Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whanganui and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Honiara: $1,718 a month against $1,854 in Whanganui, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Whanganui outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,854

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,854 per month in Whanganui vs $1,718 in Honiara, rent included.

Whanganui $1,854
Honiara $1,718

A couple spends around $2,785 per month in Whanganui vs $2,833 in Honiara, rent included.

Whanganui $2,785
Honiara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,715 per month in Whanganui vs $3,948 in Honiara, rent included.

Whanganui $3,715
Honiara $3,948

Whanganui costs about 8% more than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Whanganui and Honiara sit above the global median – Whanganui by 37%, Honiara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 NZ$21.51

$6.94 SBD 56.0

75.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 NZ$129

$62.3 SBD 502

17.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 NZ$14.58

$12.56 SBD 101

-34.39%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.83

$3.49 SBD 28.17

-5.44%

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

$2.17 NZ$3.84

$1.58 SBD 12.75

37.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 NZ$3.49

$1.10 SBD 8.90

79.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 NZ$9.93

$2.55 SBD 20.59

120.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 NZ$9.51

$5.70 SBD 45.93

-5.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 NZ$2.30

$2.48 SBD 20.01

-47.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 NZ$1.63

$1.54 SBD 12.42

-40.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 NZ$2.00

$1.65 SBD 13.29

-31.52%

Eggs

$5.26 NZ$9.30

$5.51 SBD 44.40

-4.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.62 NZ$9.95

$6.43 SBD 51.8

-12.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.40 NZ$13.08

$8.58 SBD 69.2

-13.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.62 NZ$20.56

$15.40 SBD 124

-24.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 NZ$4.03

$6.38 SBD 51.4

-64.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$2.59 SBD 20.89

-25.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$8.44 SBD 68.1

-77.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 NZ$6.08

$3.66 SBD 29.48

-6.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.96

$1.94 SBD 15.60

-13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 NZ$2.31

$3.41 SBD 27.53

-61.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NZ$3.74

$1.45 SBD 11.72

46.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 NZ$0.91

$1.07 SBD 8.62

-52.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.63 NZ$40.02

$4.18 SBD 33.67

441.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 NZ$17.35

$10.70 SBD 86.3

-8.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 NZ$4.36

$1.78 SBD 14.36

38.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 NZ$4.00

$3.35 SBD 26.98

-32.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$0.38 SBD 3.09

371.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.1 NZ$152

$24.88 SBD 201

245.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 NZ$6.34

$1.20 SBD 9.70

198.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.21 SBD 9.79

42.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 NZ$46.36

$12.41 SBD 100

111.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$1.30 SBD 10.50

23.85%

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

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

43.34%

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

$22.8K NZ$40.4K

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

-34.26%

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

$197 NZ$349

$427 SBD 3,440

-53.80%

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

$32.22 NZ$57.0

$27.52 SBD 222

17.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.49 NZ$84.0

$88.8 SBD 716

-46.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.33 NZ$67.8

$37.21 SBD 300

3.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

Cinema Ticket

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$4.25 SBD 34.29

30.12%

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

$655 NZ$1,158

$98.2 SBD 792

566.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K NZ$40.0K

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

682.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 NZ$109

$27.02 SBD 218

128.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.24 NZ$67.6

$93.7 SBD 756

-59.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 NZ$166

$95.3 SBD 768

-1.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NZ$186

$104 SBD 834

1.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 NZ$1,697

$901 SBD 7,263

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 NZ$1,464

$436 SBD 3,518

89.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 NZ$2,834

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

-14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 NZ$2,531

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

0.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,235 NZ$9,259

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

-93.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,097 NZ$5,477

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

-95.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

15.67

-56.60%

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

Last update for Whanganui: October 10, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Whanganui

$828 44.7%

Honiara

$436 25.4% 47.3% $391

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Whanganui

$277 14.9%

Honiara

$543 31.6% 96.1% $266

Groceries & Markets

Whanganui

$243 13.1%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 42% $102

Eating Out

Whanganui

$217 11.7%

Honiara

$170 9.9% 21.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Whanganui

$135 7.3%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 6.7% $9

Getting Around

Whanganui

$105 5.7%

Honiara

$34 2% 68% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Whanganui

$49 2.7%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 7.4% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $960 in Whanganui versus $901 in Honiara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Whanganui versus $62.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Whanganui vs $345 in Honiara – so Whanganui wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

04:56 4:56 AM

2 h behind Whanganui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,300

54,600 Capital

💱 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

Whanganui Honiara 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Whanganui
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

Whanganui vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,854 in Whanganui, $1,718 in Honiara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,781 per month in Whanganui and $2,577 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 42% cheaper in Whanganui – 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 $73.0 in Whanganui and $62.0 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 $1,718, than in Whanganui at $1,854. In Honiara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Whanganui it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Honiara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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