Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and the Cook Islands

Name: Cook Islands
Address: CK

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $1,568 in the Cook Islands, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Cook Islands outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonga and in the Cook Islands

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 the Cook Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Tonga versus $1,568 in the Cook Islands.

Tonga $1,067
Cook Islands $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in Tonga versus $2,058 in the Cook Islands.

Tonga $1,893
Cook Islands $2,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,719 in Tonga versus $2,548 in the Cook Islands.

Tonga $2,719
Cook Islands $2,548

Internal cost variation is higher in the Cook Islands: monthly costs span $1,117 to $1,638, compared to $1,021–$1,021 in Tonga. City choice carries more weight in the Cook Islands.

Living in Tonga costs about 32% less than in the Cook Islands on average.

Tonga (22% below) and the Cook Islands (15% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.17 TOP 19.33

$11.40 NZ$20.32

-28.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 TOP 148

$55.8 NZ$99.4

11.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 TOP 24.67

$7.18 NZ$12.80

45.13%

Cappuccino

$2.89 TOP 6.84

$3.46 NZ$6.17

-16.47%

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

$2.78 TOP 6.58

$2.44 NZ$4.34

13.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 TOP 5.98

$2.44 NZ$4.35

3.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 TOP 7.94

$5.69 NZ$10.14

-41.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 TOP 11.88

$5.25 NZ$9.35

-4.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.60

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 TOP 2.43

$3.15 NZ$5.62

-67.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 TOP 4.94

$1.68 NZ$2.99

24.40%

Eggs

$5.23 TOP 12.39

$5.56 NZ$9.92

-5.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 TOP 21.12

$9.19 NZ$16.39

-2.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 TOP 13.50

$7.76 NZ$13.82

-26.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 TOP 17.78

$10.14 NZ$18.08

-25.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 TOP 6.71

$2.87 NZ$5.11

-1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 TOP 6.74

$1.67 NZ$2.98

70.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 TOP 7.08

$3.45 NZ$6.14

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 TOP 8.74

$8.98 NZ$16.01

-58.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 TOP 7.65

$2.83 NZ$5.04

14.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 TOP 6.31

$2.30 NZ$4.10

16.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 TOP 5.15

$2.25 NZ$4.00

-3.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 TOP 3.33

$2.83 NZ$5.04

-50.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.21 TOP 24.17

$11.25 NZ$20.06

-9.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.92 TOP 40.04

$12.70 NZ$22.63

33.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 TOP 7.73

$3.32 NZ$5.92

-1.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 TOP 7.78

$4.68 NZ$8.33

-29.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 TOP 4.96

$2.91 NZ$5.18

-27.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.09 TOP 99.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 TOP 4.87

$20.18 NZ$35.97

-89.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 TOP 4.84

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.74 TOP 98.8

$34.06 NZ$60.7

22.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 TOP 3.37

$1.88 NZ$3.35

-24.47%

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

$5,854 TOP 13.9K

$11.3K NZ$20.2K

-48.41%

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

$8,434 TOP 20.0K

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

$187 TOP 444

$105 NZ$187

79.04%

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

$21.76 TOP 51.5

$48.58 NZ$86.6

-55.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$122 TOP 290

$103 NZ$183

19.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.86 TOP 73.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.74 TOP 96.4

Cinema Ticket

$41.47 TOP 98.1

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

$155 TOP 366

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$249 TOP 590

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.26 TOP 33.74

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.69 TOP 41.86

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.67 TOP 48.92

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.16 TOP 69.0

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 TOP 1,447

$723 NZ$1,289

-15.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.9 TOP 120

$696 NZ$1,241

-92.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 TOP 1,946

$393 NZ$700

109.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 TOP 1,349

$634 NZ$1,129

-10.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$413 TOP 977

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$247 TOP 585

$956 NZ$1,704

-74.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$679 TOP 1,607

$3,953 NZ$7,045

-82.82%

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

Last update for Tonga: October 24, 2026

Last update for the Cook Islands: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$332 31.1%

Cook Islands

–

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$292 27.3%

Cook Islands

–

Eating Out

Tonga

$179 16.8%

Cook Islands

–

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$114 10.7%

Cook Islands

–

Getting Around

Tonga

$63 5.9%

Cook Islands

–

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$51 4.8%

Cook Islands

–

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.5%

Cook Islands

–

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $619 in Tonga, $707 in the Cook Islands. Capital cities: $619 in Nuku’alofa vs $968 in Avarua.

National salary averages: $692 in Tonga, $3,985 in the Cook Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 14% higher in the Cook Islands.

Dining out costs 13% more in Tonga.

Salaries are about 5.8 times higher in the Cook Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cook Islands.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

23 h behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

14,222

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.423 USD

1 TOP = 0.38 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, 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).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tonga Cook Islands 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
Cook Islands

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 Cook Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,568 per month in the Cook Islands and $1,067 in Tonga, there’s a 47% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $707 in the Cook Islands and $619 in Tonga. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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