Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Solomon Islands and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,912 in the Solomon Islands, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
$1,912
/mo nomad
Shanghai
🇨🇳 China
$1,250
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: The Solomon Islands is 41.3% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 53% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: The Solomon Islands is 39% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 43.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.13 SBD 49.47
$4.55 ¥30.40
34.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.5 SBD 529
$29.52 ¥197
121.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.45 SBD 101
$5.10 ¥34.08
144.12%
Cappuccino
$3.28 SBD 26.51
$3.42 ¥22.88
-4.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 SBD 11.51
$0.61 ¥4.11
134.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 SBD 8.86
$0.36 ¥2.40
205.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.81 SBD 22.71
$1.21 ¥8.07
132.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 SBD 37.01
$2.29 ¥15.31
100.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.73 SBD 22.08
$1.86 ¥12.46
46.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 SBD 11.88
$2.01 ¥13.45
-26.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 SBD 12.29
$1.02 ¥6.83
49.02%
Eggs
$5.86 SBD 47.36
$1.72 ¥11.46
240.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.95 SBD 56.1
$17.19 ¥115
-59.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.03 SBD 64.8
$3.35 ¥22.39
139.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.73 SBD 119
$12.80 ¥85.5
15.08%
Apples (1kg)
$6.75 SBD 54.5
$2.17 ¥14.51
211.06%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 SBD 22.40
$1.74 ¥11.65
59.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.85 SBD 63.4
$1.94 ¥12.96
304.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.63 SBD 29.33
$1.68 ¥11.23
116.07%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 SBD 17.05
$0.77 ¥5.17
174.03%
Onion (1kg)
$3.35 SBD 27.06
$0.93 ¥6.21
260.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.66 SBD 13.42
$0.62 ¥4.16
167.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 SBD 9.25
$0.58 ¥3.88
96.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.44 SBD 35.85
$3.83 ¥25.60
15.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.31 SBD 99.4
$10.94 ¥73.1
12.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 SBD 14.03
$0.84 ¥5.59
107.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 SBD 26.18
$1.60 ¥10.71
102.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 SBD 2.85
$0.59 ¥3.92
-40.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.44 SBD 254
$30.27 ¥202
3.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.26 SBD 10.19
$2.06 ¥13.77
-38.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.23 SBD 9.91
$0.47 ¥3.13
161.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.22 SBD 98.7
$8.80 ¥58.8
38.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 SBD 10.87
$1.27 ¥8.51
6.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K SBD 156.3K
$19.6K ¥131.0K
-1.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K SBD 229.4K
$18.6K ¥124.2K
52.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$530 SBD 4,280
$57.2 ¥382
826.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.21 SBD 195
$8.06 ¥53.8
200.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$101 SBD 818
$10.52 ¥70.3
862.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.74 SBD 224
$64.6 ¥432
-57.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.85 SBD 71.5
$17.63 ¥118
-49.80%
Cinema Ticket
$4.43 SBD 35.81
$8.84 ¥59.1
-49.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$124 SBD 1,002
$1,437 ¥9,605
-91.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,335 SBD 18.9K
$28.1K ¥187.5K
-91.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.98 SBD 218
$54.7 ¥365
-50.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$94.5 SBD 763
$36.43 ¥243
159.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.0 SBD 791
$75.4 ¥504
30.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.3 SBD 802
$104 ¥695
-4.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$584 SBD 4,716
$1,039 ¥6,945
-43.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$529 SBD 4,271
$589 ¥3,933
-10.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,570 SBD 12.7K
$2,487 ¥16.6K
-36.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,386 SBD 11.2K
$1,237 ¥8,268
12.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$87.1K SBD 703.2K
$13.6K ¥90.8K
541.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$61.8K SBD 499.1K
$6,191 ¥41.4K
898.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Solomon Islands
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$462 SBD 3,733
$1,715 ¥11.5K
-73.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.78
3.36
429.17%

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

Last update for the Solomon Islands: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Solomon Islands
$655
Shanghai
$76 88.4% $580
Accommodation & Living
Solomon Islands
$529
Shanghai
$589 11.3% $60
Groceries & Markets
Solomon Islands
$350
Shanghai
$237 32.3% $113
Eating Out
Solomon Islands
$159
Shanghai
$107 32.6% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Solomon Islands
$143
Shanghai
$122 15.2% $22
Getting Around
Solomon Islands
$40
Shanghai
$37 8.1% $3.3
Sport & Entertainment
Solomon Islands
$37
Shanghai
$82 125% $46
Good to know
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
🇨🇳 Shanghai
🕒 Local time
14:33 2:33 PM
11:33 11:33 AM
3 h behind the Solomon Islands
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
611,343
24,870,895
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Solomon Islands Shanghai 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Solomon Islands
  • Shanghai

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?