Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,742 a month against $2,342 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,342

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,342 per month in Wellington vs $1,742 in Honiara, rent included.

Wellington $2,342
Honiara $1,742

A couple spends around $3,316 per month in Wellington vs $2,873 in Honiara, rent included.

Wellington $3,316
Honiara $2,873

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Wellington vs $4,004 in Honiara, rent included.

Wellington $4,291
Honiara $4,004

Wellington costs about 34% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wellington and Honiara sit above the global median – Wellington by 75%, Honiara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 NZ$24.77

$6.66 SBD 53.8

108.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 NZ$114

$62.8 SBD 507

2.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.97

$12.53 SBD 101

-28.57%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$3.48 SBD 28.15

-5.46%

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

$2.35 NZ$4.20

$1.60 SBD 12.90

46.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 NZ$2.98

$1.05 SBD 8.49

59.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.24 NZ$12.91

$2.42 SBD 19.59

199.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 NZ$12.04

$5.70 SBD 46.05

18.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 NZ$3.38

$2.57 SBD 20.76

-26.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$1.49 SBD 12.00

44.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.64 SBD 13.29

10.98%

Eggs

$6.73 NZ$12.00

$5.48 SBD 44.29

22.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.15

$6.61 SBD 53.4

36.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 NZ$17.02

$8.34 SBD 67.4

14.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 NZ$27.29

$15.18 SBD 123

0.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.64

$6.39 SBD 51.7

-50.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.98

$2.70 SBD 21.84

-17.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.29

$8.70 SBD 70.3

-65.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 NZ$11.28

$3.67 SBD 29.63

72.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.67

$1.99 SBD 16.10

3.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 NZ$2.20

$3.47 SBD 28.03

-64.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$1.40 SBD 11.31

42.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 NZ$2.13

$1.03 SBD 8.36

15.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.37 NZ$45.25

$4.26 SBD 34.40

495.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.37 NZ$20.28

$10.37 SBD 83.7

9.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.66

$1.69 SBD 13.67

87.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 NZ$4.92

$3.47 SBD 28.02

-20.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 NZ$4.89

$0.39 SBD 3.12

602.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$182

$25.14 SBD 203

305.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.27 SBD 10.28

43.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 NZ$3.17

$1.20 SBD 9.72

47.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.17 NZ$59.2

$12.60 SBD 102

163.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.27

$1.35 SBD 10.92

35.56%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.7K

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

36.99%

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

$25.4K NZ$45.3K

$34.1K SBD 275.9K

-25.56%

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

$199 NZ$354

$429 SBD 3,466

-53.68%

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

$32.79 NZ$58.5

$27.02 SBD 218

21.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 NZ$95.4

$89.0 SBD 719

-39.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.58 NZ$68.8

$36.76 SBD 297

4.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.40 NZ$29.25

$8.94 SBD 72.2

83.45%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 NZ$21.66

$4.41 SBD 35.66

175.28%

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

$1,036 NZ$1,849

$100 SBD 811

932.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K NZ$22.9K

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

343.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 NZ$140

$27.71 SBD 224

182.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$50.4

$93.5 SBD 755

-69.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 NZ$184

$95.9 SBD 774

7.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 NZ$276

$103 SBD 830

50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 NZ$2,190

$870 SBD 7,027

41.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 NZ$2,032

$434 SBD 3,508

162.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 NZ$3,873

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

17.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 NZ$2,978

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

19.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,719 NZ$12.0K

$86.4K SBD 698.3K

-92.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,505 NZ$6,252

$62.1K SBD 501.4K

-94.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,818 NZ$5,027

$444 SBD 3,585

535.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

15.67

-65.60%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 5, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.3%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 61.9% $705

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$343 14.5%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 0.4% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$285 12.1%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 91.2% $260

Eating Out

Wellington

$243 10.3%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 31.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$164 7%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 12.3% $20

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.2%

Honiara

$34 2% 72.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$63 2.7%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 27.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,228 in Wellington versus $870 in Honiara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 535% higher in Wellington, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Wellington versus $63.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Wellington vs $345 in Honiara – so Wellington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

2 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 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

Wellington Honiara 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
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

Wellington vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,342 in Wellington, $1,742 in Honiara – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,513 per month in Wellington and $2,614 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 0% cheaper in Wellington – 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 $64.0 in Wellington and $63.0 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 $1,742, than in Wellington at $2,342. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wellington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Wellington has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,742 in Honiara to $2,342 in Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Wellington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.