Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuku'alofa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku'alofa: $1,021 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,021

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nuku'alofa and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Nuku'alofa $1,021
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,873 in Nuku'alofa versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Nuku'alofa $1,873
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,724 in Nuku'alofa versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Nuku'alofa $2,724
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Nuku'alofa costs roughly 35% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nuku'alofa is 24% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 TOP 19.55

$10.75 MX$199

-24.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 TOP 153

$50.3 MX$929

26.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 TOP 25.13

$11.10 MX$205

-6.04%

Cappuccino

$2.98 TOP 7.18

$3.68 MX$68.1

-19.02%

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

$2.90 TOP 6.98

$1.65 MX$30.42

75.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 6.06

$1.30 MX$24.08

93.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 TOP 7.96

$3.32 MX$61.3

-0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 TOP 12.30

$5.54 MX$102

-7.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.67

$1.77 MX$32.68

-14.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.43

$3.05 MX$56.4

-66.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 TOP 5.04

$2.01 MX$37.20

3.98%

Eggs

$5.00 TOP 12.05

$2.77 MX$51.1

80.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 TOP 21.32

$11.91 MX$220

-25.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 TOP 14.43

$9.33 MX$172

-35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 TOP 18.68

$15.02 MX$278

-48.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.52

$3.08 MX$56.8

-12.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.53

$1.95 MX$35.97

38.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 TOP 7.13

$2.03 MX$37.54

45.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 TOP 8.98

$2.21 MX$40.92

68.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 TOP 7.63

$2.02 MX$37.41

56.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 TOP 6.18

$1.82 MX$33.67

41.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 TOP 5.46

$1.52 MX$28.07

49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TOP 3.25

$1.28 MX$23.65

5.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.27 TOP 24.75

$5.27 MX$97.4

94.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.82 TOP 40.52

$16.12 MX$298

4.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 TOP 7.72

$1.95 MX$36.05

64.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 TOP 8.03

$4.25 MX$78.6

-21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 TOP 4.98

$0.31 MX$5.82

567.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 TOP 101

$19.85 MX$367

111.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 TOP 5.08

$2.00 MX$36.93

5.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 TOP 4.91

$0.53 MX$9.86

284.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.85 TOP 101

$5.62 MX$104

644.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.53

$1.52 MX$28.07

-3.29%

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

$5,738 TOP 13.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

-72.72%

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

$8,307 TOP 20.0K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-67.01%

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

$189 TOP 456

$62.5 MX$1,155

203.09%

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

$21.88 TOP 52.7

$28.77 MX$532

-23.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 TOP 302

$34.45 MX$637

263.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.10 TOP 74.9

$57.1 MX$1,055

-45.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.86 TOP 101

$24.81 MX$458

68.72%

Cinema Ticket

$41.80 TOP 101

$6.67 MX$123

526.69%

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

$155 TOP 374

$431 MX$7,964

-63.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$250 TOP 602

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-97.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.81 TOP 35.68

$70.8 MX$1,308

-79.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.54 TOP 42.26

$51.8 MX$958

-66.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.45 TOP 49.27

$109 MX$2,011

-81.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.29 TOP 70.6

$112 MX$2,076

-73.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 TOP 1,499

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-40.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 TOP 2,035

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-63.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 TOP 1,360

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-53.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$422 TOP 1,016

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-88.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$250 TOP 602

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-87.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 TOP 1,639

$975 MX$18.0K

-30.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Nuku'alofa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuku'alofa

$337 33%

Mexico City

$126 8% 62.6% $211

Groceries & Markets

Nuku'alofa

$290 28.4%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 11.3% $33

Eating Out

Nuku'alofa

$180 17.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 12.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nuku'alofa

$115 11.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 38.6% $44

Getting Around

Nuku'alofa

$63 6.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 58.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 319% $118

Accommodation & Living

Nuku'alofa

- * 0%

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

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 $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 43% 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 $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $323, with Nuku'alofa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

19 h behind Nuku'alofa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,500 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nuku'alofa Mexico City 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nuku'alofa
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuku'alofa and Mexico City differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,021 vs $1,567 including rent). Nuku'alofa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Mexico City. 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 $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nuku'alofa runs roughly 111% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $155 in Nuku'alofa versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,021 in Nuku'alofa versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nuku'alofa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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 Mexico City 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 53% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.