Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $1,804 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonga and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Tonga versus $1,804 in Italy.

Tonga $1,067
Italy $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,901 in Tonga versus $2,778 in Italy.

Tonga $1,901
Italy $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,735 in Tonga versus $3,752 in Italy.

Tonga $2,735
Italy $3,752

Living in Tonga costs about 41% less than in Italy on average.

Tonga (21% below) and Italy (34% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.43 TOP 20.30

$19.89 €17.70

-57.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 TOP 150

$77.0 €68.5

-19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 TOP 24.66

$11.00 €9.78

-6.91%

Cappuccino

$2.93 TOP 7.05

$1.99 €1.77

47.24%

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

$2.79 TOP 6.72

$2.96 €2.63

-5.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 6.07

$1.41 €1.25

78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 TOP 7.76

$5.60 €4.98

-42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 TOP 12.26

$5.67 €5.05

-10.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 TOP 3.67

$1.61 €1.43

-4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.44

$2.30 €2.05

-56.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 TOP 4.90

$2.99 €2.66

-31.77%

Eggs

$5.16 TOP 12.44

$4.06 €3.61

27.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 TOP 21.45

$17.23 €15.33

-48.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.85 TOP 14.10

$12.68 €11.28

-53.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 TOP 18.21

$20.36 €18.11

-62.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 TOP 6.58

$2.54 €2.26

7.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.52

$2.15 €1.91

26.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 TOP 6.81

$2.56 €2.28

10.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 TOP 9.22

$3.22 €2.86

18.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 TOP 7.48

$1.92 €1.70

61.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 TOP 6.40

$1.84 €1.64

44.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 TOP 5.45

$1.51 €1.34

49.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.24

$0.55 €0.49

143.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.31 TOP 24.84

$6.81 €6.06

51.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.99 TOP 40.94

$8.03 €7.15

111.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.15 TOP 7.60

$1.72 €1.53

83.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 TOP 8.12

$2.37 €2.11

42.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 TOP 4.91

$1.88 €1.67

8.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.75 TOP 101

$43.31 €38.52

-3.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 TOP 4.94

$5.57 €4.95

-63.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 TOP 5.09

$1.63 €1.45

29.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.87 TOP 101

$33.78 €30.04

23.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 TOP 3.57

$2.04 €1.81

-27.45%

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

$5,815 TOP 14.0K

$35.6K €31.7K

-83.68%

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

$8,165 TOP 19.7K

$35.4K €31.5K

-76.92%

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

$186 TOP 448

$222 €198

-16.36%

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

$21.76 TOP 52.4

$11.43 €10.17

90.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$124 TOP 299

$30.65 €27.26

304.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.75 TOP 74.1

$52.7 €46.89

-41.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.12 TOP 99.1

$23.82 €21.19

72.63%

Cinema Ticket

$42.25 TOP 102

$10.51 €9.35

302.00%

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

$156 TOP 377

$541 €481

-71.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$248 TOP 596

$11.7K €10.4K

-97.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.49 TOP 34.92

$90.0 €80.0

-83.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.69 TOP 42.60

$39.08 €34.76

-54.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$21.07 TOP 50.8

$101 €90.2

-79.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.61 TOP 71.3

$132 €117

-77.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 TOP 1,510

$805 €716

-22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.1 TOP 121

$619 €550

-91.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 TOP 2,038

$1,388 €1,235

-39.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 TOP 1,406

$1,050 €934

-44.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$415 TOP 1,000

$3,623 €3,223

-88.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$244 TOP 589

$2,229 €1,983

-89.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 TOP 1,619

$1,889 €1,680

-64.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

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

Last update for Tonga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$332 31.1%

Italy

$265 14.7% 20.3% $67

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$290 27.1%

Italy

$347 19.2% 19.8% $57

Eating Out

Tonga

$181 16.9%

Italy

$273 15.1% 50.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$115 10.8%

Italy

$74 4.1% 36% $42

Getting Around

Tonga

$63 5.9%

Italy

$65 3.6% 3.2% $2

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$50 4.7%

Italy

$619 34.3% 1134% $569

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.5%

Italy

$163 9% 337% $126

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $207 in Tonga, $721 in Italy. Capital cities: $622 in Nuku'alofa vs $1,222 in Rome.

National salary averages: $680 in Tonga, $1,888 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 248% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 248% more in Italy.

Public transport is 193% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 178% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

07:30 7:30 AM

11 h behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tonga Italy 17,600 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $1,067 in Tonga, there's a 69% 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 cheaper in Tonga: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $721 in Italy 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 Italy 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; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.