Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and American Samoa

Name: American Samoa
Address: AS

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,087 a month against $1,449 in American Samoa, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in American Samoa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in American Samoa
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American Samoa Living Index

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🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,087

/mo nomad

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonga and in American Samoa

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

A single person spends $1,087 per month in Tonga vs $1,449 in American Samoa, rent included.

Tonga $1,087
American Samoa $1,449

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Tonga vs $2,288 in American Samoa, rent included.

Tonga $1,894
American Samoa $2,288

A family of three spends $2,700 per month in Tonga vs $3,126 in American Samoa, rent included.

Tonga $2,700
American Samoa $3,126

The cost of living in Tonga is roughly 25% lower than in American Samoa on average.

Tonga sits 19% below the global median, while American Samoa is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.54 TOP 20.47

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 TOP 152

$36.40 $36.40

74.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 TOP 24.98

$10.12 $10.12

2.96%

Cappuccino

$2.95 TOP 7.07

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

$2.82 TOP 6.75

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 TOP 5.80

$0.98 $0.98

146.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 TOP 7.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 TOP 11.84

$4.01 $4.01

23.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.64

$2.59 $2.59

-41.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 TOP 2.44

$2.84 $2.84

-64.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 TOP 5.08

$4.19 $4.19

-49.40%

Eggs

$5.01 TOP 12.00

$4.52 $4.52

10.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 TOP 21.49

$10.38 $10.38

-13.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 TOP 13.73

$10.07 $10.07

-43.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 TOP 18.22

$11.15 $11.15

-31.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.49

$5.97 $5.97

-54.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 TOP 6.61

$0.98 $0.98

181.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 TOP 6.83

$3.04 $3.04

-6.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 TOP 9.14

$4.06 $4.06

-6.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 TOP 7.48

$4.05 $4.05

-22.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.35

$3.92 $3.92

-32.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 TOP 5.24

$2.05 $2.05

6.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 TOP 3.27

$2.02 $2.02

-32.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 TOP 24.19

$11.34 $11.34

-11.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 TOP 41.33

$14.71 $14.71

17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 TOP 7.77

$0.98 $0.98

230.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 TOP 8.09

$3.02 $3.02

11.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 TOP 4.92

$1.97 $1.97

4.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.49 TOP 99.4

$125 $125

-66.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 TOP 5.04

$5.04 $5.04

-58.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 TOP 4.96

$1.95 $1.95

6.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 TOP 99.7

$29.68 $29.68

40.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.51

$1.35 $1.35

8.89%

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

$5,703 TOP 13.7K

$30.2K $30.2K

-81.14%

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

$8,292 TOP 19.9K

$20.2K $20.2K

-59.02%

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

$188 TOP 451

$415 $415

-54.62%

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

$21.78 TOP 52.2

$29.64 $29.64

-26.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 TOP 303

$76.3 $76.3

65.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.90 TOP 74.1

$49.29 $49.29

-37.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.51 TOP 99.5

$9.81 $9.81

323.14%

Cinema Ticket

$41.13 TOP 98.6

$9.08 $9.08

352.97%

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

$161 TOP 385

$1,005 $1,005

-84.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$247 TOP 593

$9,950 $9,950

-97.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.46 TOP 34.65

$70.0 $70.0

-79.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.82 TOP 42.71

$50.4 $50.4

-64.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.91 TOP 50.1

$81.6 $81.6

-74.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.00 TOP 69.5

$102 $102

-71.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 TOP 1,511

$329 $329

91.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.8 TOP 122

$198 $198

-74.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 TOP 2,018

$886 $886

-4.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 TOP 1,362

$704 $704

-19.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$421 TOP 1,009

$18.0K $18.0K

-97.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$251 TOP 602

$10.9K $10.9K

-97.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 TOP 1,625

$1,197 $1,197

-43.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026

Last update for American Samoa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$336 31.4%

American Samoa

$521 35.3% 54.8% $184

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$290 27.1%

American Samoa

$365 24.7% 25.9% $75

Eating Out

Tonga

$182 17%

American Samoa

$42 * 2.9% 76.8% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$113 10.6%

American Samoa

$67 4.6% 40.4% $46

Getting Around

Tonga

$62 5.8%

American Samoa

$148 10% 138% $86

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$51 4.7%

American Samoa

$198 13.4% 289% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.5%

American Samoa

$137 9.3% 270% $100

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $206 in Tonga vs $327 in American Samoa. For reference, capital cities sit at $619 in Nuku'alofa and $327 in Pago Pago.

Average salary: $680 in Tonga vs $1,217 in American Samoa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 59% higher in American Samoa.

Dining out costs 71% more in American Samoa.

Public transport is 786% more expensive in American Samoa.

Salaries are 79% higher in American Samoa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in American Samoa.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇦🇸 American Samoa

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

24 h behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

49,710

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.417 USD

1 TOP = 0.372 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.4 TOP (1 TOP = 0.417 USD). 1 EUR = 2.69 TOP (1 TOP = 0.372 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tonga American Samoa 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
American Samoa

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

Tonga vs American Samoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tonga is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 33% lower on average.

Housing costs more in American Samoa: a central one-bedroom averages $327 versus $206 in Tonga.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Tonga, adding to the overall 33% price gap.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Tonga, but in American Samoa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Tonga is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.