Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Solomon Islands and New Zealand

Name: New Zealand
Address: NZ

For one person, living is cheaper in the Solomon Islands: $1,908 a month against $2,061 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in the Solomon Islands
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Solomon Islands Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in New Zealand
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New Zealand Living Index

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🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,908

/mo nomad

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Solomon Islands and in New Zealand

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

A single person spends $1,908 per month in the Solomon Islands vs $2,061 in New Zealand, rent included.

Solomon Islands $1,908
New Zealand $2,061

A couple spends around $2,956 per month in the Solomon Islands vs $3,035 in New Zealand, rent included.

Solomon Islands $2,956
New Zealand $3,035

A family of three spends $4,005 per month in the Solomon Islands vs $4,009 in New Zealand, rent included.

Solomon Islands $4,005
New Zealand $4,009

The regional cost range is wider in New Zealand ($844–$2,493) than in the Solomon Islands ($1,713–$2,179), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the Solomon Islands is roughly 7% lower than in New Zealand on average.

Both the Solomon Islands and New Zealand are pricier than the global median – the Solomon Islands by 41%, New Zealand by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 SBD 48.64

$13.95 NZ$24.67

-56.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 SBD 524

$68.5 NZ$121

-5.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 SBD 98.3

$9.30 NZ$16.45

31.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 SBD 26.25

$3.39 NZ$6.00

-3.83%

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

$1.43 SBD 11.55

$2.21 NZ$3.91

-35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 SBD 9.29

$1.89 NZ$3.35

-39.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 SBD 21.97

$6.66 NZ$11.78

-59.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 SBD 38.46

$6.65 NZ$11.77

-28.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 SBD 22.81

$1.77 NZ$3.13

59.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 SBD 12.34

$1.79 NZ$3.16

-14.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 SBD 13.02

$1.79 NZ$3.17

-9.50%

Eggs

$5.62 SBD 45.29

$6.15 NZ$10.88

-8.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 SBD 56.5

$8.44 NZ$14.92

-17.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 SBD 63.2

$9.19 NZ$16.25

-14.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 SBD 116

$14.36 NZ$25.39

0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 SBD 53.0

$2.83 NZ$5.00

132.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SBD 21.60

$2.08 NZ$3.68

28.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.87 SBD 63.5

$2.88 NZ$5.09

173.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 SBD 29.55

$5.08 NZ$8.98

-27.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 SBD 17.65

$1.98 NZ$3.49

10.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 SBD 26.32

$1.50 NZ$2.66

117.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 SBD 13.19

$2.12 NZ$3.75

-22.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 SBD 9.67

$1.10 NZ$1.95

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 SBD 34.16

$24.16 NZ$42.72

-82.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.45 SBD 100

$8.96 NZ$15.85

38.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 SBD 14.42

$3.13 NZ$5.54

-42.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 SBD 27.05

$3.22 NZ$5.69

4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 SBD 2.90

$1.94 NZ$3.43

-81.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.35 SBD 253

$103 NZ$182

-69.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 SBD 10.28

$2.32 NZ$4.11

-45.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.77

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-37.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.32 SBD 99.3

$32.39 NZ$57.3

-61.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 SBD 11.04

$1.71 NZ$3.03

-19.88%

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

$19.8K SBD 159.4K

$28.5K NZ$50.3K

-30.52%

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

$28.1K SBD 226.9K

$23.2K NZ$41.1K

21.22%

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

$540 SBD 4,353

$153 NZ$271

252.38%

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

$23.55 SBD 190

$32.13 NZ$56.8

-26.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.8 SBD 805

$49.87 NZ$88.2

100.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.42 SBD 221

$35.33 NZ$62.5

-22.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.84 SBD 71.3

$14.87 NZ$26.30

-40.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 SBD 34.74

$11.17 NZ$19.75

-61.41%

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

$126 SBD 1,018

$886 NZ$1,568

-85.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,349 SBD 18.9K

$16.4K NZ$29.0K

-85.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.89 SBD 217

$69.9 NZ$124

-61.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.3 SBD 761

$35.70 NZ$63.1

164.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 SBD 777

$92.5 NZ$164

4.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 SBD 809

$117 NZ$208

-14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 SBD 4,816

$1,076 NZ$1,903

-44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 SBD 4,182

$944 NZ$1,670

-45.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 SBD 13.0K

$1,740 NZ$3,077

-7.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 SBD 11.1K

$1,485 NZ$2,625

-7.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 698.7K

$5,609 NZ$9,920

1445.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$61.7K SBD 497.6K

$3,704 NZ$6,550

1566.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$471 SBD 3,800

$2,841 NZ$5,024

-83.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.78

6.27

183.57%

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

Last update for the Solomon Islands: October 17, 2026

Last update for New Zealand: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solomon Islands

$663 34.8%

New Zealand

$235 11.4% 64.5% $428

Accommodation & Living

Solomon Islands

$519 27.2%

New Zealand

$944 45.8% 82.1% $426

Groceries & Markets

Solomon Islands

$349 18.3%

New Zealand

$316 15.3% 9.6% $33

Eating Out

Solomon Islands

$157 8.3%

New Zealand

$243 11.8% 54.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Solomon Islands

$143 7.5%

New Zealand

$142 6.9% 0.8% $1.1

Getting Around

Solomon Islands

$40 2.1%

New Zealand

$123 6% 206% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Solomon Islands

$36 1.9%

New Zealand

$58 2.8% 60% $22

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $739 in the Solomon Islands vs $946 in New Zealand. For reference, capital cities sit at $872 in Honiara and $1,217 in Wellington.

Average salary: $409 in the Solomon Islands vs $2,900 in New Zealand. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 28% higher in New Zealand.

Dining out costs 14% more in New Zealand.

Public transport is 150% more expensive in New Zealand.

Salaries are 609% higher in New Zealand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Zealand.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

2 h ahead of the Solomon Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

611,343

5,118,700

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Solomon Islands New Zealand 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Solomon Islands
New Zealand

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 New Zealand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Solomon Islands is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 8% lower on average.

Housing costs more in New Zealand: a central one-bedroom averages $946 versus $739 in the Solomon Islands.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the Solomon Islands, but in New Zealand it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The Solomon Islands is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.