Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuku'alofa and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku'alofa: $1,019 a month against $2,121 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Nuku'alofa
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Nuku'alofa Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,019

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nuku'alofa and in Gizo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nuku'alofa and in Gizo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,019 in Nuku'alofa versus $2,121 in Gizo.

Nuku'alofa $1,019
Gizo $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,886 in Nuku'alofa versus $3,041 in Gizo.

Nuku'alofa $1,886
Gizo $3,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,752 in Nuku'alofa versus $3,960 in Gizo.

Nuku'alofa $2,752
Gizo $3,960

Living in Nuku'alofa costs roughly 52% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nuku'alofa is 24% below, Gizo is 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.52 TOP 20.26

$3.15 SBD 25.41

170.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 TOP 147

$56.5 SBD 456

9.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 TOP 24.54

$15.76 SBD 127

-34.52%

Cappuccino

$2.93 TOP 6.96

$2.76 SBD 22.26

6.16%

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

$2.82 TOP 6.70

$1.26 SBD 10.17

123.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 5.99

$1.25 SBD 10.10

101.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 TOP 8.02

$2.55 SBD 20.62

32.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 TOP 11.97

$2.53 SBD 20.44

98.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.61

$3.29 SBD 26.58

-53.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 TOP 2.54

$1.32 SBD 10.66

-18.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 TOP 5.02

$1.40 SBD 11.33

50.71%

Eggs

$4.97 TOP 11.81

$7.24 SBD 58.5

-31.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 TOP 20.81

$8.64 SBD 69.8

1.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 TOP 14.04

$6.33 SBD 51.1

-6.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 TOP 18.60

$8.74 SBD 70.6

-10.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 TOP 6.63

$6.88 SBD 55.6

-59.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.44

$6.01 SBD 48.52

-54.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 TOP 6.81

$6.33 SBD 51.2

-54.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 TOP 8.75

$3.04 SBD 24.57

21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 TOP 7.51

$3.03 SBD 24.50

4.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.29

$2.41 SBD 19.50

9.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 TOP 5.42

$2.43 SBD 19.62

-6.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 TOP 3.37

$1.33 SBD 10.77

6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 TOP 24.34

$4.27 SBD 34.51

139.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 TOP 41.28

$12.57 SBD 102

38.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 TOP 7.45

$1.89 SBD 15.25

66.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 TOP 8.11

$2.19 SBD 17.68

55.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 TOP 5.08

$0.39 SBD 3.12

448.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.65 TOP 99.0

$31.04 SBD 251

34.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 TOP 4.88

$1.23 SBD 9.91

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 TOP 4.92

$2.45 SBD 19.77

-15.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.16 TOP 97.9

$12.41 SBD 100

231.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.50

$1.77 SBD 14.26

-16.95%

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

$5,817 TOP 13.8K

$20.6K SBD 166.4K

-71.75%

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

$8,461 TOP 20.1K

$21.5K SBD 173.5K

-60.59%

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

$188 TOP 446

$756 SBD 6,110

-75.19%

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

$22.27 TOP 52.9

$13.69 SBD 111

62.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$123 TOP 291

$125 SBD 1,009

-1.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 TOP 75.2

$18.41 SBD 149

71.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 TOP 96.8

$6.05 SBD 48.89

573.06%

Cinema Ticket

$40.75 TOP 96.9

$4.39 SBD 35.44

828.25%

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

$157 TOP 373

$121 SBD 981

29.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$248 TOP 589

$1,253 SBD 10.1K

-80.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.35 TOP 34.11

$24.88 SBD 201

-42.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.98 TOP 42.74

$92.0 SBD 743

-80.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.42 TOP 48.53

$100 SBD 809

-79.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.28 TOP 69.6

$90.5 SBD 731

-67.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 TOP 1,472

$608 SBD 4,910

1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 SBD 4,801

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 TOP 1,976

$618 SBD 4,993

34.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 TOP 1,331

$1,234 SBD 9,968

-54.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$418 TOP 993

$86.8K SBD 700.9K

-99.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$252 TOP 598

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 TOP 1,616

$395 SBD 3,194

71.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

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

Last update for Nuku'alofa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuku'alofa

$332 32.6%

Gizo

$895 40.9% 169% $563

Groceries & Markets

Nuku'alofa

$292 28.6%

Gizo

$354 16.2% 21.4% $62

Eating Out

Nuku'alofa

$183 17.9%

Gizo

$133 6.1% 27% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nuku'alofa

$113 11.1%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 76% $86

Getting Around

Nuku'alofa

$63 6.1%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 26.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6%

Gizo

$138 6.3% 275% $101

Accommodation & Living

Nuku'alofa

- * 0%

Gizo

$594 27.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Nuku'alofa and $608 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nuku'alofa pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Nuku'alofa vs $56.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $354, with Nuku'alofa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

2 h behind Nuku'alofa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,500 Capital

7,177

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.421 USD

1 TOP = 0.375 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.38 TOP (1 TOP = 0.421 USD). 1 EUR = 2.66 TOP (1 TOP = 0.375 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.05 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nuku'alofa Gizo 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nuku'alofa
Gizo

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

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

Nuku'alofa wins on cost – living expenses run 108% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nuku'alofa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 72% higher in Nuku'alofa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Nuku'alofa versus $608 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nuku'alofa – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $56.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,019 in Nuku'alofa versus $2,121 in Gizo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nuku'alofa but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Nuku'alofa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nuku'alofa and Gizo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nuku'alofa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.