Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $395 a month against $1,070 in Tonga, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
Learn more

Tonga Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,070

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonga and in India

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,070 in Tonga versus $395 in India.

Tonga $1,070
India $395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,905 in Tonga versus $628 in India.

Tonga $1,905
India $628

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,739 in Tonga versus $861 in India.

Tonga $2,739
India $861

Living in Tonga is roughly 171% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Tonga 21% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.40 TOP 20.23

$2.14 ₹203

292.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 TOP 148

$10.57 ₹1,004

480.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 TOP 25.48

$3.77 ₹358

180.64%

Cappuccino

$2.86 TOP 6.89

$1.76 ₹167

62.50%

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

$2.90 TOP 6.99

$0.42 ₹39.67

590.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 6.07

$0.14 ₹13.45

1700.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 TOP 8.17

$1.95 ₹186

73.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 TOP 11.76

$3.11 ₹295

56.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 TOP 3.86

$0.63 ₹59.6

153.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 TOP 2.53

$0.46 ₹43.45

128.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 TOP 5.10

$0.68 ₹64.3

211.76%

Eggs

$4.94 TOP 11.91

$0.93 ₹88.4

431.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 TOP 21.11

$4.83 ₹458

81.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 TOP 14.34

$2.91 ₹276

104.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.61 TOP 18.32

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 TOP 6.57

$2.00 ₹190

36.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 TOP 6.62

$0.63 ₹59.6

336.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 TOP 7.11

$0.98 ₹92.8

201.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 TOP 9.04

$0.51 ₹48.04

635.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 TOP 7.70

$0.36 ₹34.28

788.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 TOP 6.29

$0.39 ₹36.72

569.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 TOP 5.37

$0.43 ₹41.31

418.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 TOP 3.36

$0.29 ₹27.53

382.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 TOP 24.48

$5.14 ₹488

97.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 TOP 41.44

$7.33 ₹696

134.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 TOP 7.45

$1.65 ₹157

87.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 TOP 8.19

$2.73 ₹259

24.54%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.08 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 TOP 4.96

$0.25 ₹23.70

724.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.49 TOP 100.0

$8.49 ₹806

388.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 TOP 5.11

$1.03 ₹97.9

105.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 TOP 4.96

$0.25 ₹23.69

724.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.51 TOP 100

$1.61 ₹153

2478.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.54

$1.07 ₹101

37.38%

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

$5,897 TOP 14.2K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

-47.96%

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

$8,405 TOP 20.2K

$20.1K ₹1.9M

-58.25%

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

$188 TOP 453

$37.73 ₹3,583

398.60%

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

$22.53 TOP 54.3

$3.58 ₹340

529.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$122 TOP 295

$6.89 ₹655

1676.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.75 TOP 76.5

$14.63 ₹1,390

117.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.46 TOP 99.9

$7.25 ₹688

471.86%

Cinema Ticket

$41.90 TOP 101

$3.17 ₹301

1221.77%

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

$158 TOP 381

$56.5 ₹5,369

179.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$253 TOP 610

$1,646 ₹156.3K

-84.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.63 TOP 35.23

$22.73 ₹2,158

-35.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.80 TOP 42.88

$24.04 ₹2,283

-25.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.73 TOP 49.93

$41.04 ₹3,898

-49.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.54 TOP 68.8

$30.60 ₹2,906

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$628 TOP 1,512

$144 ₹13.6K

337.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$49.33 TOP 119

$91.5 ₹8,691

-46.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 TOP 1,992

$324 ₹30.8K

154.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 TOP 1,413

$214 ₹20.3K

174.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$408 TOP 982

$1,200 ₹114.0K

-66.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$244 TOP 588

$619 ₹58.8K

-60.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$682 TOP 1,642

$440 ₹41.8K

55.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.92

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

Last update for Tonga: October 17, 2026

Last update for India: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$333 31.1%

India

$48 12.2% 85.5% $285

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$291 27.2%

India

$102 25.8% 65% $189

Eating Out

Tonga

$182 17%

India

$68 17.1% 62.7% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$116 10.8%

India

$21 5.3% 81.8% $95

Getting Around

Tonga

$62 5.8%

India

$12 3% 81.1% $50

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$49 4.6%

India

$92 23.1% 85.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.4%

India

$53 13.5% 45% $17

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $206 in Tonga, $119 in India. Capital cities: $619 in Nuku'alofa vs $271 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $672 in Tonga, $413 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 73% higher in Tonga.

Dining out costs 110% more in Tonga.

Public transport is 100% more expensive in Tonga.

Salaries are 63% higher in Tonga, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

04:59 4:59 AM

7 h 30 min behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tonga India 12,770 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $395 per month in India and $1,070 in Tonga, there's a 171% 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 $206 in Tonga and $119 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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