Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuku'alofa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku'alofa: $1,021 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nuku'alofa
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Nuku'alofa Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,021

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Nuku'alofa versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Nuku'alofa $1,021
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,873 in Nuku'alofa versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Nuku'alofa $1,873
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,724 in Nuku'alofa versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Nuku'alofa $2,724
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Nuku'alofa costs roughly 54% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nuku'alofa is 24% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 TOP 19.55

$16.50 €14.67

-50.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 TOP 153

$61.3 €54.5

3.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 TOP 25.13

$11.27 €10.03

-7.45%

Cappuccino

$2.98 TOP 7.18

$3.06 €2.72

-2.61%

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

$2.90 TOP 6.98

$2.26 €2.01

28.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 6.06

$1.73 €1.54

45.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 TOP 7.96

$3.39 €3.02

-2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 TOP 12.30

$3.40 €3.02

50.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.67

$1.12 €1.00

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.43

$1.86 €1.65

-45.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 TOP 5.04

$1.53 €1.36

36.60%

Eggs

$5.00 TOP 12.05

$3.96 €3.53

26.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 TOP 21.32

$12.76 €11.35

-30.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 TOP 14.43

$7.90 €7.02

-24.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 TOP 18.68

$16.97 €15.09

-54.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.52

$2.27 €2.02

19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.53

$1.75 €1.55

54.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 TOP 7.13

$1.85 €1.64

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 TOP 8.98

$2.57 €2.28

45.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 TOP 7.63

$1.86 €1.65

70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 TOP 6.18

$2.02 €1.80

27.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 TOP 5.46

$1.44 €1.28

57.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TOP 3.25

$0.82 €0.73

64.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.27 TOP 24.75

$6.56 €5.83

56.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.82 TOP 40.52

$5.62 €5.00

199.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 TOP 7.72

$1.28 €1.14

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 TOP 8.03

$2.07 €1.84

60.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 TOP 4.98

$2.35 €2.09

-11.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 TOP 101

$44.18 €39.30

-5.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 TOP 5.08

$3.99 €3.55

-47.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 TOP 4.91

$1.09 €0.97

87.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.85 TOP 101

$16.64 €14.81

151.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.53

$2.28 €2.03

-35.53%

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

$5,738 TOP 13.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

-82.96%

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

$8,307 TOP 20.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-78.86%

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

$189 TOP 456

$167 €149

13.08%

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

$21.88 TOP 52.7

$18.80 €16.72

16.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 TOP 302

$33.09 €29.43

278.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.10 TOP 74.9

$46.01 €40.93

-32.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.86 TOP 101

$19.19 €17.07

118.13%

Cinema Ticket

$41.80 TOP 101

$9.84 €8.75

324.80%

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

$155 TOP 374

$677 €602

-77.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$250 TOP 602

$16.9K €15.1K

-98.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.81 TOP 35.68

$101 €90.1

-85.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.54 TOP 42.26

$45.76 €40.70

-61.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.45 TOP 49.27

$100.0 €88.9

-79.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.29 TOP 70.6

$123 €109

-76.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 TOP 1,499

$1,614 €1,436

-61.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 TOP 2,035

$2,862 €2,545

-70.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 TOP 1,360

$1,990 €1,770

-71.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$422 TOP 1,016

$7,577 €6,740

-94.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$250 TOP 602

$4,307 €3,831

-94.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 TOP 1,639

$1,588 €1,412

-57.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Nuku'alofa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuku'alofa

$337 33%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 34.8% $117

Groceries & Markets

Nuku'alofa

$290 28.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 7.1% $21

Eating Out

Nuku'alofa

$180 17.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 34.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Nuku'alofa

$115 11.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 42.7% $49

Getting Around

Nuku'alofa

$63 6.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 0.8% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 350% $129

Accommodation & Living

Nuku'alofa

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

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 $622 in Nuku'alofa and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 133% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Nuku'alofa vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

12 h behind Nuku'alofa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,500 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.41 TOP (1 TOP = 0.415 USD). 1 EUR = 2.71 TOP (1 TOP = 0.369 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nuku'alofa Lisbon 17,650 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Nuku'alofa
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuku'alofa and Lisbon differ by about 118% in total monthly costs ($1,021 vs $2,223 including rent). Nuku'alofa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 133% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $622 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $155 in Nuku'alofa versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,021 in Nuku'alofa versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nuku'alofa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon 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 118% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.