Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wanaka and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Wanaka: $1,666 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,666

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,666 in Wanaka versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Wanaka $1,666
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,631 in Wanaka versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Wanaka $2,631
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,596 in Wanaka versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Wanaka $3,596
Gizo $3,938

Living in Wanaka costs roughly 23% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wanaka 23% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.13 NZ$24.98

$3.01 SBD 24.25

369.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 NZ$99.6

$54.7 SBD 441

2.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.22 NZ$14.53

$15.57 SBD 126

-47.21%

Cappuccino

$3.00 NZ$5.31

$2.85 SBD 22.95

5.26%

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

$1.69 NZ$2.99

$1.26 SBD 10.13

34.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.21 SBD 9.79

59.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 NZ$11.56

$2.47 SBD 19.88

164.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.90

$2.41 SBD 19.41

155.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-34.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.39 SBD 11.19

37.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.40 SBD 11.30

25.00%

Eggs

$5.93 NZ$10.49

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-18.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 NZ$14.94

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 NZ$16.57

$6.20 SBD 50.0

51.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.30 NZ$28.82

$8.41 SBD 67.8

93.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-56.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.73

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-66.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NZ$5.73

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-46.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 NZ$8.70

$3.02 SBD 24.32

62.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-41.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-24.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 NZ$3.97

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-11.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.97

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-58.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.98 NZ$38.87

$4.25 SBD 34.29

417.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-26.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 NZ$5.42

$1.83 SBD 14.77

67.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 NZ$2.20

$2.19 SBD 17.66

-43.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 SBD 3.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 SBD 253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 NZ$10.01

$1.25 SBD 10.09

352.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 SBD 19.56

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.07 NZ$49.64

$12.52 SBD 101

124.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 NZ$3.18

$1.75 SBD 14.10

2.86%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

23.54%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.1K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

13.65%

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

$110 NZ$194

$750 SBD 6,048

-85.36%

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

$28.11 NZ$49.71

$13.42 SBD 108

109.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$92.4

$123 SBD 989

-57.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.49 SBD 149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 NZ$17.86

$4.20 SBD 33.87

140.48%

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

$591 NZ$1,045

$126 SBD 1,014

369.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 NZ$104

$25.29 SBD 204

131.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$94.4 SBD 761

-63.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 NZ$121

$99.8 SBD 804

-31.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.8 NZ$130

$90.6 SBD 730

-18.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 NZ$1,716

$599 SBD 4,833

61.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 NZ$1,403

$580 SBD 4,678

36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,852 NZ$3,275

$630 SBD 5,081

193.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 NZ$2,821

$1,217 SBD 9,809

31.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,611 NZ$9,923

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-93.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 NZ$7,597

$389 SBD 3,140

1003.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

-75.51%

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

Last update for Wanaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wanaka

$793 47.6%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 26.8% $213

Groceries & Markets

Wanaka

$318 19.1%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 11% $35

Eating Out

Wanaka

$233 14%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 43.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wanaka

$190 11.4%

Gizo

$886 41% 366% $696

Clothing & Footwear

Wanaka

$106 6.4%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 31.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Wanaka

$20 * 1.2%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 33.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Wanaka

$5.7 * 0.3%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 718% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Wanaka and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wanaka pays 1003% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Wanaka vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $353, with Wanaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

2 h behind Wanaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,600

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 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

Wanaka Gizo 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Wanaka
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

Wanaka vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wanaka wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wanaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1003% higher in Wanaka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Wanaka versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $591 in Wanaka versus $126 in Gizo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wanaka – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,666 in Wanaka versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Wanaka but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Wanaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wanaka delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,666 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wanaka hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Wanaka 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 Wanaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.