Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and French Polynesia

Name: French Polynesia
Address: PF

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $2,328 in French Polynesia, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in French Polynesia
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French Polynesia Living Index

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🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonga and in French Polynesia

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 French Polynesia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Tonga versus $2,328 in French Polynesia.

Tonga $1,067
French Polynesia $2,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,901 in Tonga versus $3,472 in French Polynesia.

Tonga $1,901
French Polynesia $3,472

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,735 in Tonga versus $4,615 in French Polynesia.

Tonga $2,735
French Polynesia $4,615

Living in Tonga costs about 54% less than in French Polynesia on average.

Tonga (21% below) and French Polynesia (72% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.43 TOP 20.30

$17.09 CFPF 1,808

-50.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 TOP 150

$76.0 CFPF 8,039

-18.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 TOP 24.66

$14.17 CFPF 1,499

-27.73%

Cappuccino

$2.93 TOP 7.05

$4.13 CFPF 437

-29.06%

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

$2.79 TOP 6.72

$2.51 CFPF 266

11.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 6.07

$2.58 CFPF 273

-2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 TOP 7.76

$4.56 CFPF 482

-29.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 TOP 12.26

$5.72 CFPF 605

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 TOP 3.67

$1.44 CFPF 152

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.44

$4.43 CFPF 469

-77.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 TOP 4.90

$1.64 CFPF 173

24.39%

Eggs

$5.16 TOP 12.44

$6.68 CFPF 706

-22.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 TOP 21.45

$34.76 CFPF 3,677

-74.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.85 TOP 14.10

$15.77 CFPF 1,668

-62.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 TOP 18.21

$23.62 CFPF 2,499

-67.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 TOP 6.58

$5.08 CFPF 538

-46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.52

$2.89 CFPF 306

-6.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 TOP 6.81

$6.64 CFPF 702

-57.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 TOP 9.22

$7.88 CFPF 834

-51.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 TOP 7.48

$3.02 CFPF 320

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 TOP 6.40

$2.35 CFPF 248

13.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 TOP 5.45

$3.56 CFPF 377

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.24

$1.21 CFPF 128

10.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.31 TOP 24.84

$13.11 CFPF 1,387

-21.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.99 TOP 40.94

$23.70 CFPF 2,508

-28.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.15 TOP 7.60

$2.84 CFPF 300

10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 TOP 8.12

$3.67 CFPF 388

-8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 TOP 4.91

$1.92 CFPF 203

6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.75 TOP 101

$13.98 CFPF 1,479

198.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 TOP 4.94

$9.10 CFPF 963

-77.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 TOP 5.09

$2.39 CFPF 253

-11.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.87 TOP 101

$23.23 CFPF 2,457

80.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 TOP 3.57

$1.43 CFPF 151

3.50%

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

$5,815 TOP 14.0K

$18.2K CFPF 1.9M

-68.07%

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

$8,165 TOP 19.7K

$30.6K CFPF 3.2M

-73.32%

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

$186 TOP 448

$178 CFPF 18.8K

4.44%

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

$21.76 TOP 52.4

$18.69 CFPF 1,977

16.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$124 TOP 299

$71.4 CFPF 7,550

73.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.75 TOP 74.1

$73.4 CFPF 7,769

-58.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.12 TOP 99.1

Cinema Ticket

$42.25 TOP 102

$13.95 CFPF 1,476

202.87%

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

$156 TOP 377

$470 CFPF 49.7K

-66.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$248 TOP 596

$9,475 CFPF 1.0M

-97.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.49 TOP 34.92

$67.2 CFPF 7,107

-78.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.69 TOP 42.60

$70.6 CFPF 7,473

-74.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$21.07 TOP 50.8

$79.1 CFPF 8,369

-73.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.61 TOP 71.3

$87.7 CFPF 9,275

-66.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 TOP 1,510

$1,221 CFPF 129.2K

-48.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.1 TOP 121

$929 CFPF 98.3K

-94.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 TOP 2,038

$1,806 CFPF 191.1K

-53.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 TOP 1,406

$1,473 CFPF 155.8K

-60.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$415 TOP 1,000

$6,888 CFPF 728.7K

-93.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$244 TOP 589

$9,027 CFPF 955.0K

-97.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 TOP 1,619

$1,873 CFPF 198.2K

-64.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

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

Last update for Tonga: October 12, 2026

Last update for French Polynesia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$332 31.1%

French Polynesia

$268 11.5% 19.2% $64

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$290 27.1%

French Polynesia

$566 24.3% 95.6% $277

Eating Out

Tonga

$181 16.9%

French Polynesia

$283 12.2% 56.8% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$115 10.8%

French Polynesia

$101 4.4% 12.1% $14

Getting Around

Tonga

$63 5.9%

French Polynesia

$43 1.8% 31.7% $20

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$50 4.7%

French Polynesia

$929 39.9% 1753% $879

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.5%

French Polynesia

$137 5.9% 268% $100

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $207 in Tonga, $331 in French Polynesia. Capital cities: $622 in Nuku'alofa vs $1,310 in Papeete.

National salary averages: $680 in Tonga, $1,990 in French Polynesia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 60% higher in French Polynesia.

Public transport is 600% more expensive in Tonga.

Salaries are 193% higher in French Polynesia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in French Polynesia.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

23 h behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

278,786

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.41 TOP (1 TOP = 0.415 USD). 1 EUR = 2.71 TOP (1 TOP = 0.369 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.45 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tonga French Polynesia 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
French Polynesia

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 French Polynesia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,328 per month in French Polynesia and $1,067 in Tonga, there's a 118% 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 $331 in French Polynesia and $207 in Tonga. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Tonga, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in French Polynesia 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; French Polynesia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.