Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waihi and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Waihi: $1,911 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Waihi
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Waihi Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
Learn more

Gizo Living Index

Jump to prices

Waihi

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,911

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,911 in Waihi versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Waihi $1,911
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,937 in Waihi versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Waihi $2,937
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,963 in Waihi versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Waihi $3,963
Gizo $3,938

Living in Waihi 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: Waihi 42% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.00 NZ$21.22

$3.01 SBD 24.25

298.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 NZ$105

$54.7 SBD 441

8.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 NZ$14.77

$15.57 SBD 126

-46.37%

Cappuccino

$3.69 NZ$6.53

$2.85 SBD 22.95

29.47%

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

$2.22 NZ$3.92

$1.26 SBD 10.13

76.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$1.21 SBD 9.79

68.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 NZ$10.12

$2.47 SBD 19.88

131.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.49 NZ$11.47

$2.41 SBD 19.41

169.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$1.39 SBD 11.19

28.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$1.40 SBD 11.30

15.71%

Eggs

$5.12 NZ$9.06

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-29.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.53

$8.47 SBD 68.3

10.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 NZ$15.09

$6.20 SBD 50.0

37.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 NZ$22.60

$8.41 SBD 67.8

51.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-59.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 NZ$3.98

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-64.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.59

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-47.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 NZ$10.36

$3.02 SBD 24.32

94.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.49

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-35.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 NZ$2.79

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-34.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NZ$4.10

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-8.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 NZ$1.97

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.08 NZ$39.04

$4.25 SBD 34.29

419.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 NZ$17.38

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 NZ$5.35

$1.83 SBD 14.77

65.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 NZ$5.55

$2.19 SBD 17.66

43.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$0.39 SBD 3.11

394.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.1 NZ$151

$31.36 SBD 253

171.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$1.25 SBD 10.09

56.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-18.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.15 NZ$48.02

$12.52 SBD 101

116.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.75 SBD 14.10

-1.71%

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

$21.9K NZ$38.7K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

5.76%

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

$19.8K NZ$35.0K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

-9.81%

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

$117 NZ$206

$750 SBD 6,048

-84.45%

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

$31.18 NZ$55.1

$13.42 SBD 108

132.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 NZ$99.1

$123 SBD 989

-54.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.97 NZ$63.6

$18.49 SBD 149

94.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 NZ$20.02

$4.20 SBD 33.87

169.52%

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

$647 NZ$1,144

$126 SBD 1,014

414.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NZ$29.6K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

1249.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 NZ$101

$25.29 SBD 204

125.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.94 NZ$68.9

$94.4 SBD 761

-58.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 NZ$187

$99.8 SBD 804

5.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 NZ$190

$90.6 SBD 730

18.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 NZ$1,823

$599 SBD 4,833

72.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 NZ$1,530

$580 SBD 4,678

49.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 NZ$2,867

$630 SBD 5,081

157.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 NZ$2,858

$1,217 SBD 9,809

32.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,404 NZ$7,789

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-94.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,353 NZ$5,929

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 Waihi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waihi

$865 45.3%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 32.9% $285

Groceries & Markets

Waihi

$315 16.5%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 11.9% $38

Eating Out

Waihi

$224 11.7%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 41.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waihi

$204 10.7%

Gizo

$886 41% 335% $683

Clothing & Footwear

Waihi

$139 7.3%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 0.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Waihi

$105 5.5%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 55.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Waihi

$59 3.1%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 54.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,031 in Waihi and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Waihi vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $353, with Waihi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Waihi

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

10:21 10:21 AM

2 h behind Waihi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,700

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waihi Gizo 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waihi
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

Waihi vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,866 in Waihi 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: $1,031 in Waihi versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Waihi – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,911 in Waihi versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Waihi but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Waihi 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, Waihi 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 Waihi 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.