Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queenstown and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Gizo: $2,121 a month against $2,380 in Queenstown, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Queenstown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

Jump to prices

Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,380

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,380 in Queenstown versus $2,121 in Gizo.

Queenstown $2,380
Gizo $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,738 in Queenstown versus $3,041 in Gizo.

Queenstown $3,738
Gizo $3,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,096 in Queenstown versus $3,960 in Gizo.

Queenstown $5,096
Gizo $3,960

Living in Queenstown is roughly 12% more expensive than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Queenstown 78% above, Gizo 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 NZ$25.28

$3.15 SBD 25.40

350.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.4 NZ$109

$56.5 SBD 456

8.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 NZ$16.38

$15.76 SBD 127

-41.69%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.57

$2.76 SBD 22.25

13.41%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.61

$1.26 SBD 10.17

60.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 NZ$3.57

$1.25 SBD 10.10

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 NZ$12.11

$2.55 SBD 20.61

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 NZ$11.16

$2.53 SBD 20.43

147.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$3.29 SBD 26.57

-34.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$1.32 SBD 10.65

46.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$1.40 SBD 11.32

22.14%

Eggs

$5.67 NZ$10.10

$7.24 SBD 58.5

-21.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.10 NZ$14.43

$8.64 SBD 69.8

-6.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 NZ$17.62

$6.33 SBD 51.1

56.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 NZ$28.02

$8.74 SBD 70.6

79.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.11

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-58.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 NZ$4.01

$6.01 SBD 48.50

-62.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 NZ$6.55

$6.33 SBD 51.2

-41.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 NZ$9.38

$3.04 SBD 24.56

73.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 NZ$6.08

$3.03 SBD 24.49

12.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$2.41 SBD 19.50

-23.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 NZ$4.18

$2.43 SBD 19.61

-3.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$1.33 SBD 10.77

42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.36 NZ$48.75

$4.27 SBD 34.49

540.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 NZ$15.85

$12.57 SBD 102

-29.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.91

$1.89 SBD 15.24

134.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 NZ$11.40

$2.19 SBD 17.67

192.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 NZ$2.56

$0.39 SBD 3.12

269.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 NZ$212

$31.04 SBD 251

283.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 NZ$4.61

$1.23 SBD 9.91

110.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$2.45 SBD 19.76

-23.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.12 NZ$51.9

$12.41 SBD 100

134.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$1.77 SBD 14.25

-2.82%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.4K

$20.6K SBD 166.3K

20.98%

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

$23.2K NZ$41.4K

$21.5K SBD 173.4K

8.23%

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

$112 NZ$199

$756 SBD 6,107

-85.21%

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

$28.02 NZ$49.93

$13.69 SBD 111

104.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 NZ$91.8

$125 SBD 1,008

-58.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 NZ$96.8

$18.41 SBD 149

195.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.80 NZ$47.75

$6.05 SBD 48.87

342.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 NZ$18.54

$4.39 SBD 35.43

137.13%

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

$973 NZ$1,734

$121 SBD 981

701.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,592 NZ$13.5K

$1,253 SBD 10.1K

505.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 NZ$104

$24.88 SBD 201

133.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 NZ$80.4

$92.0 SBD 743

-50.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 NZ$161

$100 SBD 809

-9.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 NZ$242

$90.5 SBD 731

50.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 NZ$2,693

$608 SBD 4,908

148.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 NZ$2,263

$594 SBD 4,799

113.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 NZ$5,084

$618 SBD 4,991

361.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 NZ$4,493

$1,234 SBD 9,964

104.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,599 NZ$13.5K

$86.8K SBD 700.6K

-91.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,285 NZ$9,417

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,052 NZ$5,438

$395 SBD 3,192

671.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.12

16.33

-62.52%

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

Last update for Queenstown: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queenstown

$1.3K 52.5%

Gizo

$594 27.2% 53.2% $676

Groceries & Markets

Queenstown

$359 14.8%

Gizo

$354 16.2% 1.4% $4.9

Eating Out

Queenstown

$241 10%

Gizo

$133 6.1% 44.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queenstown

$191 7.9%

Gizo

$895 40.9% 368% $704

Clothing & Footwear

Queenstown

$148 6.1%

Gizo

$138 6.3% 6.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Queenstown

$137 5.7%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 66.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Queenstown

$75 3.1%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 63.8% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,512 in Queenstown and $608 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queenstown pays 672% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Queenstown vs $56.0 in Gizo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $354 per month, with Gizo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

22:20 10:20 PM

2 h behind Queenstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,450

7,177

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Queenstown Gizo 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Queenstown
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

Queenstown vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gizo wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Queenstown. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gizo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 672% higher in Queenstown, 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: $1,512 in Queenstown versus $608 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Queenstown. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gizo – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $61.0 in Queenstown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,121 in Gizo versus $2,380 in Queenstown, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gizo but tight or insufficient in Queenstown. The gap between the two cities makes Gizo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gizo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,121 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gizo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Queenstown 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 Gizo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Queenstown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.