Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Marshall Islands and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,087 a month against $2,114 in the Marshall Islands, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in the Marshall Islands
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Marshall Islands Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,114

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,087

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,114 in the Marshall Islands versus $1,087 in Tonga.

Marshall Islands $2,114
Tonga $1,087

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,963 in the Marshall Islands versus $1,894 in Tonga.

Marshall Islands $2,963
Tonga $1,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in the Marshall Islands versus $2,700 in Tonga.

Marshall Islands $3,812
Tonga $2,700

Living in the Marshall Islands is roughly 94% more expensive than in Tonga on average.

The Marshall Islands (58% above) and Tonga (19% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 $7.35

$8.54 TOP 20.47

-13.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.49 $29.49

$63.5 TOP 152

-53.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 $10.39

$10.42 TOP 24.98

-0.29%

Cappuccino

$4.40 $4.40

$2.95 TOP 7.07

49.15%

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

$1.78 $1.78

$2.82 TOP 6.75

-36.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.42 TOP 5.80

20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.24 TOP 7.76

39.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.94 TOP 11.84

-1.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.52 TOP 3.64

44.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.02 TOP 2.44

231.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.12 TOP 5.08

-17.45%

Eggs

$5.18 $5.18

$5.01 TOP 12.00

3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.56 $30.56

$8.97 TOP 21.49

240.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$5.73 TOP 13.73

94.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.31 $18.31

$7.60 TOP 18.22

140.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.71 TOP 6.49

59.41%

Banana (1kg)

$7.39 $7.39

$2.76 TOP 6.61

167.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.91 $8.91

$2.85 TOP 6.83

212.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$3.81 TOP 9.14

241.47%

Potato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.12 TOP 7.48

69.87%

Onion (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.65 TOP 6.35

109.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.18 TOP 5.24

69.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.37 TOP 3.27

38.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 $5.91

$10.09 TOP 24.19

-41.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 $9.90

$17.24 TOP 41.33

-42.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 TOP 7.77

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.38 TOP 8.09

-28.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.05 TOP 4.92

46.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.49 TOP 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.10 TOP 5.04

32.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 TOP 4.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 $5.12

$41.58 TOP 99.7

-87.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.47 TOP 3.51

25.85%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$5,703 TOP 13.7K

331.96%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$8,292 TOP 19.9K

324.85%

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

$251 $251

$188 TOP 451

33.41%

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

$37.63 $37.63

$21.78 TOP 52.2

72.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.8 $71.8

$126 TOP 303

-43.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.77 $36.77

$30.90 TOP 74.1

19.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.51 TOP 99.5

Cinema Ticket

$41.13 TOP 98.6

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

$148 $148

$161 TOP 385

-7.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,588 $2,588

$247 TOP 593

946.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 $69.2

$14.46 TOP 34.65

378.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.61 $39.61

$17.82 TOP 42.71

122.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$29.91 $29.91

$20.91 TOP 50.1

43.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.52 $49.52

$29.00 TOP 69.5

70.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 $770

$630 TOP 1,511

22.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 $867

$50.8 TOP 122

1606.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 $1,344

$842 TOP 2,018

59.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 $1,268

$568 TOP 1,362

123.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$421 TOP 1,009

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$251 TOP 602

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,014 $1,014

$678 TOP 1,625

49.50%

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

Last update for the Marshall Islands: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marshall Islands

$867 41.3%

Tonga

$51 4.7% 94.1% $817

Groceries & Markets

Marshall Islands

$541 * 25.8%

Tonga

$290 27.1% 46.4% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marshall Islands

$360 17.2%

Tonga

$336 31.4% 6.7% $24

Eating Out

Marshall Islands

$194 9.2%

Tonga

$182 17% 6.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Marshall Islands

$85 4%

Tonga

$37 3.5% 56.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Marshall Islands

$37 * 1.8%

Tonga

$113 10.6% 208% $76

Getting Around

Marshall Islands

$15 * 0.7%

Tonga

$62 5.8% 319% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $790 in the Marshall Islands, $206 in Tonga. Capital cities: $790 in Majuro vs $619 in Nuku'alofa.

National salary averages: $1,007 in the Marshall Islands, $680 in Tonga. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 283% higher in the Marshall Islands.

Dining out costs 43% more in the Marshall Islands.

Salaries are 48% higher in the Marshall Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Tonga.

Good to know

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

1 h ahead of the Marshall Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,127

108,020

💱 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

Marshall Islands Tonga 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Marshall Islands
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

Marshall Islands vs Tonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,114 per month in the Marshall Islands and $1,087 in Tonga, there's a 94% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $790 in the Marshall Islands and $206 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 the Marshall Islands 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; the Marshall Islands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.