Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,067 in Tonga, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Tonga $1,067

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $1,893 in Tonga, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Tonga $1,893

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,719 in Tonga, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Tonga $2,719

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Tonga ($1,021–$1,021), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 146% higher than in Tonga on average.

Australia sits 93% above the global median, while Tonga is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.08

$8.17 TOP 19.50

116.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$62.4 TOP 149

36.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.76

$10.42 TOP 24.88

6.43%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.89 TOP 6.90

34.95%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$2.78 TOP 6.63

2.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$2.53 TOP 6.03

-8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$3.35 TOP 8.00

124.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

$5.02 TOP 11.98

71.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.52 TOP 3.63

15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.03 TOP 2.45

172.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$2.09 TOP 4.99

7.18%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$5.23 TOP 12.49

-4.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.02

$8.93 TOP 21.31

10.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.24

$5.71 TOP 13.62

63.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$7.51 TOP 17.93

97.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.42

$2.84 TOP 6.77

34.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$2.85 TOP 6.80

2.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$2.99 TOP 7.14

4.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.83

$3.69 TOP 8.81

30.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$3.23 TOP 7.71

-13.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$2.67 TOP 6.36

-10.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.17 TOP 5.19

9.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.41 TOP 3.36

17.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$10.21 TOP 24.37

283.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

$16.92 TOP 40.38

-17.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$3.27 TOP 7.80

51.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$3.29 TOP 7.85

57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$2.10 TOP 5.01

15.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$42.09 TOP 100

124.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$2.06 TOP 4.91

69.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$2.04 TOP 4.88

-21.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.6

$41.74 TOP 99.6

-4.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.42 TOP 3.40

-2.11%

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

$30.0K A$42.7K

$5,854 TOP 14.0K

412.61%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$8,434 TOP 20.1K

205.36%

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

$205 A$291

$187 TOP 447

9.39%

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

$28.33 A$40.27

$21.76 TOP 51.9

30.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.5

$122 TOP 292

-52.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$30.86 TOP 73.7

80.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.82

$40.74 TOP 97.2

-51.96%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.86

$41.47 TOP 99.0

-62.91%

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

$2,145 A$3,049

$155 TOP 369

1286.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$249 TOP 595

7259.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$14.26 TOP 34.03

449.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$17.69 TOP 42.22

218.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$20.67 TOP 49.34

456.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$29.16 TOP 69.6

322.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,261

$611 TOP 1,460

160.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,837

$50.9 TOP 122

2439.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,588

$822 TOP 1,962

207.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,850

$570 TOP 1,361

251.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$413 TOP 986

2018.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,898

$247 TOP 590

2431.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,663

$679 TOP 1,621

486.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Tonga

$51 4.8% 96.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Tonga

$292 27.3% 22% $83

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Tonga

$179 16.8% 39.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Tonga

$332 31.1% 13.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Tonga

$37 3.5% 78.1% $131

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Tonga

$63 5.9% 45.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Tonga

$114 10.7% 31.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $619 in Tonga. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $619 in Nuku’alofa.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $692 in Tonga. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 123% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 35% more in Australia.

Public transport is 105% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 5.6 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

05:55 5:55 AM

2 h ahead of Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

108,020

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 TOP = 0.419 USD

1 TOP = 0.375 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.39 TOP (1 TOP = 0.419 USD). 1 EUR = 2.67 TOP (1 TOP = 0.375 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Tonga 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
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

Australia vs Tonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tonga is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 59% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $619 in Tonga.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Tonga – part of why living there is about 59% cheaper overall.

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.