Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
Learn more

Honiara Living Index

Jump to prices

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Taipei vs $1,742 in Honiara, rent included.

Taipei $1,395
Honiara $1,742

A couple spends around $2,227 per month in Taipei vs $2,873 in Honiara, rent included.

Taipei $2,227
Honiara $2,873

A family of three spends $3,059 per month in Taipei vs $4,004 in Honiara, rent included.

Taipei $3,059
Honiara $4,004

Taipei is about 20% cheaper than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Taipei and Honiara sit above the global median – Taipei by 4%, Honiara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 NT$152

$6.66 SBD 53.8

-28.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 NT$1,537

$62.8 SBD 507

-23.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 NT$183

$12.53 SBD 101

-54.11%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NT$112

$3.48 SBD 28.14

0.29%

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

$0.88 NT$28.03

$1.60 SBD 12.89

-45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$20.61

$1.05 SBD 8.49

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$91.4

$2.42 SBD 19.58

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 NT$117

$5.70 SBD 46.04

-35.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$2.57 SBD 20.75

20.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NT$65.5

$1.49 SBD 12.00

37.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 NT$97.5

$1.64 SBD 13.28

86.59%

Eggs

$2.70 NT$86.0

$5.48 SBD 44.27

-50.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.66 NT$627

$6.61 SBD 53.4

197.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 NT$314

$8.34 SBD 67.4

17.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 NT$674

$15.18 SBD 123

39.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 NT$162

$6.39 SBD 51.6

-20.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 NT$108

$2.70 SBD 21.83

25.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$95.8

$8.70 SBD 70.2

-65.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 NT$146

$3.67 SBD 29.62

24.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.8

$1.99 SBD 16.09

36.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NT$72.9

$3.47 SBD 28.01

-34.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$53.7

$1.40 SBD 11.30

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$36.81

$1.03 SBD 8.36

11.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 NT$129

$4.26 SBD 34.39

-4.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 NT$457

$10.37 SBD 83.7

38.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 NT$54.2

$1.69 SBD 13.67

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$73.0

$3.47 SBD 28.00

-34.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.46

$0.39 SBD 3.12

56.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.47 NT$1,228

$25.14 SBD 203

53.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 NT$87.0

$1.27 SBD 10.28

114.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.02

$1.20 SBD 9.72

-37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.59 NT$306

$12.60 SBD 102

-23.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.56

$1.35 SBD 10.92

-24.44%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

82.18%

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

$24.2K NT$771.9K

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

-29.16%

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

$86.4 NT$2,756

$429 SBD 3,464

-79.87%

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

$17.12 NT$546

$27.02 SBD 218

-36.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 NT$864

$89.0 SBD 719

-69.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 NT$1,301

$36.76 SBD 297

10.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 NT$512

$8.94 SBD 72.2

79.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 NT$307

$4.41 SBD 35.65

118.37%

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

$656 NT$20.9K

$100 SBD 811

553.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$524.1K

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

466.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 NT$2,001

$27.71 SBD 224

126.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 NT$1,261

$93.5 SBD 755

-57.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 NT$2,677

$95.9 SBD 774

-12.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,392

$103 SBD 829

3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 NT$32.4K

$870 SBD 7,024

16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 NT$15.3K

$434 SBD 3,507

10.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 NT$50.0K

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

-15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 NT$30.4K

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

-31.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K NT$389.2K

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

-85.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,207 NT$230.0K

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

-88.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 NT$56.5K

$444 SBD 3,583

299.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

15.67

-84.68%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$479 34.8%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 9.3% $44

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$401 29.2%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 14.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.6%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 9.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$131 9.5%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 318% $414

Eating Out

Taipei

$125 9.1%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 33.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 24.1% $14

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Honiara

$34 2% 28.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,016 in Taipei versus $870 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 299% higher in Taipei, 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 $48.00 in Taipei versus $63.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Taipei vs $345 in Honiara – so Honiara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

23:13 11:13 PM

3 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Honiara 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
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

Taipei vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,395 in Taipei, $1,742 in Honiara – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,092 per month in Taipei and $2,614 in Honiara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taipei, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Honiara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Taipei and $63.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,395, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. 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.