Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nauru and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in Nauru: $548 a month against $1,070 in Tonga, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Nauru
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Nauru Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇳🇷 Nauru

$548

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $548 in Nauru versus $1,070 in Tonga.

Nauru $548
Tonga $1,070

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,001 in Nauru versus $1,905 in Tonga.

Nauru $3,001
Tonga $1,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Nauru versus $2,739 in Tonga.

Nauru $5,454
Tonga $2,739

Living in Nauru costs about 49% less than in Tonga on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Nauru 60% lower, Tonga 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.30 A$14.83

$8.40 TOP 20.23

22.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.76 A$35.64

$61.3 TOP 148

-59.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.79

$10.58 TOP 25.48

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$3.53 A$5.08

$2.86 TOP 6.89

23.43%

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

$1.06 A$1.53

$2.90 TOP 6.99

-63.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 A$1.54

$2.52 TOP 6.07

-57.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 A$10.20

$3.39 TOP 8.17

109.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.14

$4.88 TOP 11.76

1.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.07 A$4.42

$1.60 TOP 3.86

91.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 A$2.47

$1.05 TOP 2.53

63.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 TOP 5.10

Eggs

$4.94 TOP 11.91

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 TOP 21.11

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 TOP 14.34

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.61 TOP 18.32

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 TOP 6.57

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 TOP 6.62

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 TOP 7.11

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 TOP 9.04

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.94

$3.20 TOP 7.70

7.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.90

$2.61 TOP 6.29

30.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 A$5.08

$2.23 TOP 5.37

58.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 TOP 3.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 TOP 24.48

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 A$25.59

$17.20 TOP 41.44

3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 TOP 7.45

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 TOP 8.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 A$2.04

$2.06 TOP 4.96

-31.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 A$124

$41.49 TOP 100.0

108.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 A$10.11

$2.12 TOP 5.11

231.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.57 A$5.14

$2.06 TOP 4.96

73.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.68 A$60.0

$41.51 TOP 100

0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.39

$1.47 TOP 3.54

12.93%

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

$34.4K A$49.4K

$5,897 TOP 14.2K

482.60%

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

$10.4K A$15.0K

$8,405 TOP 20.2K

24.32%

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

$188 TOP 453

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

$7.11 A$10.23

$22.53 TOP 54.3

-68.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.66 A$39.81

$122 TOP 295

-77.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$0.01 A$0.02

$31.75 TOP 76.5

-99.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 A$19.94

$41.46 TOP 99.9

-66.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 A$9.90

$41.90 TOP 101

-83.58%

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

$354 A$510

$158 TOP 381

124.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K A$15.2K

$253 TOP 610

4073.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.69 A$19.70

$14.63 TOP 35.23

-6.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.55 A$15.18

$17.80 TOP 42.88

-40.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.49 A$51.1

$20.73 TOP 49.93

71.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 A$99.3

$28.54 TOP 68.8

141.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,847 A$4,097

$628 TOP 1,512

353.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$49.33 TOP 119

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,072 A$7,299

$827 TOP 1,992

513.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,231 A$6,088

$587 TOP 1,413

621.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$408 TOP 982

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$244 TOP 588

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$682 TOP 1,642

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Nauru: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Nauru

$210 38.3%

Tonga

$182 17% 13.3% $28

Getting Around

Nauru

$117 21.3%

Tonga

$62 5.8% 46.8% $55

Groceries & Markets

Nauru

$115 * 20.9%

Tonga

$291 27.2% 154% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Nauru

$58 10.6%

Tonga

$37 3.4% 36.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nauru

$35 * 6.4%

Tonga

$333 31.1% 858% $298

Sport & Entertainment

Nauru

$14 2.5%

Tonga

$116 10.8% 739% $102

Accommodation & Living

Nauru

- * 0%

Tonga

$49 4.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $2,733 in Nauru, $206 in Tonga. Capital cities: $2,733 in Yaren vs $619 in Nuku'alofa.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1227% higher in Nauru.

Dining out costs 14% more in Nauru.

Public transport is 521% more expensive in Nauru.

Good to know

🇳🇷 Nauru

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

1 h ahead of Nauru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,650

108,020

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.41 TOP (1 TOP = 0.415 USD). 1 EUR = 2.71 TOP (1 TOP = 0.369 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nauru Tonga 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nauru
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

Nauru vs Tonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $548 per month in Nauru and $1,070 in Tonga, there's a 95% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Nauru is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In Nauru, $800 covers most cities easily; in Tonga 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: Nauru wins on affordability; Tonga may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.