Cost of living comparison
Solomon Islands vs. Laos Cost of Living Summary
Solomon Islands is 23.2% more expensive than Laos overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.6 times more in Solomon Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 76.0% more in Solomon Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 25.4% less in Solomon Islands
- Housing
-
pay 22.9% more in Solomon Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 74.5% less in Solomon Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.8% more in Solomon Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 29.5% more in Solomon Islands
The cost of restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing in Solomon Islands are more expensive than in Laos. Expenses including childcare and transportation are lower in Solomon Islands. Notably, restaurants and groceries are significantly more expensive in Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands vs. Laos Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Solomon Islands instead of Laos, you would:
pay 2.6 times more for restaurants
|
Laos
|
Solomon Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.23
LAK50,211
|
$6.82
SBD55.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.35
LAK121K
|
$12.40
SBD100.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.79
LAK17,779
|
$1.55
SBD12.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.46
LAK10,439
|
$1.08
SBD8.75
|
|
pay 76.0% more for groceries
|
Laos
|
Solomon Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.14
LAK25,737
|
$1.50
SBD12.08
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$12.87
LAK290K
|
$3.27
SBD26.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.94
LAK156K
|
$9.62
SBD77.60
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.87
LAK42,101
|
$5.60
SBD45.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.81
LAK63,330
|
$3.87
SBD31.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.84
LAK18,975
|
$2.85
SBD23.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.52
LAK11,662
|
$1.20
SBD9.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
LAK26,832
|
$3.88
SBD31.30
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.69
LAK15,639
|
$1.69
SBD13.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.66
LAK14,918
|
$0.89
SBD7.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.49
LAK10,995
|
$1.55
SBD12.47
|
|
pay 25.4% less for transportation
|
Laos
|
Solomon Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.01
LAK113K
|
$4.99
SBD40.27
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.98
LAK1M
|
$24.80
SBD199.99
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,872.00
LAK628M
|
$18,598.79
SBD150K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.14
LAK206K
|
$11.16
SBD90.00
|
|
pay 22.9% more for housing
|
Laos
|
Solomon Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$9.51
LAK214K
|
$89.89
SBD724.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$885.68
LAK20M
|
$888.61
SBD7,166.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$631.74
LAK14M
|
$433.97
SBD3,499.83
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$65.79
LAK1M
|
$331.86
SBD2,676.34
|
|
pay 74.5% less for childcare
|
Laos
|
Solomon Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$435.49
LAK10M
|
$99.19
SBD799.96
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,982.68
LAK225M
|
$2,851.81
SBD22,998.88
|
|
pay 32.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Laos
|
Solomon Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.32
LAK29,812
|
$2.48
SBD20.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.66
LAK37,366
|
$3.41
SBD27.50
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.78
LAK40,169
|
$4.15
SBD33.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$64.54
LAK1M
|
$37.20
SBD299.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.32
LAK74,750
|
$4.34
SBD35.00
|
|
pay 29.5% more for clothing
|
Laos
|
Solomon Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.46
LAK1M
|
$27.28
SBD219.99
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$62.95
LAK1M
|
$92.99
SBD749.96
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$64.36
LAK1M
|
$97.13
SBD783.30
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$46.02
LAK1M
|
$103.29
SBD832.96
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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