Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Cook Islands Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Cook Islands

Name: Cook Islands
Address: CK

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $332 in Tonga versus $1,092 in Cook Islands.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $611 in Tonga versus $1,690 in Cook Islands.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $890 in Tonga versus $2,288 in Cook Islands.

Living in Tonga costs about 70% less than in Cook Islands on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Tonga 75% lower, Cook Islands 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 TOP 19.68

$12.16 NZ$20.99

-32.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 TOP 150

$60.6 NZ$105

3.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 TOP 24.84

$9.21 NZ$15.91

13.25%

Cappuccino

$2.94 TOP 7.01

$4.22 NZ$7.28

-30.33%

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

$2.90 TOP 6.92

$2.51 NZ$4.33

15.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 TOP 5.70

$2.39 NZ$4.12

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 TOP 7.75

$6.50 NZ$11.23

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 TOP 11.66

$5.49 NZ$9.48

-10.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 TOP 3.82

$2.16 NZ$3.73

-25.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.41

$3.17 NZ$5.48

-68.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 TOP 4.78

$1.64 NZ$2.84

22.56%

Eggs

$4.96 TOP 11.82

$5.85 NZ$10.10

-15.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.17 TOP 21.84

$9.90 NZ$17.09

-7.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 TOP 13.95

$8.07 NZ$13.93

-27.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 TOP 18.33

$8.92 NZ$15.40

-13.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 TOP 6.43

$3.04 NZ$5.24

-11.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 TOP 6.79

$2.47 NZ$4.27

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 TOP 6.73

$3.67 NZ$6.33

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 TOP 8.64

$6.24 NZ$10.78

-41.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 TOP 7.40

$2.38 NZ$4.11

30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 TOP 6.30

$1.93 NZ$3.33

36.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 TOP 5.18

$2.09 NZ$3.61

3.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.20

$3.38 NZ$5.84

-60.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.29 TOP 24.52

$15.15 NZ$26.15

-32.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.71 TOP 39.81

$13.36 NZ$23.07

25.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 TOP 7.53

$3.61 NZ$6.23

-12.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 TOP 7.70

$5.06 NZ$8.74

-36.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 TOP 4.98

$2.93 NZ$5.05

-28.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.83 TOP 97.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 TOP 4.99

$21.30 NZ$36.78

-90.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 TOP 101

$35.86 NZ$61.9

17.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.51

$1.77 NZ$3.05

-16.95%

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

$5,872 TOP 14.0K

$12.2K NZ$21.0K

-51.67%

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

$8,160 TOP 19.4K

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

$188 TOP 448

$105 NZ$182

78.26%

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

$21.84 TOP 52.0

$30.13 NZ$52.0

-27.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$127 TOP 302

$107 NZ$184

18.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.87 TOP 73.5

$24.63 NZ$42.53

25.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.29 TOP 101

$24.51 NZ$42.32

72.54%

Cinema Ticket

$40.85 TOP 97.3

$7.01 NZ$12.11

482.74%

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

$156 TOP 373

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$247 TOP 588

$1,456 NZ$2,514

-83.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.66 TOP 34.93

$68.2 NZ$118

-78.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.94 TOP 42.74

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.72 TOP 49.36

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.94 TOP 69.0

$73.1 NZ$126

-60.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 TOP 1,463

$319 NZ$551

92.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.6 TOP 121

$325 NZ$562

-84.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 TOP 1,987

$362 NZ$626

130.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 TOP 1,377

$476 NZ$821

21.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$417 TOP 993

$4,983 NZ$8,604

-91.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$251 TOP 597

$726 NZ$1,253

-65.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 TOP 1,644

$4,014 NZ$6,932

-82.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Tonga: July 22, 2026

Last update for Cook Islands: July 21, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $210 in Tonga, $320 in Cook Islands. Capital cities: $629 in Nuku'alofa vs $158 in Avarua.

National salary averages: $669 in Tonga, $4,080 in Cook Islands. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 52% higher in Cook Islands.

Dining out costs 186% more in Cook Islands.

Salaries are 510% higher in Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Cook Islands.

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 Cook Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,092 per month in Cook Islands and $499 in Tonga, there's a 119% 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 Cook Islands 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, $800 covers most cities easily; in Cook Islands 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; Cook Islands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.