Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $1,067 in Tonga, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Tonga despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in China versus $1,067 in Tonga.

China $793
Tonga $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,261 in China versus $1,901 in Tonga.

China $1,261
Tonga $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in China versus $2,735 in Tonga.

China $1,730
Tonga $2,735

Living in China costs about 26% less than in Tonga on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 41% lower, Tonga 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.76

$8.43 TOP 20.30

-64.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$62.2 TOP 150

-63.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.70

$10.24 TOP 24.66

-47.85%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

$2.93 TOP 7.05

3.75%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$2.79 TOP 6.72

-82.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$2.52 TOP 6.07

-88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.92

$3.22 TOP 7.76

-68.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$5.09 TOP 12.26

-55.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$1.53 TOP 3.67

17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.28

$1.01 TOP 2.44

67.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$2.04 TOP 4.90

-50.98%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$5.16 TOP 12.44

-69.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.8

$8.91 TOP 21.45

50.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.28

$5.85 TOP 14.10

-40.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$7.56 TOP 18.21

51.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$2.73 TOP 6.58

-34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$2.71 TOP 6.52

-53.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.92

$2.83 TOP 6.81

-47.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$3.83 TOP 9.22

-65.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$3.10 TOP 7.48

-76.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.66 TOP 6.40

-65.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.26 TOP 5.45

-73.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$1.34 TOP 3.24

-56.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.65

$10.31 TOP 24.84

-62.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ¥79.4

$16.99 TOP 40.94

-30.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.72

$3.15 TOP 7.60

-72.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.33

$3.37 TOP 8.12

-49.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$2.04 TOP 4.91

-84.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.36 ¥150

$41.75 TOP 101

-46.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$2.05 TOP 4.94

-28.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$2.11 TOP 5.09

-81.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.04

$41.87 TOP 101

-83.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$1.48 TOP 3.57

-16.22%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$5,815 TOP 14.0K

230.64%

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

$17.3K ¥115.6K

$8,165 TOP 19.7K

111.82%

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

$54.3 ¥363

$186 TOP 448

-70.82%

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

$8.34 ¥55.7

$21.76 TOP 52.4

-61.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$124 TOP 299

-91.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 ¥270

$30.75 TOP 74.1

31.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$41.12 TOP 99.1

-64.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ¥46.08

$42.25 TOP 102

-83.69%

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

$457 ¥3,057

$156 TOP 377

192.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ¥134.2K

$248 TOP 596

8005.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.10 ¥302

$14.49 TOP 34.92

211.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 ¥238

$17.69 TOP 42.60

101.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥521

$21.07 TOP 50.8

269.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ¥522

$29.61 TOP 71.3

163.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ¥2,615

$627 TOP 1,510

-37.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,549

$50.1 TOP 121

362.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥5,457

$846 TOP 2,038

-3.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,070

$584 TOP 1,406

-21.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 ¥30.7K

$415 TOP 1,000

1004.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,309 ¥15.4K

$244 TOP 589

844.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,084 ¥7,247

$672 TOP 1,619

61.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

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

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.2%

Tonga

$50 4.7% 78.4% $182

Groceries & Markets

China

$211 26.6%

Tonga

$290 27.1% 37.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Tonga

$37 3.5% 65% $69

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Tonga

$181 16.9% 103% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.3%

Tonga

$332 31.1% 352% $258

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Tonga

$115 10.8% 113% $61

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Tonga

$63 5.9% 132% $36

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $207 in Tonga. Capital cities: $940 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $622 in Nuku'alofa.

National salary averages: $871 in China, $680 in Tonga. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 44% higher in China.

Public transport is 21% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 28% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

5 h ahead of China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

108,020

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.41 TOP (1 TOP = 0.415 USD). 1 EUR = 2.71 TOP (1 TOP = 0.369 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Tonga 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Tonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $1,067 in Tonga, there's a 35% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Tonga it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Tonga may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.