What currency does the Solomon Islands use?

The Solomon Islands uses the Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD). The rate is approximately SBD 8.5 per $1 USD. Quick math: divide SBD prices by 8.5. AUD is sometimes accepted at tourist businesses since many flights arrive from Brisbane. ATMs in Honiara dispense SBD only.

Are there ATMs outside Honiara?

Very few. Gizo (Western Province) has a BSP ATM that sometimes works. Auki (Malaita) may have limited banking. Most outer islands, including the famous WWII sites of Guadalcanal outside Honiara, Marovo Lagoon, and the Florida Islands, have zero ATM access. Withdraw all cash in Honiara.

Do dive resorts accept credit cards?

Some upscale dive lodges (Uepi Island Resort, Fatboys in Gizo) accept Visa for accommodation payments arranged in advance. However, many smaller dive operators, village stays, and boat transfers are cash-only. Confirm with your lodge before arriving and bring cash as backup.

Is the Solomon Islands expensive?

Moderate by Pacific Island standards. A local meal in Honiara costs SBD 50-100 ($6-12 USD), a SolBrew beer is SBD 20-40 ($2-5 USD), and a basic hotel room runs $50-100 USD per night. Dive lodge packages in Marovo Lagoon or the Western Province are the big expense at $150-400 USD per person per day.

Can I use Australian dollars in the Solomon Islands?

Some hotels and dive operators in Honiara and Gizo accept AUD since many visitors fly from Brisbane. You will receive change in SBD. USD is also accepted at some tourist businesses. For the best rates, withdraw SBD from ATMs or exchange AUD/USD at BSP or ANZ in Honiara.

How do I pay for inter-island boat transfers?

Inter-island boats and outboard motorboat transfers are almost always cash-only in SBD. A boat from Honiara to Savo Island costs SBD 150-300 one way. Transfers to Marovo Lagoon lodges from Seghe airstrip are often included in lodge rates but tips for boat drivers (SBD 50-100) should be in cash.

Money in the Solomon Islands: Currency & ATMs

💰 Quick Context: The Solomon Islands Dollar

The Solomon Islands uses the Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD / SI$). The rate is approximately SBD 8.5 per $1 USD. Quick math: divide SBD prices by 8.5 (or roughly by 8 and subtract a bit). A SBD 100 meal is about $12 USD. This is one of the most cash-dependent countries in the Pacific. ATMs exist only in Honiara (and barely in Gizo). Credit cards work at a handful of Honiara hotels. The outer islands are 100% cash economies. Plan your money carefully before leaving Honiara.

🎧 Order Solomon Islands Dollars Before You Fly

Have cash in hand when you land. Insured delivery, 2–5 day shipping.

Order SBD → CEI Currency Exchange

Cash vs. Card: What to Expect in the Solomon Islands

In Honiara, the Heritage Park Hotel, Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel, and Pacific Casino Hotel accept Visa and Mastercard. A few restaurants along Mendana Avenue (Lime Lounge, Honiara Hotel restaurant) have card terminals. The Point Cruz area and Central Market are cash-only. Supermarkets like Hot Bread Kitchen and LCM accept cards sporadically.

Outside Honiara, assume 100% cash. Dive lodges in Marovo Lagoon (Uepi Island Resort) may accept pre-arranged card payments, but onsite spending (drinks, tips, extra dives) is cash. Gizo has some card acceptance at Fatboys and a couple of hotels. Guadalcanal's WWII sites, village stays, and boat transfers to the Florida Islands, Savo, and Tulagi are entirely cash-based. Bring all the SBD you need from Honiara.

How to Get Solomon Dollars for Your Solomon Islands Trip

The Solomon Islands uses the Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) as a closed currency: it cannot be ordered from US banks before you fly. Cards work in Honiara at the Heritage Park Hotel, Solomon Kitano Mendana, Pacific Casino Hotel, and a handful of Mendana Avenue restaurants. Outside Honiara, the country runs on cash: Marovo Lagoon dive lodges (Uepi Island Resort takes pre-arranged card for the booking, on-site spending is cash), Gizo with limited card acceptance at Fatboys, Guadalcanal WWII tour stops, Florida Islands boat transfers, and any village stay. The cleanest path is to bring USD or AUD for in-country exchange and top up SBD from a BSP or ANZ ATM in Honiara.

✈️ Easiest Arrival

Bring USD or AUD cash before you fly

Cost: 1–4% markup Convenience: Excellent (cash in hand before takeoff)

Solomon Islands dollars are closed-currency: a currency-exchange service like CEI Currency Exchange can ship USD or AUD to a US address with insured 2–5 day delivery. Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citi all stock USD and AUD for branch pickup or home delivery. Most travelers reach the Solomons via Brisbane (preferred AUD source) or Port Moresby and bring AUD from those legs of the trip, exchanging at a BSP or ANZ Solomon Islands counter on landing. The Solomon Islands does not have a Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner. The cleanest setup for a Marovo or Gizo dive trip: a Wise card for hotel and Honiara card payments, plus a CEI envelope of AUD or USD sized to your dive-lodge on-site spending, boat-transfer, and village-stay cash budget. Withdraw all the SBD you need in Honiara before flying out to the islands.

💰 Cheapest

Withdraw from a Solomon Islands bank ATM

Cost: Real exchange rate Convenience: Good once you land

Once you're in the Solomons, the cheapest source of Solomon dollars is one of the major bank ATMs. BSP (Bank of South Pacific) Solomon Islands, ANZ Solomon Islands, and Pan Oceanic Bank (POB) all give the actual interbank rate with no markup. Most charge a small per-transaction operator fee for foreign cards. Withdrawal limits run roughly SBD 3,000–5,000 per transaction (about $350–$590). ATMs cluster around Honiara (Mendana Avenue, Point Cruz, Heritage Park, and at HIR airport arrivals), with limited additional coverage in Gizo (one BSP and one ANZ machine). Coverage on Marovo Lagoon, the Florida Islands, Tulagi, Malaita, and the rest of the outer-island chain is essentially zero. Decline DCC every time the screen offers "charge in USD" or "in AUD". See the Best ATMs section below for the bank-by-bank lineup. Want to know what a BSP or ANZ Solomon Islands withdrawal will actually cost on your card? Drop it into our ATM fee calculator.

⚠️ Avoid

Airport counters & hotel exchange windows

Cost: 5–12% hidden markup Convenience: High (right at arrivals)

Three traps to walk past in the Solomon Islands. The currency-exchange counter at HIR (Honiara International) airport advertises rates that look reasonable but routinely runs 5–10% off the interbank rate, with limited evening-flight hours. The exchange windows inside Honiara hotel lobbies (Heritage Park, Solomon Kitano Mendana, Pacific Casino) bake the markup into the rate. And paying in USD or AUD direct at dive lodges or village stays quietly costs 8–15% versus paying in SBD at the same venue. Stick to bank-branded ATMs at BSP, ANZ, or POB; decline DCC; and pay in SBD whenever the venue accepts it. The Solomon Islands does not yet have a city-specific guide on this site, but the Best ATMs section below covers the bank lineup.

For a side-by-side comparison of every method (bank wire, travel card, pre-order, ATM, exchange counter) including USD-or-AUD-to-SBD timing tips, see our complete Getting Currency guide →.

Solomon Islands Money Guide