719

$597 SBD 4,816

20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 $519

$519 SBD 4,182

-0.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,608 SBD 13.0K

31.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 $968

$1,379 SBD 11.1K

-29.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 698.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$61.7K SBD 497.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$774 $774

$471 SBD 3,800

64.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.78

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

Last update for Palau: 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

Palau

$519 26.3%

Solomon Islands

$519 27.2% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Palau

$504 25.5%

Solomon Islands

$349 18.3% 30.8% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palau

$420 21.3%

Solomon Islands

$663 34.8% 58% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Palau

$242 12.3%

Solomon Islands

$143 7.5% 40.9% $99

Eating Out

Palau

$207 10.5%

Solomon Islands

$157 8.3% 24% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Palau

$81 * 4.1%

Solomon Islands

$36 1.9% 55.7% $45

Getting Around

Palau

$2.4 * 0.1%

Solomon Islands

$40 2.1% 1551% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $793 in Palau, $409 in the Solomon Islands. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 28% more in Palau.

Salaries are 94% higher in Palau, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Palau.

Good to know

🇵🇼 Palau

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

12:07 12:07 PM

2 h ahead of Palau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,729

611,343

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

SBD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palau Solomon Islands 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Palau
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

Palau vs Solomon Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,976 per month in Palau and $1,908 in the Solomon Islands, there's a 4% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, the Solomon Islands is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In the Solomon Islands, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Palau it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: the Solomon Islands wins on affordability; Palau may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.