Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and China

Name: China
Address: CN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $343 in Tonga versus $712 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $625 in Tonga versus $1,131 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $906 in Tonga versus $1,550 in China.

Living in Tonga costs about 52% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Tonga 74% lower, China 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 TOP 20.08

$2.86 ¥19.35

195.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 TOP 148

$23.44 ¥159

166.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 TOP 24.36

$4.84 ¥32.75

112.19%

Cappuccino

$2.84 TOP 6.74

$3.11 ¥21.06

-8.68%

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

$2.80 TOP 6.64

$0.44 ¥3.00

536.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 TOP 5.94

$0.29 ¥1.99

765.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 TOP 7.82

$0.98 ¥6.64

236.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 TOP 11.74

$2.05 ¥13.88

141.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 TOP 3.73

$1.84 ¥12.47

-14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 TOP 2.50

$1.62 ¥10.94

-35.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 TOP 4.79

$0.93 ¥6.28

117.20%

Eggs

$5.21 TOP 12.36

$1.63 ¥11.03

219.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 TOP 21.83

$13.15 ¥89.0

-30.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 TOP 14.12

$3.26 ¥22.09

82.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 TOP 18.63

$10.62 ¥71.9

-26.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 TOP 6.71

$1.80 ¥12.19

57.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 TOP 6.75

$1.30 ¥8.77

118.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 TOP 6.87

$1.46 ¥9.90

98.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 TOP 8.64

$1.20 ¥8.15

203.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 TOP 7.38

$0.76 ¥5.14

309.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 TOP 6.11

$0.88 ¥5.93

193.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 TOP 5.31

$0.57 ¥3.86

292.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 TOP 3.22

$0.54 ¥3.63

151.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 TOP 23.83

$3.42 ¥23.17

193.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 TOP 40.80

$11.75 ¥79.5

46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 TOP 7.36

$0.80 ¥5.40

287.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 TOP 8.02

$1.62 ¥10.95

108.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 TOP 4.91

$0.43 ¥2.94

381.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.91 TOP 99.4

$20.47 ¥139

104.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 TOP 4.89

$1.36 ¥9.24

51.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.39

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.36 TOP 100

$6.50 ¥43.97

551.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 TOP 3.47

$1.12 ¥7.59

30.36%

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

$5,729 TOP 13.6K

$19.5K ¥131.8K

-70.58%

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

$8,279 TOP 19.6K

$16.9K ¥114.1K

-50.90%

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

$185 TOP 439

$51.7 ¥350

257.81%

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

$22.06 TOP 52.3

$10.17 ¥68.8

116.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 TOP 297

$11.16 ¥75.5

1022.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.72 TOP 72.9

$39.62 ¥268

-22.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.12 TOP 99.9

$14.53 ¥98.3

189.88%

Cinema Ticket

$41.02 TOP 97.3

$6.38 ¥43.19

542.95%

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

$160 TOP 380

$407 ¥2,756

-60.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$252 TOP 599

$17.8K ¥120.7K

-98.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.69 TOP 34.84

$45.53 ¥308

-67.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.91 TOP 42.48

$32.31 ¥219

-44.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.81 TOP 49.37

$72.6 ¥491

-71.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.61 TOP 70.2

$74.4 ¥504

-60.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 TOP 1,460

$443 ¥2,996

38.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$49.51 TOP 117

$258 ¥1,747

-80.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 TOP 1,980

$910 ¥6,162

-8.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 TOP 1,360

$543 ¥3,677

5.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$410 TOP 973

$4,934 ¥33.4K

-91.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$248 TOP 587

$2,398 ¥16.2K

-89.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 TOP 1,638

$1,065 ¥7,205

-35.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

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

Last update for Tonga: July 13, 2026

Last update for China: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $208 in Tonga, $287 in China. Capital cities: $624 in Nuku'alofa vs $894 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $668 in Tonga, $855 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in China.

Public transport is 29% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 28% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Tonga.

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $862 per month in China and $514 in Tonga, there's a 68% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Tonga: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in China is consistently higher than in Tonga across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Tonga, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Tonga wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.