Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $1,804 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,804 in Italy versus $1,067 in Tonga.

Italy $1,804
Tonga $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,778 in Italy versus $1,901 in Tonga.

Italy $2,778
Tonga $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,752 in Italy versus $2,735 in Tonga.

Italy $3,752
Tonga $2,735

Living in Italy is roughly 69% more expensive than in Tonga on average.

Italy (34% above) and Tonga (21% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 €17.70

$8.43 TOP 20.30

135.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €68.5

$62.2 TOP 150

23.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$10.24 TOP 24.66

7.42%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$2.93 TOP 7.05

-32.08%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.79 TOP 6.72

6.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.52 TOP 6.07

-44.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €4.98

$3.22 TOP 7.76

73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$5.09 TOP 12.26

11.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.53 TOP 3.67

5.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.01 TOP 2.44

127.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.04 TOP 4.90

46.57%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$5.16 TOP 12.44

-21.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$8.91 TOP 21.45

93.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$5.85 TOP 14.10

116.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.11

$7.56 TOP 18.21

169.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.73 TOP 6.58

-6.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.71 TOP 6.52

-20.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.83 TOP 6.81

-9.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$3.83 TOP 9.22

-15.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$3.10 TOP 7.48

-38.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.66 TOP 6.40

-30.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.26 TOP 5.45

-33.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.34 TOP 3.24

-58.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$10.31 TOP 24.84

-33.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 €7.15

$16.99 TOP 40.94

-52.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.15 TOP 7.60

-45.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.37 TOP 8.12

-29.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.04 TOP 4.91

-7.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.31 €38.52

$41.75 TOP 101

3.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.95

$2.05 TOP 4.94

171.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.11 TOP 5.09

-22.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 €30.04

$41.87 TOP 101

-19.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.48 TOP 3.57

37.84%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$5,815 TOP 14.0K

512.68%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$8,165 TOP 19.7K

333.33%

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

$222 €198

$186 TOP 448

19.56%

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

$11.43 €10.17

$21.76 TOP 52.4

-47.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.65 €27.26

$124 TOP 299

-75.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 €46.89

$30.75 TOP 74.1

71.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.82 €21.19

$41.12 TOP 99.1

-42.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 €9.35

$42.25 TOP 102

-75.12%

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

$541 €481

$156 TOP 377

245.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$248 TOP 596

4633.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.0 €80.0

$14.49 TOP 34.92

520.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 €34.76

$17.69 TOP 42.60

120.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$21.07 TOP 50.8

381.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$29.61 TOP 71.3

346.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 €716

$627 TOP 1,510

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 €550

$50.1 TOP 121

1134.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 €1,235

$846 TOP 2,038

64.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 €934

$584 TOP 1,406

79.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,623 €3,223

$415 TOP 1,000

772.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,229 €1,983

$244 TOP 589

811.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 €1,680

$672 TOP 1,619

181.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

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

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$619 34.3%

Tonga

$50 4.7% 91.9% $569

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$347 19.2%

Tonga

$290 27.1% 16.5% $57

Eating Out

Italy

$273 15.1%

Tonga

$181 16.9% 33.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.7%

Tonga

$332 31.1% 25.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 9%

Tonga

$37 3.5% 77.1% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$74 4.1%

Tonga

$115 10.8% 56.3% $42

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Tonga

$63 5.9% 3.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $721 in Italy, $207 in Tonga. Capital cities: $1,222 in Rome vs $622 in Nuku'alofa.

National salary averages: $1,888 in Italy, $680 in Tonga. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 248% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 248% more in Italy.

Public transport is 193% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 178% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

21:41 9:41 PM

11 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

108,020

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Italy Tonga 17,600 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Tonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $1,067 in Tonga, there's a 69% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Tonga: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $721 in Italy and $207 in Tonga. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Tonga, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy 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: Tonga wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.