Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Majuro and Nuku'alofa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku'alofa: $1,019 a month against $2,127 in Majuro, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Majuro
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Majuro Living Index
49

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

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Majuro

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,127

/mo nomad

Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Majuro 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 Majuro and in Nuku'alofa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,127 per month in Majuro vs $1,019 in Nuku'alofa, rent included.

Majuro $2,127
Nuku'alofa $1,019

A couple spends around $2,970 per month in Majuro vs $1,886 in Nuku'alofa, rent included.

Majuro $2,970
Nuku'alofa $1,886

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Majuro vs $2,752 in Nuku'alofa, rent included.

Majuro $3,812
Nuku'alofa $2,752

Majuro costs about 109% more than Nuku'alofa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Majuro sits 59% above the global median, while Nuku'alofa is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 $9.92

$8.52 TOP 20.43

16.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 $29.92

$61.8 TOP 148

-51.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 $10.56

$10.32 TOP 24.74

2.33%

Cappuccino

$4.35 $4.35

$2.93 TOP 7.02

48.46%

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

$1.79 $1.79

$2.82 TOP 6.75

-36.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.52 TOP 6.03

-19.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.38 TOP 8.09

32.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 $5.14

$5.03 TOP 12.07

2.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.52 TOP 3.64

46.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.07 TOP 2.56

221.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.11 TOP 5.07

-16.11%

Eggs

$5.14 $5.14

$4.97 TOP 11.91

3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.83 $30.83

$8.75 TOP 20.98

252.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$5.91 TOP 14.16

87.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.03 $18.03

$7.82 TOP 18.75

130.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.79 TOP 6.69

53.41%

Banana (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$2.71 TOP 6.49

163.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.93 $8.93

$2.87 TOP 6.87

211.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$3.68 TOP 8.82

248.91%

Potato (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$3.16 TOP 7.57

63.29%

Onion (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.65 TOP 6.34

111.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.28 TOP 5.46

66.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.42 TOP 3.40

32.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 $5.98

$10.24 TOP 24.54

-41.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 $9.99

$17.36 TOP 41.62

-42.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 TOP 7.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.41 TOP 8.18

-26.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.14 TOP 5.12

35.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.65 TOP 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.05 TOP 4.92

30.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 TOP 4.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 $5.11

$41.16 TOP 98.7

-87.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.47 TOP 3.53

20.41%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$5,817 TOP 13.9K

331.65%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$8,461 TOP 20.3K

311.24%

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

$252 $252

$188 TOP 450

34.36%

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

$37.28 $37.28

$22.27 TOP 53.4

67.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.2 $80.2

$123 TOP 294

-34.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.80 $37.80

$31.62 TOP 75.8

19.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 TOP 97.6

Cinema Ticket

$40.75 TOP 97.7

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

$148 $148

$157 TOP 376

-5.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,635 $2,635

$248 TOP 593

964.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 $70.8

$14.35 TOP 34.38

393.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 $40.02

$17.98 TOP 43.09

122.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.23 $30.23

$20.42 TOP 48.93

48.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 $50.1

$29.28 TOP 70.2

70.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 $790

$619 TOP 1,484

27.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 $883

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 $1,334

$831 TOP 1,992

60.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 $1,262

$560 TOP 1,342

125.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$418 TOP 1,001

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$252 TOP 603

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,007 $1,007

$680 TOP 1,630

48.13%

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

Last update for Majuro: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nuku'alofa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Majuro

$883 41.2%

Nuku'alofa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Majuro

$540 * 25.2%

Nuku'alofa

$292 28.6% 46% $248

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Majuro

$370 17.3%

Nuku'alofa

$332 32.6% 10.1% $37

Eating Out

Majuro

$211 9.9%

Nuku'alofa

$183 17.9% 13.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Majuro

$86 4%

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6% 57.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Majuro

$38 * 1.8%

Nuku'alofa

$113 11.1% 199% $75

Getting Around

Majuro

$14 * 0.7%

Nuku'alofa

$63 6.1% 337% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $790 in Majuro versus $619 in Nuku'alofa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 48% higher in Majuro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Majuro versus $62.0 in Nuku'alofa. Groceries tell a different story – $540 in Majuro vs $292 in Nuku'alofa – so Nuku'alofa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇭 Majuro

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

1 h ahead of Majuro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,000 Capital

24,500 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 TOP = 0.417 USD

1 TOP = 0.372 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.4 TOP (1 TOP = 0.417 USD). 1 EUR = 2.69 TOP (1 TOP = 0.372 EUR).

TOP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Majuro Nuku'alofa 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Majuro
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

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

Yes – Majuro is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,190 per month in Majuro and $1,529 in Nuku'alofa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nuku'alofa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,127 in Majuro and $1,019 in Nuku'alofa. That's a gap of about 109%.

Kindergarten costs $148 per month in Majuro and $157 in Nuku'alofa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nuku'alofa, where all-in costs run around $1,019, than in Majuro at $2,127. In Nuku'alofa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Majuro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nuku'alofa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nuku'alofa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Majuro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.