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 $719 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $624 in Tonga versus $1,145 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $904 in Tonga versus $1,570 in China.

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

Both countries sit below the global median: Tonga 75% lower, China 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 TOP 19.74

$2.90 ¥19.42

188.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 TOP 148

$22.13 ¥148

183.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 TOP 24.84

$5.31 ¥35.57

98.49%

Cappuccino

$2.88 TOP 6.78

$2.99 ¥20.04

-3.68%

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

$2.76 TOP 6.51

$0.48 ¥3.21

475.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 TOP 5.91

$0.30 ¥2.03

736.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 TOP 7.92

$1.02 ¥6.82

229.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 TOP 11.59

$2.21 ¥14.81

122.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.58

$1.74 ¥11.66

-12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 TOP 2.50

$1.68 ¥11.23

-36.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 TOP 4.75

$0.96 ¥6.43

109.37%

Eggs

$5.02 TOP 11.83

$1.54 ¥10.33

225.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 TOP 21.66

$13.51 ¥90.5

-31.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 TOP 13.64

$3.48 ¥23.32

66.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 TOP 18.32

$11.34 ¥76.0

-31.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 TOP 6.58

$1.88 ¥12.57

48.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 TOP 6.45

$1.29 ¥8.67

112.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 TOP 6.91

$1.52 ¥10.17

92.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 TOP 8.75

$1.27 ¥8.52

192.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 TOP 7.57

$0.72 ¥4.83

345.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.26

$0.88 ¥5.89

201.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 TOP 5.34

$0.61 ¥4.06

270.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.17

$0.55 ¥3.72

143.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.22 TOP 24.09

$3.73 ¥25.01

173.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.26 TOP 40.70

$11.87 ¥79.5

45.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 TOP 7.39

$0.90 ¥6.03

247.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 TOP 7.86

$1.68 ¥11.26

98.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 TOP 5.01

$0.29 ¥1.94

631.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 TOP 98.8

$22.23 ¥149

88.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 TOP 5.01

$1.52 ¥10.17

40.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 TOP 4.81

$0.37 ¥2.48

451.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.88 TOP 98.8

$7.33 ¥49.10

471.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.46

$1.22 ¥8.19

20.49%

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

$5,746 TOP 13.5K

$19.3K ¥129.4K

-70.24%

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

$8,208 TOP 19.4K

$17.1K ¥114.7K

-52.07%

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

$186 TOP 439

$53.8 ¥360

246.22%

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

$22.04 TOP 52.0

$8.71 ¥58.4

153.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 TOP 297

$10.93 ¥73.2

1052.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.74 TOP 72.5

$40.74 ¥273

-24.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 TOP 99.8

$14.53 ¥97.3

191.26%

Cinema Ticket

$41.23 TOP 97.2

$6.55 ¥43.87

529.47%

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

$159 TOP 374

$457 ¥3,062

-65.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$251 TOP 592

$19.5K ¥130.6K

-98.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.35 TOP 33.84

$45.62 ¥306

-68.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.50 TOP 41.27

$35.90 ¥241

-51.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.74 TOP 48.91

$76.1 ¥510

-72.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.69 TOP 67.6

$76.4 ¥512

-62.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 TOP 1,455

$385 ¥2,578

60.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.2 TOP 118

$239 ¥1,601

-79.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 TOP 1,940

$840 ¥5,627

-1.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 TOP 1,379

$484 ¥3,242

20.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$422 TOP 995

$4,581 ¥30.7K

-90.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$247 TOP 583

$2,266 ¥15.2K

-89.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$668 TOP 1,576

$1,065 ¥7,137

-37.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.47

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

Last update for Tonga: September 1, 2026

Last update for China: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $208 in Tonga, $294 in China. Capital cities: $624 in Nuku'alofa vs $959 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $682 in Tonga, $864 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 41% higher in China.

Public transport is 21% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 27% 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 $853 per month in China and $515 in Tonga, there's a 66% 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.