Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Caledonia and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $2,372 in New Caledonia, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in New Caledonia
Learn more

New Caledonia Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
Learn more

Tonga Living Index

Jump to prices

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$2,372

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,372 in New Caledonia versus $1,067 in Tonga.

New Caledonia $2,372
Tonga $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,753 in New Caledonia versus $1,901 in Tonga.

New Caledonia $3,753
Tonga $1,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,134 in New Caledonia versus $2,735 in Tonga.

New Caledonia $5,134
Tonga $2,735

Living in New Caledonia is roughly 122% more expensive than in Tonga on average.

New Caledonia (76% above) and Tonga (21% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 CFPF 2,210

$8.43 TOP 20.30

147.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 CFPF 12.1K

$62.2 TOP 150

83.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.78 CFPF 1,458

$10.24 TOP 24.66

34.57%

Cappuccino

$4.62 CFPF 488

$2.93 TOP 7.05

57.68%

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

$2.02 CFPF 213

$2.79 TOP 6.72

-27.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 CFPF 134

$2.52 TOP 6.07

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 CFPF 1,007

$3.22 TOP 7.76

195.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CFPF 783

$5.09 TOP 12.26

45.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 CFPF 125

$1.53 TOP 3.67

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.41 CFPF 361

$1.01 TOP 2.44

237.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CFPF 235

$2.04 TOP 4.90

9.31%

Eggs

$6.00 CFPF 635

$5.16 TOP 12.44

16.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.42 CFPF 3,112

$8.91 TOP 21.45

230.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.64 CFPF 2,924

$5.85 TOP 14.10

372.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.21 CFPF 2,985

$7.56 TOP 18.21

273.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 CFPF 490

$2.73 TOP 6.58

69.60%

Banana (1kg)

$6.93 CFPF 733

$2.71 TOP 6.52

155.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.97 CFPF 631

$2.83 TOP 6.81

110.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.00 CFPF 846

$3.83 TOP 9.22

108.88%

Potato (1kg)

$5.34 CFPF 565

$3.10 TOP 7.48

72.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 CFPF 394

$2.66 TOP 6.40

39.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.00 CFPF 423

$2.26 TOP 5.45

76.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 CFPF 153

$1.34 TOP 3.24

8.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.80 CFPF 1,989

$10.31 TOP 24.84

82.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 CFPF 1,601

$16.99 TOP 40.94

-10.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 CFPF 604

$3.15 TOP 7.60

81.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 TOP 8.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 CFPF 505

$2.04 TOP 4.91

133.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.75 TOP 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 CFPF 722

$2.05 TOP 4.94

233.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 CFPF 114

$2.11 TOP 5.09

-48.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.06 CFPF 2,228

$41.87 TOP 101

-49.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 CFPF 166

$1.48 TOP 3.57

6.08%

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

$32.2K CFPF 3.4M

$5,815 TOP 14.0K

453.51%

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

$37.0K CFPF 3.9M

$8,165 TOP 19.7K

353.18%

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

$193 CFPF 20.4K

$186 TOP 448

3.83%

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

$44.24 CFPF 4,680

$21.76 TOP 52.4

103.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 CFPF 5,460

$124 TOP 299

-58.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 CFPF 5,419

$30.75 TOP 74.1

66.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.49 CFPF 898

$41.12 TOP 99.1

-79.35%

Cinema Ticket

$13.87 CFPF 1,468

$42.25 TOP 102

-67.17%

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

$751 CFPF 79.5K

$156 TOP 377

380.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,263 CFPF 980.0K

$248 TOP 596

3641.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 CFPF 11.7K

$14.49 TOP 34.92

663.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 CFPF 6,918

$17.69 TOP 42.60

269.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 CFPF 10.0K

$21.07 TOP 50.8

349.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$245 CFPF 25.9K

$29.61 TOP 71.3

726.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 CFPF 75.1K

$627 TOP 1,510

13.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 CFPF 81.2K

$50.1 TOP 121

1431.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 CFPF 159.1K

$846 TOP 2,038

77.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 CFPF 138.4K

$584 TOP 1,406

124.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,696 CFPF 496.9K

$415 TOP 1,000

1031.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,433 CFPF 363.3K

$244 TOP 589

1304.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,751 CFPF 291.0K

$672 TOP 1,619

309.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

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

Last update for New Caledonia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Caledonia

$768 32.4%

Tonga

$50 4.7% 93.5% $717

Groceries & Markets

New Caledonia

$634 * 26.7%

Tonga

$290 27.1% 54.3% $345

Eating Out

New Caledonia

$339 14.3%

Tonga

$181 16.9% 46.7% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Caledonia

$289 12.2%

Tonga

$332 31.1% 14.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

New Caledonia

$232 9.8%

Tonga

$37 3.5% 83.9% $195

Sport & Entertainment

New Caledonia

$79 3.3%

Tonga

$115 10.8% 45.9% $36

Getting Around

New Caledonia

$31 * 1.3%

Tonga

$63 5.9% 99.7% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $436 in New Caledonia, $207 in Tonga. Capital cities: $751 in Noumea vs $622 in Nuku'alofa.

National salary averages: $2,744 in New Caledonia, $680 in Tonga. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 111% higher in New Caledonia.

Dining out costs 157% more in New Caledonia.

Salaries are 304% higher in New Caledonia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Caledonia.

Good to know

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

2 h ahead of New Caledonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,500

108,020

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 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 XPF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New Caledonia Tonga 1,900 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New Caledonia
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

New Caledonia vs Tonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,372 per month in New Caledonia and $1,067 in Tonga, there's a 122% 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 $436 in New Caledonia and $207 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 New Caledonia 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; New Caledonia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.