Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between American Samoa and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $1,470 in American Samoa, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in American Samoa
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American Samoa Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,470

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in American Samoa and in Tonga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in American Samoa and in Tonga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,470 per month in American Samoa vs $1,067 in Tonga, rent included.

American Samoa $1,470
Tonga $1,067

A couple spends around $2,274 per month in American Samoa vs $1,893 in Tonga, rent included.

American Samoa $2,274
Tonga $1,893

A family of three spends $3,079 per month in American Samoa vs $2,719 in Tonga, rent included.

American Samoa $3,079
Tonga $2,719

The cost of living in American Samoa is about 38% higher than in Tonga on average.

American Samoa sits 8% above the global median, while Tonga is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.17 TOP 19.47

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.28 $35.28

$62.4 TOP 149

-43.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 $10.03

$10.42 TOP 24.85

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$2.89 TOP 6.89

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

$2.78 TOP 6.63

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.53 TOP 6.03

-61.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 TOP 7.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$5.02 TOP 11.96

-21.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.52 TOP 3.62

72.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.03 TOP 2.45

174.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.09 TOP 4.98

103.35%

Eggs

$4.51 $4.51

$5.23 TOP 12.48

-13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 $10.30

$8.93 TOP 21.28

15.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 $9.95

$5.71 TOP 13.60

74.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$7.51 TOP 17.90

52.73%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.84 TOP 6.76

108.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.85 TOP 6.79

-65.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.99 TOP 7.13

2.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.69 TOP 8.80

8.94%

Potato (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.23 TOP 7.70

25.08%

Onion (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.67 TOP 6.35

51.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.17 TOP 5.18

-5.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.41 TOP 3.35

43.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.31 $11.31

$10.21 TOP 24.34

10.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$16.92 TOP 40.33

-9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.27 TOP 7.79

-68.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$3.29 TOP 7.84

-8.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.10 TOP 5.00

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$42.09 TOP 100

190.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.06 TOP 4.91

142.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.04 TOP 4.87

-0.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.26 $30.26

$41.74 TOP 99.5

-27.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.42 TOP 3.39

-8.45%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$5,854 TOP 14.0K

405.49%

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

$19.7K $19.7K

$8,434 TOP 20.1K

133.43%

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

$410 $410

$187 TOP 447

118.71%

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

$29.48 $29.48

$21.76 TOP 51.9

35.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$122 TOP 292

-38.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$30.86 TOP 73.6

63.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

$40.74 TOP 97.1

-75.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.79 $8.79

$41.47 TOP 98.9

-78.80%

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

$1,002 $1,002

$155 TOP 369

547.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,850 $9,850

$249 TOP 594

3850.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.6 $69.6

$14.26 TOP 33.98

388.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.84 $49.84

$17.69 TOP 42.16

181.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 $80.1

$20.67 TOP 49.27

287.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$29.16 TOP 69.5

243.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 $324

$611 TOP 1,457

-47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 $198

$50.9 TOP 121

288.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 $906

$822 TOP 1,959

10.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 $700

$570 TOP 1,359

22.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$413 TOP 985

4291.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$247 TOP 589

4173.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,199 $1,199

$679 TOP 1,619

76.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for American Samoa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

American Samoa

$515 35.1%

Tonga

$332 31.1% 35.6% $184

Groceries & Markets

American Samoa

$367 25%

Tonga

$292 27.3% 20.5% $75

Accommodation & Living

American Samoa

$198 13.5%

Tonga

$51 4.8% 74.3% $147

Getting Around

American Samoa

$145 9.9%

Tonga

$63 5.9% 56.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

American Samoa

$135 9.2%

Tonga

$37 3.5% 72.7% $98

Sport & Entertainment

American Samoa

$68 4.6%

Tonga

$114 10.7% 67.5% $46

Eating Out

American Samoa

$42 * 2.9%

Tonga

$179 16.8% 328% $137

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $327 in American Samoa vs $619 in Tonga. For reference, capital cities sit at $327 in Pago Pago and $619 in Nuku’alofa.

Average salary: $1,183 in American Samoa vs $692 in Tonga. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 89% higher in Tonga.

Dining out costs 72% more in Tonga.

Public transport is 205% more expensive in American Samoa.

Salaries are 71% higher in American Samoa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in American Samoa.

Good to know

🇦🇸 American Samoa

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

24 h ahead of American Samoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,710

108,020

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 TOP = 0.42 USD

1 TOP = 0.377 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.38 TOP (1 TOP = 0.42 USD). 1 EUR = 2.65 TOP (1 TOP = 0.377 EUR).

TOP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

American Samoa Tonga 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

American Samoa
Tonga

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

American Samoa vs Tonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tonga is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 27% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, American Samoa costs about 38% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in American Samoa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

Tonga is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.