Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whangarei and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Whangarei: $1,437 a month against $1,742 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Honiara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Whangarei
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Whangarei Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Whangarei

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,437

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,437 per month in Whangarei vs $1,742 in Honiara, rent included.

Whangarei $1,437
Honiara $1,742

A couple spends around $2,302 per month in Whangarei vs $2,873 in Honiara, rent included.

Whangarei $2,302
Honiara $2,873

A family of three spends $3,167 per month in Whangarei vs $4,004 in Honiara, rent included.

Whangarei $3,167
Honiara $4,004

Whangarei is about 18% cheaper than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Whangarei and Honiara sit above the global median – Whangarei by 7%, Honiara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 NZ$21.65

$6.66 SBD 53.8

82.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 NZ$132

$62.8 SBD 507

17.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.21 NZ$14.63

$12.53 SBD 101

-34.48%

Cappuccino

$3.41 NZ$6.08

$3.48 SBD 28.14

-2.01%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.56

$1.60 SBD 12.89

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 NZ$2.84

$1.05 SBD 8.49

51.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 NZ$10.65

$2.42 SBD 19.58

147.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 NZ$9.85

$5.70 SBD 46.04

-2.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 NZ$2.63

$2.57 SBD 20.75

-42.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 NZ$2.31

$1.49 SBD 12.00

-12.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 NZ$2.89

$1.64 SBD 13.28

-1.22%

Eggs

$5.30 NZ$9.44

$5.48 SBD 44.27

-3.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.60 NZ$9.98

$6.61 SBD 53.4

-15.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.40 NZ$13.18

$8.34 SBD 67.4

-11.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.64 NZ$26.09

$15.18 SBD 123

-3.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 NZ$4.68

$6.39 SBD 51.6

-59.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$2.70 SBD 21.83

-20.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NZ$5.32

$8.70 SBD 70.2

-65.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.20

$3.67 SBD 29.62

-20.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.99 SBD 16.09

12.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$3.47 SBD 28.01

-50.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 NZ$2.92

$1.40 SBD 11.30

17.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 NZ$2.15

$1.03 SBD 8.36

17.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.58 NZ$45.58

$4.26 SBD 34.39

500.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.36 NZ$16.68

$10.37 SBD 83.7

-9.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 NZ$3.95

$1.69 SBD 13.67

31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$5.01

$3.47 SBD 28.00

-19.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 NZ$2.96

$0.39 SBD 3.12

325.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 NZ$226

$25.14 SBD 203

404.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 NZ$6.61

$1.27 SBD 10.28

192.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 NZ$2.91

$1.20 SBD 9.72

35.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.35 NZ$23.79

$12.60 SBD 102

5.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 NZ$3.02

$1.35 SBD 10.92

25.93%

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

$26.8K NZ$47.7K

$18.7K SBD 151.1K

43.18%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.7K

$34.1K SBD 275.7K

-36.46%

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

$152 NZ$271

$429 SBD 3,464

-64.49%

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

$27.05 NZ$48.20

$27.02 SBD 218

0.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 NZ$89.3

$89.0 SBD 719

-43.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 NZ$63.1

$36.76 SBD 297

-3.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.75 NZ$4.90

$8.94 SBD 72.2

-69.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 NZ$18.21

$4.41 SBD 35.65

131.75%

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

$695 NZ$1,239

$100 SBD 811

592.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K NZ$39.4K

$2,898 SBD 23.4K

663.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 NZ$125

$27.71 SBD 224

152.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.07 NZ$57.2

$93.5 SBD 755

-65.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 NZ$124

$95.9 SBD 774

-27.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.2 NZ$164

$103 SBD 829

-10.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 NZ$745

$870 SBD 7,024

-51.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$408 NZ$726

$434 SBD 3,507

-6.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 NZ$1,342

$1,851 SBD 14.9K

-59.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 NZ$1,336

$1,398 SBD 11.3K

-46.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,306 NZ$7,673

$86.4K SBD 698.0K

-95.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,210 NZ$5,720

$62.1K SBD 501.2K

-94.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,283 NZ$4,068

$444 SBD 3,583

414.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

15.67

-63.31%

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

Last update for Whangarei: October 6, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Whangarei

$408 28.2%

Honiara

$434 25.3% 6.6% $27

Groceries & Markets

Whangarei

$272 18.8%

Honiara

$345 20.1% 26.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Whangarei

$230 15.9%

Honiara

$545 31.8% 138% $316

Eating Out

Whangarei

$218 15.1%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 23.5% $51

Getting Around

Whangarei

$145 10.1%

Honiara

$34 2% 76.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Whangarei

$119 8.2%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 21.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Whangarei

$56 3.9%

Honiara

$46 2.7% 18.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Whangarei 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 414% higher in Whangarei, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Whangarei versus $63.0 in Honiara. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Whangarei vs $345 in Honiara – so Whangarei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Whangarei

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

2 h behind Whangarei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,300

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

Whangarei Honiara 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Whangarei
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

Whangarei vs Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,437 in Whangarei, $1,742 in Honiara – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,155 per month in Whangarei 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 Whangarei, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Honiara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Whangarei and $63.0 in Honiara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Whangarei, where all-in costs run around $1,437, than in Honiara at $1,742. In Whangarei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Whangarei – 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 Whangarei. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Honiara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.