Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Solomon Islands and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in the Solomon Islands
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Solomon Islands Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,909

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Solomon Islands and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the Solomon Islands and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,909 in the Solomon Islands versus $791 in China.

Solomon Islands $1,909
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in the Solomon Islands versus $1,251 in China.

Solomon Islands $2,946
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,983 in the Solomon Islands versus $1,711 in China.

Solomon Islands $3,983
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,719–$2,169 in the Solomon Islands. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in the Solomon Islands is roughly 141% more expensive than in China on average.

The Solomon Islands (40% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.22 SBD 50.1

$2.98 ¥19.76

108.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 SBD 516

$22.09 ¥147

189.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.38 SBD 99.7

$5.20 ¥34.51

138.08%

Cappuccino

$3.26 SBD 26.28

$2.97 ¥19.68

9.76%

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

$1.46 SBD 11.78

$0.48 ¥3.18

204.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 SBD 9.09

$0.30 ¥2.00

276.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 SBD 22.16

$1.08 ¥7.16

154.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 SBD 37.98

$2.28 ¥15.11

106.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.71 SBD 21.85

$1.80 ¥11.93

50.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 SBD 12.34

$1.68 ¥11.12

-8.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 SBD 12.48

$0.92 ¥6.12

68.48%

Eggs

$5.81 SBD 46.84

$1.61 ¥10.70

260.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 SBD 58.5

$13.38 ¥88.8

-45.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.21 SBD 66.2

$3.35 ¥22.22

145.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 SBD 117

$11.35 ¥75.3

27.75%

Apples (1kg)

$6.59 SBD 53.1

$1.82 ¥12.09

262.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SBD 21.52

$1.31 ¥8.67

103.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 SBD 66.9

$1.49 ¥9.86

457.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 SBD 29.29

$1.27 ¥8.45

186.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 SBD 17.05

$0.71 ¥4.72

198.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 SBD 27.36

$0.93 ¥6.20

265.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 SBD 13.03

$0.62 ¥4.11

161.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 SBD 9.59

$0.56 ¥3.73

112.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 SBD 34.53

$3.78 ¥25.08

13.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.23 SBD 98.5

$12.13 ¥80.5

0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 SBD 14.56

$0.83 ¥5.52

118.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 SBD 26.11

$1.68 ¥11.18

92.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 SBD 2.88

$0.29 ¥1.91

24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.41 SBD 253

$17.83 ¥118

76.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 SBD 10.07

$1.49 ¥9.87

-16.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 SBD 10.23

$0.37 ¥2.49

243.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.47 SBD 100

$7.10 ¥47.11

75.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 SBD 11.28

$1.26 ¥8.35

11.11%

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

$19.6K SBD 158.2K

$19.4K ¥129.1K

0.97%

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

$28.3K SBD 228.3K

$17.5K ¥116.4K

61.59%

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

$527 SBD 4,244

$54.6 ¥362

865.60%

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

$23.75 SBD 191

$8.73 ¥58.0

172.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 SBD 831

$11.07 ¥73.5

832.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.16 SBD 227

$40.77 ¥271

-30.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.27 SBD 74.7

$14.48 ¥96.1

-35.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.43 SBD 35.72

$6.78 ¥45.00

-34.66%

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

$126 SBD 1,016

$517 ¥3,429

-75.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,337 SBD 18.8K

$19.8K ¥131.5K

-88.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.36 SBD 212

$46.53 ¥309

-43.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.3 SBD 752

$35.66 ¥237

161.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 SBD 780

$77.0 ¥511

25.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 SBD 794

$80.3 ¥533

22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$592 SBD 4,772

$386 ¥2,560

53.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 SBD 4,223

$235 ¥1,557

123.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 SBD 12.7K

$822 ¥5,454

91.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 SBD 10.9K

$453 ¥3,007

199.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$87.9K SBD 707.8K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

1770.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$62.0K SBD 499.1K

$2,372 ¥15.7K

2512.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$471 SBD 3,795

$1,093 ¥7,255

-56.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.78

3.46

413.87%

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

Last update for the Solomon Islands: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solomon Islands

$654 34.2%

China

$74 9.4% 88.6% $579

Accommodation & Living

Solomon Islands

$524 27.5%

China

$235 29.6% 55.3% $290

Groceries & Markets

Solomon Islands

$353 18.5%

China

$210 26.5% 40.4% $142

Eating Out

Solomon Islands

$160 8.4%

China

$88 11.1% 44.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Solomon Islands

$142 7.4%

China

$108 13.6% 24% $34

Getting Around

Solomon Islands

$40 2.1%

China

$22 2.8% 44.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Solomon Islands

$37 1.9%

China

$54 6.9% 46.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $741 in the Solomon Islands, $298 in China. Capital cities: $890 in Honiara vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $419 in the Solomon Islands, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 149% higher in the Solomon Islands.

Dining out costs 168% more in the Solomon Islands.

Public transport is 56% more expensive in the Solomon Islands.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

23:11 11:11 PM

3 h behind the Solomon Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

611,343

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to SBD – Solomon Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Solomon Islands China 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Solomon Islands
China

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

Solomon Islands vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, China comes out about 59% cheaper. 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 cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $741 in the Solomon Islands and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.