Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $1,980 in Timaru, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,980

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,980 per month in Timaru vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Timaru $1,980
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $2,925 per month in Timaru vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Timaru $2,925
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,870 per month in Timaru vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Timaru $3,870
Honiara $3,948

Timaru costs about 15% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Timaru and Honiara sit above the global median – Timaru by 47%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 NZ$24.41

$6.94 SBD 56.0

98.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 NZ$110

$62.3 SBD 502

-0.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 NZ$18.93

$12.56 SBD 101

-14.81%

Cappuccino

$3.37 NZ$5.95

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-3.44%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.59

$1.58 SBD 12.75

28.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$1.10 SBD 8.90

64.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 NZ$10.11

$2.55 SBD 20.59

124.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.81

$5.70 SBD 45.93

7.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-55.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.54 SBD 12.42

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.93

$1.65 SBD 13.29

-33.94%

Eggs

$5.69 NZ$10.06

$5.51 SBD 44.40

3.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 NZ$14.57

$6.43 SBD 51.8

28.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 NZ$16.15

$8.58 SBD 69.2

6.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 NZ$28.89

$15.40 SBD 124

6.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.17

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-54.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.12

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-10.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NZ$5.72

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-61.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.18

$3.66 SBD 29.48

41.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$1.94 SBD 15.60

-3.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 NZ$3.98

$1.45 SBD 11.72

55.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.97

$1.07 SBD 8.62

-48.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.75 NZ$36.70

$4.18 SBD 33.67

396.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 NZ$9.96

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-47.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 NZ$5.42

$1.78 SBD 14.36

72.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.09

$3.35 SBD 26.98

-64.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 NZ$2.91

$0.38 SBD 3.09

334.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 NZ$163

$24.88 SBD 201

271.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 NZ$4.04

$1.20 SBD 9.70

90.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 NZ$3.68

$1.21 SBD 9.79

71.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.65 NZ$48.90

$12.41 SBD 100

122.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 NZ$2.61

$1.30 SBD 10.50

13.85%

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

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

31.99%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-28.15%

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

$110 NZ$194

$427 SBD 3,440

-74.28%

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

$22.70 NZ$40.15

$27.52 SBD 222

-17.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.9

$88.8 SBD 716

-42.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.87 NZ$68.7

$37.21 SBD 300

4.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 NZ$17.98

$4.25 SBD 34.29

139.29%

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

$579 NZ$1,025

$98.2 SBD 792

489.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

491.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 NZ$105

$27.02 SBD 218

118.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.65 NZ$61.3

$93.7 SBD 756

-63.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$161

$95.3 SBD 768

-4.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$104 SBD 834

27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 NZ$1,550

$901 SBD 7,263

-2.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 NZ$1,674

$436 SBD 3,518

116.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 NZ$2,857

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-13.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 NZ$2,670

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

6.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,303 NZ$7,610

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-95.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,018 NZ$5,337

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-95.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

15.67

-54.88%

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

Last update for Timaru: October 11, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timaru

$946 47.8%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 53.9% $510

Groceries & Markets

Timaru

$297 15%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 16.2% $48

Eating Out

Timaru

$239 12.1%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 28.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timaru

$184 9.3%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 195% $359

Clothing & Footwear

Timaru

$143 7.2%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 0.8% $1.1

Getting Around

Timaru

$112 5.6%

Honiara

$34 2% 69.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Timaru

$59 3%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 22.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $877 in Timaru versus $901 in Honiara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Timaru versus $62.0 in Honiara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $345 – making Timaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Timaru

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

2 h behind Timaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,600

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Timaru Honiara 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Timaru
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

Timaru vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,980 in Timaru, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,970 per month in Timaru and $2,577 in Honiara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Timaru – 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 $62.0 in Timaru and $62.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Honiara, where all-in costs run around $1,718, than in Timaru at $1,980. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Timaru it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Honiara – 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 Honiara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Timaru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.