Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wairoa and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Wairoa: $1,932 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Wairoa
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,932
/mo nomad
Gizo
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
$2,164
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,932 in Wairoa versus $2,164 in Gizo.

  • Wairoa $1,932
  • Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,867 in Wairoa versus $3,051 in Gizo.

  • Wairoa $2,867
  • Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,802 in Wairoa versus $3,938 in Gizo.

  • Wairoa $3,802
  • Gizo $3,938

Living in Wairoa costs roughly 11% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wairoa 43% above, Gizo 60% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.86 NZ$26.27
$3.01 SBD 24.25
393.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.2 NZ$105
$54.7 SBD 441
8.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.52 NZ$15.06
$15.57 SBD 126
-45.28%
Cappuccino
$3.11 NZ$5.51
$2.85 SBD 22.95
9.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 NZ$4.03
$1.26 SBD 10.13
80.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 NZ$2.94
$1.21 SBD 9.79
37.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.69 NZ$11.83
$2.47 SBD 19.88
170.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.30 NZ$11.15
$2.41 SBD 19.41
161.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 NZ$3.40
$3.27 SBD 26.35
-41.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 NZ$3.89
$1.39 SBD 11.19
58.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 NZ$3.07
$1.40 SBD 11.30
24.29%
Eggs
$6.31 NZ$11.17
$7.24 SBD 58.4
-12.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.79 NZ$15.54
$8.47 SBD 68.3
3.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 NZ$15.30
$6.20 SBD 50.0
39.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.26 NZ$26.99
$8.41 SBD 67.8
81.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.96 NZ$5.24
$6.88 SBD 55.5
-56.98%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 NZ$3.90
$6.34 SBD 51.1
-65.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 NZ$4.63
$6.06 SBD 48.84
-56.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.45 NZ$9.63
$3.02 SBD 24.32
80.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 NZ$3.48
$3.07 SBD 24.74
-35.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.31 NZ$2.32
$2.41 SBD 19.45
-45.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 NZ$3.96
$2.53 SBD 20.39
-11.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 NZ$1.81
$1.34 SBD 10.79
-23.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.97 NZ$42.39
$4.25 SBD 34.29
464.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.24 NZ$18.12
$12.36 SBD 99.6
-17.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.83 NZ$5.01
$1.83 SBD 14.77
54.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 NZ$5.15
$2.19 SBD 17.66
32.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.76 NZ$3.10
$0.39 SBD 3.11
351.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$70.2 NZ$124
$31.36 SBD 253
123.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.41 NZ$4.27
$1.25 SBD 10.09
92.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.58 NZ$2.80
$2.43 SBD 19.56
-34.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.67 NZ$50.7
$12.52 SBD 101
128.99%
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)
$24.9K NZ$44.1K
$20.7K SBD 166.9K
20.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.8K NZ$35.0K
$21.9K SBD 176.9K
-9.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.1 NZ$174
$750 SBD 6,048
-86.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.87 NZ$43.98
$13.42 SBD 108
85.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.2 NZ$101
$123 SBD 989
-53.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.61 NZ$77.1
$18.49 SBD 149
135.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.14 SBD 49.54
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.93 NZ$17.56
$4.20 SBD 33.87
136.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$727 NZ$1,287
$126 SBD 1,014
478.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K NZ$29.8K
$1,242 SBD 10.0K
1257.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 NZ$95.1
$25.29 SBD 204
112.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.83 NZ$65.1
$94.4 SBD 761
-60.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 NZ$181
$99.8 SBD 804
2.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 NZ$202
$90.6 SBD 730
26.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,016 NZ$1,796
$599 SBD 4,833
69.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$894 NZ$1,582
$580 SBD 4,678
54.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,600 NZ$2,830
$630 SBD 5,081
153.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,443 NZ$2,552
$1,217 SBD 9,809
18.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,236 NZ$9,260
$85.9K SBD 692.3K
-93.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,126 NZ$5,528
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wairoa
Gizo
Difference
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 Wairoa: 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
Wairoa
$894
Gizo
$580 35.1% $314
Groceries & Markets
Wairoa
$325
Gizo
$353 8.7% $28
Eating Out
Wairoa
$244
Gizo
$132 45.8% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wairoa
$180
Gizo
$886 392% $706
Clothing & Footwear
Wairoa
$138
Gizo
$139 0.9% $1.2
Getting Around
Wairoa
$88
Gizo
$46 47.1% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Wairoa
$63
Gizo
$27 57.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Wairoa and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $59.0 in Wairoa vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $353, with Wairoa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Wairoa
🇸🇧 Gizo
🕒 Local time
07:52 7:52 AM
05:52 5:52 AM
2 h behind Wairoa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,300
7,177
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wairoa Gizo 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wairoa
  • 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
Wairoa vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Wairoa or Gizo?
Wairoa wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wairoa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Wairoa and in Gizo?
You'd need roughly $2,898 in Wairoa 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Wairoa compared to Gizo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,016 in Wairoa versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Wairoa or in Gizo?
Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Wairoa and in Gizo?
Dining out is cheaper in Wairoa – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Wairoa or in Gizo?
At $1,932 in Wairoa versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wairoa but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Wairoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Wairoa or Gizo?
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.
How safe is Wairoa compared to Gizo?
Safety-wise, Wairoa 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Wairoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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