Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lautoka and Nuku'alofa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $333 a month against $1,021 in Nuku'alofa, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lautoka
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Lautoka Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Nuku'alofa
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Nuku'alofa Living Index

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Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$333

/mo nomad

Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lautoka and in Nuku'alofa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $333 in Lautoka versus $1,021 in Nuku'alofa.

Lautoka $333
Nuku'alofa $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $722 in Lautoka versus $1,873 in Nuku'alofa.

Lautoka $722
Nuku'alofa $1,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,112 in Lautoka versus $2,724 in Nuku'alofa.

Lautoka $1,112
Nuku'alofa $2,724

Living in Lautoka costs roughly 67% less than in Nuku'alofa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lautoka 75% lower, Nuku'alofa 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.19 FJD 11.61

$8.12 TOP 19.41

-36.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 FJD 177

$63.4 TOP 152

24.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 FJD 17.47

$10.43 TOP 24.95

-25.22%

Cappuccino

$2.56 FJD 5.72

$2.98 TOP 7.13

-14.09%

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

$2.12 FJD 4.74

$2.90 TOP 6.93

-26.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 FJD 3.38

$2.52 TOP 6.02

-40.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 FJD 5.44

$3.30 TOP 7.90

-26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 FJD 6.84

$5.11 TOP 12.21

-40.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 FJD 3.72

$1.52 TOP 3.65

9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 FJD 1.64

$1.01 TOP 2.41

-27.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 FJD 1.95

$2.09 TOP 5.01

-58.37%

Eggs

$3.44 FJD 7.70

$5.00 TOP 11.97

-31.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.80 FJD 12.98

$8.85 TOP 21.17

-34.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 FJD 17.06

$5.99 TOP 14.33

27.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 FJD 16.98

$7.76 TOP 18.55

-2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 FJD 9.90

$2.71 TOP 6.47

63.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.48

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 FJD 2.91

$2.96 TOP 7.08

-56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 TOP 8.92

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 FJD 2.09

$3.17 TOP 7.58

-70.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 FJD 1.93

$2.57 TOP 6.14

-66.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 FJD 1.96

$2.27 TOP 5.42

-61.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 FJD 1.03

$1.35 TOP 3.23

-65.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.93 FJD 24.46

$10.27 TOP 24.57

6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 FJD 12.22

$16.82 TOP 40.23

-67.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 FJD 5.74

$3.20 TOP 7.66

-19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 FJD 7.82

$3.33 TOP 7.97

4.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 TOP 4.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 TOP 100

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 TOP 5.05

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 TOP 4.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.85 TOP 100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 FJD 2.99

$1.47 TOP 3.50

-9.52%

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

$5,738 TOP 13.7K

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

$8,307 TOP 19.9K

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

$189 TOP 453

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

$13.14 FJD 29.43

$21.88 TOP 52.3

-39.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 TOP 300

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.10 TOP 74.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.86 TOP 100

Cinema Ticket

$41.80 TOP 100.0

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

$155 TOP 372

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$250 TOP 598

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.81 TOP 35.42

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.54 TOP 41.95

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.45 TOP 48.91

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.29 TOP 70.1

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 FJD 1,007

$622 TOP 1,488

-27.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 FJD 1,952

$845 TOP 2,020

3.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 TOP 1,350

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$422 TOP 1,008

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$250 TOP 597

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$688 FJD 1,541

$680 TOP 1,627

1.16%

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

Last update for Lautoka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nuku'alofa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lautoka

$191 * 57.5%

Nuku'alofa

$290 28.4% 51.8% $99

Eating Out

Lautoka

$128 38.6%

Nuku'alofa

$180 17.7% 40.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lautoka

$13 * 4%

Nuku'alofa

$337 33% 2461% $323

Getting Around

Lautoka

- * 0%

Nuku'alofa

$63 6.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Lautoka

- * 0%

Nuku'alofa

$115 11.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Lautoka

- * 0%

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6%

Accommodation & Living

Lautoka

- * 0%

Nuku'alofa

- * 0%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $450 in Lautoka and $622 in Nuku'alofa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lautoka pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79.0 in Lautoka vs $63.0 in Nuku'alofa. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $290, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

1 h ahead of Lautoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

24,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.398 EUR

1 TOP = 0.418 USD

1 TOP = 0.373 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.398 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.39 TOP (1 TOP = 0.418 USD). 1 EUR = 2.68 TOP (1 TOP = 0.373 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lautoka Nuku'alofa 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lautoka
Nuku'alofa

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

Lautoka vs Nuku'alofa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lautoka and Nuku'alofa differ by about 207% in total monthly costs ($333 vs $1,021 including rent). Lautoka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Lautoka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $450 in Lautoka versus $622 in Nuku'alofa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lautoka – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $63.0 in Nuku'alofa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $333 per month in Lautoka versus $1,021 in Nuku'alofa – a 207% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $333 in Lautoka versus $1,021 in Nuku'alofa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Nuku'alofa. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lautoka and Nuku'alofa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lautoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 207% less than in Nuku'alofa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.