Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,562 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North and in Gizo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Palmerston North $1,562
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Palmerston North versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Palmerston North $2,537
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,511 in Palmerston North versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Palmerston North $3,511
Gizo $3,938

Living in Palmerston North costs roughly 28% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palmerston North 16% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

$3.01 SBD 24.25

348.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$54.7 SBD 441

16.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$15.57 SBD 126

-43.48%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$2.85 SBD 22.95

9.82%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$1.26 SBD 10.13

87.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

$1.21 SBD 9.79

38.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

$2.47 SBD 19.88

160.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

$2.41 SBD 19.41

170.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-43.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$1.39 SBD 11.19

53.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$1.40 SBD 11.30

-2.14%

Eggs

$4.85 NZ$8.58

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-33.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.34

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-24.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 NZ$16.80

$6.20 SBD 50.0

53.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 NZ$19.06

$8.41 SBD 67.8

28.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.48

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-63.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-64.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-62.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$3.02 SBD 24.32

83.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-54.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NZ$1.53

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-64.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-32.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 NZ$1.33

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-44.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 NZ$39.00

$4.25 SBD 34.29

419.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 NZ$13.99

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

$1.83 SBD 14.77

44.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$2.19 SBD 17.66

26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$0.39 SBD 3.11

907.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

$31.36 SBD 253

162.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$1.25 SBD 10.09

49.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-26.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

$12.52 SBD 101

32.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.75 SBD 14.10

-6.29%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

4.15%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

9.01%

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

$68.2 NZ$121

$750 SBD 6,048

-90.91%

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

$32.09 NZ$56.8

$13.42 SBD 108

139.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$123 SBD 989

-71.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

$18.49 SBD 149

17.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$6.14 SBD 49.54

129.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$4.20 SBD 33.87

176.19%

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

$126 SBD 1,014

722.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

588.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

$25.29 SBD 204

174.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

$94.4 SBD 761

-70.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

$99.8 SBD 804

-16.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

$90.6 SBD 730

-8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

$599 SBD 4,833

51.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

$580 SBD 4,678

10.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

$630 SBD 5,081

151.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

$1,217 SBD 9,809

7.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-97.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

$389 SBD 3,140

540.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

16.33

-66.99%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 9.2% $58

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 24.7% $70

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 43.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Gizo

$886 41% 557% $751

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 18% $21

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 57.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 40.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in Palmerston North and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 541% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Palmerston North vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $353, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

2 h behind Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

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

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Between locations

Palmerston North Gizo 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
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

Palmerston North vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palmerston North wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Palmerston North the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 541% higher in Palmerston North, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $906 in Palmerston North versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Palmerston North – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North 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, Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.