Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tonga
For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,087 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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Melbourne Living Index137Cost of Living Index in MelbourneLearn more -
Tonga Living Index52Cost of Living Index in TongaLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 45.6% more expensive than Tonga without rent, and 162.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 46.8% more expensive than Tonga without rent, and 112.7% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.75 A$25.40
$8.54 TOP 20.47
107.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.8 A$121
$63.5 TOP 152
33.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.16 A$17.40
$10.42 TOP 24.98
16.70%
Cappuccino
$3.93 A$5.62
$2.95 TOP 7.07
33.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 A$4.49
$2.82 TOP 6.75
11.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 A$3.47
$2.42 TOP 5.80
0.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.90 A$14.17
$3.24 TOP 7.76
205.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.29 A$11.86
$4.94 TOP 11.84
67.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 A$2.21
$1.52 TOP 3.64
1.97%
White Bread (500g)
$3.01 A$4.31
$1.02 TOP 2.44
195.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.12
$2.12 TOP 5.08
35.85%
Eggs
$5.44 A$7.79
$5.01 TOP 12.00
8.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.59 A$15.16
$8.97 TOP 21.49
18.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.61 A$13.76
$5.73 TOP 13.73
67.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.99 A$21.46
$7.60 TOP 18.22
97.24%
Apples (1kg)
$4.15 A$5.94
$2.71 TOP 6.49
53.14%
Banana (1kg)
$3.05 A$4.37
$2.76 TOP 6.61
10.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.30 A$4.72
$2.85 TOP 6.83
15.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.76 A$6.81
$3.81 TOP 9.14
24.93%
Potato (1kg)
$3.04 A$4.34
$3.12 TOP 7.48
-2.56%
Onion (1kg)
$2.55 A$3.65
$2.65 TOP 6.35
-3.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.48 A$3.55
$2.18 TOP 5.24
13.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 A$2.33
$1.37 TOP 3.27
18.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$44.07 A$63.1
$10.09 TOP 24.19
336.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.43 A$17.79
$17.24 TOP 41.33
-27.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.33 A$7.63
$3.24 TOP 7.77
64.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.16 A$7.38
$3.38 TOP 8.09
52.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.84 A$5.50
$2.05 TOP 4.92
87.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$142 A$203
$41.49 TOP 99.4
241.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.40 A$6.29
$2.10 TOP 5.04
109.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.40 A$2.01
$2.07 TOP 4.96
-32.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.83 A$42.69
$41.58 TOP 99.7
-28.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 A$2.09
$1.47 TOP 3.51
-0.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K A$40.3K
$5,703 TOP 13.7K
393.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K A$37.1K
$8,292 TOP 19.9K
212.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$233 A$333
$188 TOP 451
23.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.28 A$39.04
$21.78 TOP 52.2
25.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.0 A$81.6
$126 TOP 303
-54.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.7 A$75.4
$30.90 TOP 74.1
70.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.62 A$32.37
$41.51 TOP 99.5
-45.51%
Cinema Ticket
$17.10 A$24.48
$41.13 TOP 98.6
-58.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,373 A$3,397
$161 TOP 385
1375.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.5K A$43.6K
$247 TOP 593
12221.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.2 A$112
$14.46 TOP 34.65
440.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.5 A$72.2
$17.82 TOP 42.71
183.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 A$172
$20.91 TOP 50.1
476.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 A$191
$29.00 TOP 69.5
359.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 A$2,451
$630 TOP 1,511
171.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,402 A$2,006
$50.8 TOP 122
2658.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,339 A$4,778
$842 TOP 2,018
296.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,529 A$3,619
$568 TOP 1,362
344.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,018 A$10.0K
$421 TOP 1,009
1567.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,767 A$9,685
$251 TOP 602
2593.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Melbourne
Tonga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,228 A$6,051
$678 TOP 1,625
523.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.9
0
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CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026
Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Melbourne $1.4K 49.3%
Tonga $51 4.7% 96.4% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Melbourne $385 13.5%
Tonga $290 27.1% 24.7% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne $317 11.1%
Tonga $336 31.4% 6.1% $19
Eating Out
Melbourne $314 11%
Tonga $182 17% 42% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne $172 6.1%
Tonga $37 3.5% 78.5% $135
Getting Around
Melbourne $168 5.9%
Tonga $62 5.8% 63.1% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne $87 3.1%
Tonga $113 10.6% 30.2% $26
Accommodation & Living
Melbourne $2.5K 44.3%
Tonga $568 20.8% 77.5% $2K
Groceries & Markets
Melbourne $875 15.3%
Tonga $652 23.9% 25.5% $223
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Melbourne $344 6%
Tonga $358 13.1% 4% $14
Eating Out
Melbourne $1K 18.3%
Tonga $671 24.6% 35.7% $373
Clothing & Footwear
Melbourne $382 6.7%
Tonga $82 3% 78.5% $300
Getting Around
Melbourne $344 6%
Tonga $128 4.7% 62.7% $216
Sport & Entertainment
Melbourne $196 3.4%
Tonga $268 9.8% 36.4% $71
Good to know
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🇹🇴 Tonga
Weather
Population
5,031,195
108,020
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Melbourne Tonga 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
- Melbourne
- 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
Melbourne vs other spots: cost of living compared
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$2,852
/mo nomad
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$2,854
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$2,852
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$2,650
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$2,852
/mo nomad
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🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,203
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
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