Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papamoa Beach and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $2,053 in Papamoa Beach, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Papamoa Beach
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Papamoa Beach Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Papamoa Beach

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,053

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,053 per month in Papamoa Beach vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Papamoa Beach $2,053
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $3,092 per month in Papamoa Beach vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Papamoa Beach $3,092
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $4,131 per month in Papamoa Beach vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Papamoa Beach $4,131
Honiara $3,948

Papamoa Beach costs about 20% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Papamoa Beach and Honiara sit above the global median – Papamoa Beach by 52%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.90 NZ$24.59

$6.94 SBD 56.0

100.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 NZ$119

$62.3 SBD 502

8.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 NZ$15.48

$12.56 SBD 101

-30.33%

Cappuccino

$3.43 NZ$6.06

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-1.72%

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

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.58 SBD 12.75

22.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$1.10 SBD 8.90

55.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.81

$2.55 SBD 20.59

161.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 NZ$12.06

$5.70 SBD 45.93

19.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-24.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 NZ$3.98

$1.54 SBD 12.42

46.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.34

$1.65 SBD 13.29

14.55%

Eggs

$6.38 NZ$11.29

$5.51 SBD 44.40

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$6.43 SBD 51.8

36.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 NZ$17.66

$8.58 SBD 69.2

16.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 NZ$30.39

$15.40 SBD 124

11.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-55.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.74

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-18.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 NZ$5.24

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-64.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.69 NZ$10.06

$3.66 SBD 29.48

55.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.80

$1.94 SBD 15.60

10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 NZ$2.70

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-55.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.45 SBD 11.72

39.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.92

$1.07 SBD 8.62

1.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.81 NZ$47.41

$4.18 SBD 33.67

541.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 NZ$18.34

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-3.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$1.78 SBD 14.36

55.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$6.00

$3.35 SBD 26.98

1.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 NZ$3.05

$0.38 SBD 3.09

352.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.8 NZ$162

$24.88 SBD 201

268.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.05

$1.20 SBD 9.70

90.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$1.21 SBD 9.79

66.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.49 NZ$55.7

$12.41 SBD 100

153.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.30 SBD 10.50

40.00%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

31.94%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.3K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-37.68%

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

$178 NZ$314

$427 SBD 3,440

-58.37%

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

$26.63 NZ$47.10

$27.52 SBD 222

-3.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.80 NZ$88.1

$88.8 SBD 716

-43.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.99 NZ$65.4

$37.21 SBD 300

-0.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 NZ$22.83

$4.25 SBD 34.29

203.76%

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

$1,104 NZ$1,952

$98.2 SBD 792

1023.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K NZ$33.7K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

558.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 NZ$142

$27.02 SBD 218

196.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.21 NZ$71.1

$93.7 SBD 756

-57.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 NZ$166

$95.3 SBD 768

-1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 NZ$193

$104 SBD 834

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 NZ$1,498

$901 SBD 7,263

-5.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 NZ$1,588

$436 SBD 3,518

105.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 NZ$2,786

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-15.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,562 NZ$2,762

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

9.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,690 NZ$8,294

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-94.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 NZ$6,490

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-94.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

15.67

-65.73%

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

Last update for Papamoa Beach: October 13, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papamoa Beach

$898 43.7%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 51.4% $462

Groceries & Markets

Papamoa Beach

$341 16.6%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 1.1% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papamoa Beach

$254 12.4%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 114% $289

Eating Out

Papamoa Beach

$240 11.7%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 29.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Papamoa Beach

$146 7.1%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 1.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Papamoa Beach

$111 5.4%

Honiara

$34 2% 69.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Papamoa Beach

$63 3.1%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 27.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $847 in Papamoa Beach 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Papamoa Beach versus $62.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $341 in Papamoa Beach vs $345 in Honiara – so Papamoa Beach wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Papamoa Beach

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

02:13 2:13 AM

2 h behind Papamoa Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,272

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 19, 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 19, 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

Papamoa Beach Honiara 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Papamoa Beach
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

Papamoa Beach vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,053 in Papamoa Beach, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,080 per month in Papamoa Beach 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 1% cheaper in Papamoa Beach – 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 $67.0 in Papamoa Beach 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 Papamoa Beach at $2,053. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Papamoa Beach 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, Papamoa Beach makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.