Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuku'alofa and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku’alofa: $1,021 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Nuku'alofa
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Nuku'alofa Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,021

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nuku'alofa and in Ubud, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Nuku’alofa versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Nuku'alofa $1,021
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,865 in Nuku’alofa versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Nuku'alofa $1,865
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Nuku’alofa versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Nuku'alofa $2,710
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Nuku’alofa costs roughly 24% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 TOP 19.64

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

150.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 TOP 147

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

74.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 TOP 24.68

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

88.61%

Cappuccino

$2.84 TOP 6.72

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

4.41%

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

$2.87 TOP 6.79

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

68.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 TOP 5.80

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

222.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 TOP 8.05

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 TOP 11.57

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 TOP 3.64

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.39

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-55.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 TOP 5.01

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

78.15%

Eggs

$5.03 TOP 11.91

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

146.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 TOP 20.84

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-50.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 TOP 14.08

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

50.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 TOP 18.36

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

-36.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 TOP 6.62

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-23.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 TOP 6.38

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

76.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 TOP 6.78

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

28.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 TOP 9.09

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

94.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 TOP 7.61

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

74.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 TOP 6.06

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

5.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 TOP 5.21

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

122.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.18

$0.51 Rp 9,332

162.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.99 TOP 23.64

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

350.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.00 TOP 40.23

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 TOP 7.66

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

42.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 TOP 7.83

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

11.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 TOP 4.98

$0.25 Rp 4,562

744.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.11 TOP 97.3

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

425.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 TOP 4.98

$0.44 Rp 7,989

377.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 TOP 4.88

$0.43 Rp 7,817

379.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.98 TOP 99.4

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

675.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 TOP 3.51

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

80.49%

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

$5,770 TOP 13.7K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

-75.80%

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

$8,255 TOP 19.5K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-74.00%

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

$188 TOP 445

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

137.92%

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

$22.11 TOP 52.3

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

242.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 TOP 298

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

577.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.77 TOP 75.2

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-35.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.37 TOP 97.9

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

134.39%

Cinema Ticket

$41.62 TOP 98.5

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

874.71%

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

$155 TOP 368

$491 Rp 8.9M

-68.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$252 TOP 596

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

-95.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.42 TOP 34.13

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

-67.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.89 TOP 42.33

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

-48.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.97 TOP 49.63

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

-73.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.14 TOP 69.0

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-63.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 TOP 1,466

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 TOP 1,927

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-77.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 TOP 1,318

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-67.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$417 TOP 987

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-84.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$251 TOP 594

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-89.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$692 TOP 1,639

$164 Rp 3.0M

322.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Nuku'alofa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuku'alofa

$336 32.9%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 69% $232

Groceries & Markets

Nuku'alofa

$291 28.5%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 0.8% $2.4

Eating Out

Nuku'alofa

$180 17.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 40.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Nuku'alofa

$115 11.3%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 49.5% $57

Getting Around

Nuku'alofa

$62 6.1%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 81.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 190% $70

Accommodation & Living

Nuku'alofa

- * 0%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nuku’alofa pays about 4.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Nuku’alofa vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

5 h behind Nuku'alofa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,500 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.423 USD

1 TOP = 0.38 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.37 TOP (1 TOP = 0.423 USD). 1 EUR = 2.63 TOP (1 TOP = 0.38 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nuku'alofa Ubud, Bali 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nuku'alofa
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,021 in Nuku’alofa and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, so Nuku’alofa is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Nuku’alofa is about 4.2 times higher, 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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 81% less than in Nuku’alofa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,021 per month in Nuku’alofa versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Nuku’alofa is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Nuku’alofa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.