Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Solomon Islands and Kiribati

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiribati: $1,713 a month against $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Solomon Islands
Kiribati
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
$1,909
/mo nomad
🇰🇮 Kiribati
$1,713
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Kiribati actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,909 in the Solomon Islands versus $1,713 in Kiribati.

  • Solomon Islands $1,909
  • Kiribati $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in the Solomon Islands versus $2,652 in Kiribati.

  • Solomon Islands $2,946
  • Kiribati $2,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,983 in the Solomon Islands versus $3,590 in Kiribati.

  • Solomon Islands $3,983
  • Kiribati $3,590

Internal cost variation is higher in the Solomon Islands: monthly costs span $1,719 to $2,169, compared to $1,694–$1,694 in Kiribati. City choice carries more weight in the Solomon Islands.

Living in the Solomon Islands is roughly 11% more expensive than in Kiribati on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the Solomon Islands 40% above, Kiribati 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.22 SBD 50.1
$5.14 KID 7.30
21.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.0 SBD 516
$28.31 KID 40.20
126.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.38 SBD 99.8
$10.40 KID 14.77
19.04%
Cappuccino
$3.26 SBD 26.30
$3.25 KID 4.61
0.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 SBD 11.79
$1.03 KID 1.46
41.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 SBD 9.10
$0.75 KID 1.07
50.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.75 SBD 22.18
$3.87 KID 5.49
-28.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 SBD 38.01
$6.27 KID 8.90
-24.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.71 SBD 21.87
$2.29 KID 3.25
18.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 SBD 12.35
$2.08 KID 2.95
-26.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 SBD 12.49
$1.45 KID 2.05
6.90%
Eggs
$5.81 SBD 46.88
$6.82 KID 9.69
-14.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 SBD 58.5
$17.40 KID 24.71
-58.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.21 SBD 66.2
$5.79 KID 8.22
41.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.50 SBD 117
$19.46 KID 27.64
-25.49%
Apples (1kg)
$6.59 SBD 53.2
$6.87 KID 9.75
-4.08%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 SBD 21.53
$3.57 KID 5.07
-25.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.30 SBD 66.9
$6.07 KID 8.62
36.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.64 SBD 29.32
$5.61 KID 7.97
-35.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.12 SBD 17.06
$4.71 KID 6.68
-54.99%
Onion (1kg)
$3.40 SBD 27.39
$3.09 KID 4.38
10.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 SBD 13.04
$3.27 KID 4.64
-50.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 SBD 9.59
$0.33 KID 0.47
260.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 SBD 34.55
$6.18 KID 8.78
-30.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.23 SBD 98.6
$13.14 KID 18.66
-6.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 SBD 14.57
$1.78 KID 2.52
1.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 SBD 26.13
$3.45 KID 4.89
-6.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 SBD 2.88
$1.72 KID 2.44
-79.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.41 SBD 253
$76.1 KID 108
-58.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.25 SBD 10.08
$2.16 KID 3.07
-42.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.27 SBD 10.24
$1.83 KID 2.59
-30.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.47 SBD 101
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 SBD 11.29
$2.05 KID 2.91
-31.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.6K SBD 158.3K
$28.4K KID 40.4K
-30.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K SBD 228.5K
$24.2K KID 34.4K
17.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$527 SBD 4,247
$317 KID 450
66.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.75 SBD 192
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$103 SBD 832
$3.61 KID 5.13
2758.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.16 SBD 227
$35.10 KID 49.85
-19.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.27 SBD 74.8
$24.51 KID 34.81
-62.18%
Cinema Ticket
$4.43 SBD 35.75
$4.52 KID 6.41
-1.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 SBD 1,016
$270 KID 384
-53.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,337 SBD 18.8K
$5,640 KID 8,009
-58.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.36 SBD 212
$52.1 KID 74.0
-49.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$93.3 SBD 752
$52.1 KID 74.0
79.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.8 SBD 780
$84.3 KID 120
14.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.5 SBD 794
$64.2 KID 91.2
53.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$592 SBD 4,776
$837 KID 1,189
-29.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$524 SBD 4,226
$587 KID 834
-10.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,577 SBD 12.7K
$1,479 KID 2,100
6.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,358 SBD 10.9K
$1,317 KID 1,870
3.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$87.9K SBD 708.3K
$4,576 KID 6,497
1820.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$62.0K SBD 499.5K
$3,434 KID 4,876
1704.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Solomon Islands
Kiribati
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$471 SBD 3,798
$348 KID 495
35.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.78
0
-

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 Kiribati: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Solomon Islands
$654
Kiribati
$320 * 51% $334
Accommodation & Living
Solomon Islands
$524
Kiribati
$587 12% $63
Groceries & Markets
Solomon Islands
$353
Kiribati
$404 14.5% $51
Eating Out
Solomon Islands
$160
Kiribati
$150 5.8% $9.3
Clothing & Footwear
Solomon Islands
$142
Kiribati
$114 19.8% $28
Getting Around
Solomon Islands
$40
Kiribati
$94 133% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Solomon Islands
$37
Kiribati
$44 19.2% $7.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $419 in the Solomon Islands, $348 in Kiribati. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 12% higher in Kiribati.

Dining out costs 84% more in the Solomon Islands.

Public transport is 168% more expensive in Kiribati.

Salaries are 20% higher in the Solomon Islands.

Good to know
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
🇰🇮 Kiribati
🕒 Local time
15:03 3:03 PM
16:03 4:03 PM
1 h ahead of the Solomon Islands
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
611,343
119,438
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.97 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

Kiribati Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 KID (1 KID = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 KID (1 KID = 0.633 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Solomon Islands Kiribati 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Solomon Islands
  • Kiribati

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 Kiribati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: Kiribati or the Solomon Islands?
At $1,713 per month in Kiribati and $1,909 in the Solomon Islands, Kiribati comes out about 10% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Does the cost gap hold in every spending category?
Overall, Kiribati is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.
How do I choose between living in Kiribati and in the Solomon Islands?
It depends on what you’re after: Kiribati wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Solomon Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

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