Cost of Living Comparison Between Palau and Solomon Islands Cost of Living Comparison Between Palau and Solomon Islands

Name: Solomon Islands
Address: SB

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,705 in Palau versus $2,092 in Solomon Islands.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Palau versus $2,853 in Solomon Islands.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,645 in Palau versus $3,614 in Solomon Islands.

Living in Palau costs about 18% less than in Solomon Islands on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Palau 28% above, Solomon Islands 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 $12.15

$4.61 SBD 37.19

163.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$53.3 SBD 431

41.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 $10.02

$11.83 SBD 95.6

-15.30%

Cappuccino

$3.97 $3.97

$3.14 SBD 25.38

26.43%

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

$1.40 $1.40

$1.54 SBD 12.45

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.23 SBD 9.97

-14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.38 SBD 19.18

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$3.38 SBD 27.32

-36.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.74 SBD 22.15

7.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.46 SBD 11.75

108.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.50 SBD 12.14

-84.00%

Eggs

$6.10 $6.10

$5.61 SBD 45.34

8.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.78 SBD 46.67

74.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 $13.67

$8.20 SBD 66.2

66.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 $18.96

$14.15 SBD 114

33.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$8.26 SBD 66.7

-37.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.77 SBD 22.40

-22.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$7.21 SBD 58.2

-23.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$16.57 $16.57

$3.26 SBD 26.36

408.28%

Potato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.26 SBD 18.27

104.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.14 SBD 25.33

8.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.47 SBD 11.88

39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.13 SBD 9.12

51.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.06 $11.06

$3.95 SBD 31.93

180.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.74 $22.74

$12.41 SBD 100

83.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.80 SBD 14.57

93.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.90 SBD 23.45

13.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 SBD 2.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.36 SBD 245

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.21 SBD 9.77

108.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 SBD 9.39

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.95 $5.95

$11.87 SBD 95.8

-49.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.41 SBD 11.42

29.08%

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

$17.4K $17.4K

$19.7K SBD 159.4K

-11.82%

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

$14.7K $14.7K

$20.8K SBD 168.1K

-29.36%

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

$173 $173

$717 SBD 5,793

-75.94%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$23.45 SBD 189

123.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$130 $130

$97.8 SBD 790

32.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 $55.5

$18.32 SBD 148

202.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.04 SBD 48.80

Cinema Ticket

$4.15 SBD 33.47

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

$199 $199

$120 SBD 968

65.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,939 $1,939

$2,212 SBD 17.9K

-12.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 $62.5

$24.81 SBD 200

151.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 $53.2

$88.2 SBD 712

-39.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 $149

$95.2 SBD 769

56.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 $192

$88.9 SBD 718

116.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 $740

$516 SBD 4,167

43.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 $560

$478 SBD 3,857

17.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 $1,773

$1,143 SBD 9,229

55.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 $973

$921 SBD 7,439

5.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$87.7K SBD 708.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$60.7K SBD 490.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$796 $796

$455 SBD 3,674

74.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

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

Last update for Palau: July 20, 2026

Last update for Solomon Islands: July 21, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $792 in Palau, $550 in Solomon Islands. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 32% higher in Palau.

Dining out costs 43% more in Palau.

Salaries are 44% higher in Palau, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Palau.

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 $1,705 per month in Palau and $2,092 in Solomon Islands, there's a 23% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Palau: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Solomon Islands is consistently higher than in Palau across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Palau, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Solomon Islands 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: Palau wins on affordability; Solomon Islands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.