Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waiheke Island and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Waiheke Island: $1,908 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Waiheke Island
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Waiheke Island Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Waiheke Island

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,908

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Waiheke Island and in Gizo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Waiheke Island and in Gizo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,908 in Waiheke Island versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Waiheke Island $1,908
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,944 in Waiheke Island versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Waiheke Island $2,944
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,979 in Waiheke Island versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Waiheke Island $3,979
Gizo $3,938

Living in Waiheke Island costs roughly 12% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waiheke Island 41% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.57 NZ$25.76

$3.01 SBD 24.25

384.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 NZ$121

$54.7 SBD 441

25.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.82 NZ$15.59

$15.57 SBD 126

-43.35%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.80

$2.85 SBD 22.95

15.09%

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

$2.27 NZ$4.01

$1.26 SBD 10.13

80.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 NZ$2.83

$1.21 SBD 9.79

32.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 NZ$10.66

$2.47 SBD 19.88

144.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.46 NZ$11.42

$2.41 SBD 19.41

168.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 NZ$2.71

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-52.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.46

$1.39 SBD 11.19

41.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.40 SBD 11.30

27.86%

Eggs

$4.93 NZ$8.72

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-31.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 NZ$14.38

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-4.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 NZ$14.25

$6.20 SBD 50.0

30.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 NZ$26.35

$8.41 SBD 67.8

77.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 NZ$3.99

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-67.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-63.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 NZ$6.02

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-43.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 NZ$9.62

$3.02 SBD 24.32

80.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-32.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 NZ$2.82

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-34.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NZ$1.73

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.85 NZ$38.64

$4.25 SBD 34.29

414.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 NZ$15.80

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-27.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 NZ$5.32

$1.83 SBD 14.77

64.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 NZ$5.62

$2.19 SBD 17.66

45.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$0.39 SBD 3.11

382.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 NZ$130

$31.36 SBD 253

134.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 NZ$4.04

$1.25 SBD 10.09

82.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-23.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.71 NZ$54.3

$12.52 SBD 101

145.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.75 SBD 14.10

-5.71%

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

$28.1K NZ$49.8K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

35.93%

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

$22.3K NZ$39.4K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

1.40%

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

$102 NZ$181

$750 SBD 6,048

-86.39%

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

$27.42 NZ$48.48

$13.42 SBD 108

104.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.86 NZ$77.6

$123 SBD 989

-64.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 NZ$69.8

$18.49 SBD 149

113.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$11.70 NZ$20.69

$4.20 SBD 33.87

178.57%

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

$576 NZ$1,019

$126 SBD 1,014

358.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K NZ$31.8K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

1346.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 NZ$124

$25.29 SBD 204

177.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.02 NZ$63.7

$94.4 SBD 761

-61.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 NZ$186

$99.8 SBD 804

5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$189

$90.6 SBD 730

18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 NZ$1,854

$599 SBD 4,833

74.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 NZ$1,573

$580 SBD 4,678

53.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 NZ$2,873

$630 SBD 5,081

157.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 NZ$2,847

$1,217 SBD 9,809

32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,251 NZ$9,286

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-93.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,477 NZ$6,149

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.33

-65.89%

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

Last update for Waiheke Island: October 12, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waiheke Island

$890 46.6%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 34.8% $309

Groceries & Markets

Waiheke Island

$306 16%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 15.5% $47

Eating Out

Waiheke Island

$241 12.6%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 45.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waiheke Island

$173 9.1%

Gizo

$886 41% 411% $713

Clothing & Footwear

Waiheke Island

$143 7.5%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 2.6% $3.7

Getting Around

Waiheke Island

$93 4.9%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 50.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Waiheke Island

$63 3.3%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 57.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,048 in Waiheke Island and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Waiheke Island vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $353, with Waiheke Island cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Waiheke Island

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

2 h behind Waiheke Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,950

7,177

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Waiheke Island Gizo 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waiheke Island
Gizo

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

Waiheke Island vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waiheke Island wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Waiheke Island the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,863 in Waiheke Island and $3,246 in Gizo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,048 in Waiheke Island versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Waiheke Island – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,908 in Waiheke Island versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Waiheke Island but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Waiheke Island the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Waiheke Island and Gizo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Waiheke Island gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.