Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whakatane and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Whakatane: $1,775 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Whakatane
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Whakatane Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Whakatane

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,775

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Whakatane versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Whakatane $1,775
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,684 in Whakatane versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Whakatane $2,684
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,594 in Whakatane versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Whakatane $3,594
Gizo $3,938

Living in Whakatane costs roughly 18% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Whakatane 31% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.79 NZ$24.39

$3.01 SBD 24.25

358.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 NZ$119

$54.7 SBD 441

22.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 NZ$15.63

$15.57 SBD 126

-43.22%

Cappuccino

$3.10 NZ$5.48

$2.85 SBD 22.95

8.77%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$1.26 SBD 10.13

58.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 NZ$3.09

$1.21 SBD 9.79

44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 NZ$10.73

$2.47 SBD 19.88

145.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 NZ$10.63

$2.41 SBD 19.41

149.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 NZ$1.74

$1.39 SBD 11.19

-29.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.40 SBD 11.30

32.86%

Eggs

$5.58 NZ$9.87

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-22.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 NZ$14.75

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 NZ$14.95

$6.20 SBD 50.0

36.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.54 NZ$27.48

$8.41 SBD 67.8

84.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 NZ$4.28

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-64.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-65.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 NZ$5.10

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-52.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 NZ$10.38

$3.02 SBD 24.32

94.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 NZ$3.60

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-33.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 NZ$2.76

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-35.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 NZ$3.62

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-19.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NZ$1.90

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.44 NZ$48.52

$4.25 SBD 34.29

545.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 NZ$15.10

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$1.83 SBD 14.77

-22.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$2.19 SBD 17.66

-49.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 NZ$2.66

$0.39 SBD 3.11

287.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.7 NZ$148

$31.36 SBD 253

166.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$1.25 SBD 10.09

84.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-20.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.44 NZ$57.4

$12.52 SBD 101

159.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.79

$1.75 SBD 14.10

-9.71%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

19.20%

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

$9,072 NZ$16.0K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

-58.67%

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

$116 NZ$206

$750 SBD 6,048

-84.48%

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

$26.75 NZ$47.30

$13.42 SBD 108

99.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.24 NZ$72.9

$123 SBD 989

-66.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.19 NZ$67.5

$18.49 SBD 149

106.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$8.61 NZ$15.23

$4.20 SBD 33.87

105.00%

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

$1,123 NZ$1,986

$126 SBD 1,014

793.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.2K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

1458.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 NZ$117

$25.29 SBD 204

162.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.67 NZ$70.2

$94.4 SBD 761

-57.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NZ$148

$99.8 SBD 804

-16.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 NZ$127

$90.6 SBD 730

-20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 NZ$1,950

$599 SBD 4,833

83.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$788 NZ$1,394

$580 SBD 4,678

35.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 NZ$2,849

$630 SBD 5,081

155.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 NZ$2,310

$1,217 SBD 9,809

7.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,734 NZ$8,373

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-94.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,330 NZ$5,890

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,884 NZ$6,868

$389 SBD 3,140

897.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

16.33

-67.12%

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

Last update for Whakatane: 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

Whakatane

$788 44.4%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 26.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Whakatane

$295 16.6%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 19.5% $58

Eating Out

Whakatane

$231 13%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 43% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Whakatane

$184 10.4%

Gizo

$886 41% 381% $702

Clothing & Footwear

Whakatane

$118 6.6%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 18.4% $22

Getting Around

Whakatane

$102 5.7%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 54.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Whakatane

$55 3.1%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 51.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,102 in Whakatane and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Whakatane pays 897% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Whakatane vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $353, with Whakatane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Whakatane

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

2 h behind Whakatane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,700

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 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

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Highest

Between locations

Whakatane Gizo 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Whakatane
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

Whakatane vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Whakatane wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Whakatane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 897% higher in Whakatane, 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: $1,102 in Whakatane versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Whakatane – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,775 in Whakatane versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Whakatane but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Whakatane 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, Whakatane 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 Whakatane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.