Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotorua and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Rotorua: $1,431 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Rotorua
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Rotorua Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Rotorua

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,431

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,431 per month in Rotorua vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Rotorua $1,431
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $2,308 per month in Rotorua vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Rotorua $2,308
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,184 per month in Rotorua vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Rotorua $3,184
Honiara $3,948

Rotorua is about 17% cheaper than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rotorua and Honiara sit above the global median – Rotorua by 6%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 NZ$19.70

$6.94 SBD 56.0

60.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 NZ$120

$62.3 SBD 502

8.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 NZ$15.48

$12.56 SBD 101

-30.33%

Cappuccino

$3.15 NZ$5.56

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-9.74%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$1.58 SBD 12.75

23.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$1.10 SBD 8.90

57.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 NZ$10.66

$2.55 SBD 20.59

136.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.75

$5.70 SBD 45.93

16.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-29.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$1.54 SBD 12.42

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 NZ$2.15

$1.65 SBD 13.29

-26.67%

Eggs

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$5.51 SBD 44.40

13.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 NZ$12.54

$6.43 SBD 51.8

10.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 NZ$7.69

$8.58 SBD 69.2

-49.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 NZ$30.20

$15.40 SBD 124

10.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-56.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NZ$3.39

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-25.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 NZ$4.32

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-71.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NZ$10.51

$3.66 SBD 29.48

62.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.53

$1.94 SBD 15.60

-26.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 NZ$1.43

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-76.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 NZ$1.03

$1.45 SBD 11.72

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$1.07 SBD 8.62

-3.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.83 NZ$42.15

$4.18 SBD 33.67

470.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 NZ$14.51

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-23.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 NZ$4.81

$1.78 SBD 14.36

52.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 NZ$5.72

$3.35 SBD 26.98

-3.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 NZ$2.30

$0.38 SBD 3.09

242.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 NZ$102

$24.88 SBD 201

131.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$1.20 SBD 9.70

81.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$1.21 SBD 9.79

57.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.71 NZ$56.1

$12.41 SBD 100

155.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.30 SBD 10.50

26.15%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

19.20%

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

$20.1K NZ$35.6K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-41.96%

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

$64.5 NZ$114

$427 SBD 3,440

-84.88%

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

$25.75 NZ$45.54

$27.52 SBD 222

-6.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.09 NZ$79.8

$88.8 SBD 716

-49.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.11 NZ$67.4

$37.21 SBD 300

2.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 NZ$15.58

$4.25 SBD 34.29

107.29%

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

$663 NZ$1,172

$98.2 SBD 792

574.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K NZ$34.2K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

569.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 NZ$136

$27.02 SBD 218

184.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 NZ$29.59

$93.7 SBD 756

-82.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 NZ$160

$95.3 SBD 768

-4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 NZ$194

$104 SBD 834

6.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 NZ$1,209

$901 SBD 7,263

-24.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 NZ$966

$436 SBD 3,518

25.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 NZ$2,233

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-32.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 NZ$1,870

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

-25.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,013 NZ$7,097

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-95.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,252 NZ$5,750

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-94.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,673 NZ$6,495

$443 SBD 3,574

728.36%

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 Rotorua: October 12, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotorua

$546 38.1%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 20.1% $110

Groceries & Markets

Rotorua

$276 19.3%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 24.9% $69

Eating Out

Rotorua

$211 14.8%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 19.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotorua

$135 9.5%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 301% $408

Clothing & Footwear

Rotorua

$132 9.2%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 8.7% $11

Getting Around

Rotorua

$75 5.2%

Honiara

$34 2% 54.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Rotorua

$56 3.9%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 18% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $683 in Rotorua 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.

Salaries run about 728% higher in Rotorua, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Rotorua versus $62.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Rotorua vs $345 in Honiara – so Rotorua wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rotorua

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

10:21 10:21 AM

2 h behind Rotorua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

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 18, 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 18, 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

Rotorua Honiara 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rotorua
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

Rotorua vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,431 in Rotorua, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,147 per month in Rotorua 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 Rotorua, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Honiara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Rotorua and $62.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rotorua, where all-in costs run around $1,431, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Rotorua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rotorua – 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 Rotorua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Honiara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.