Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Lae

For one person, living is cheaper in Lae: $825 a month against $1,087 in Tonga, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Tonga
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Tonga Living Index

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🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,087

/mo nomad

Lae

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$825

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Tonga is 45.7% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 31.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tonga is 29.2% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 28.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.54 TOP 20.47

$24.56 PGK 108

-65.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 TOP 152

$50.0 PGK 219

26.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 TOP 24.98

Cappuccino

$2.95 TOP 7.07

$2.66 PGK 11.67

10.90%

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

$2.82 TOP 6.75

$0.79 PGK 3.47

256.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 TOP 5.80

$0.54 PGK 2.35

348.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 TOP 7.76

$3.27 PGK 14.33

-0.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 TOP 11.84

$5.20 PGK 22.78

-5.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.64

$2.02 PGK 8.85

-24.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 TOP 2.44

$1.47 PGK 6.42

-30.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 TOP 5.08

$1.28 PGK 5.61

65.63%

Eggs

$5.01 TOP 12.00

$3.95 PGK 17.30

26.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 TOP 21.49

$9.51 PGK 41.69

-5.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 TOP 13.73

$8.83 PGK 38.70

-35.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 TOP 18.22

$10.71 PGK 46.93

-29.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.49

$4.55 PGK 19.94

-40.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 TOP 6.61

$2.78 PGK 12.18

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 TOP 6.83

$6.04 PGK 26.46

-52.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 TOP 9.14

$1.51 PGK 6.64

152.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 TOP 7.48

$3.49 PGK 15.31

-10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.35

$2.39 PGK 10.46

10.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 TOP 5.24

$0.68 PGK 3.00

220.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 TOP 3.27

$0.91 PGK 4.00

50.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 TOP 24.19

$6.58 PGK 28.83

53.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 TOP 41.33

$12.02 PGK 52.7

43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 TOP 7.77

$2.47 PGK 10.81

31.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 TOP 8.09

$4.28 PGK 18.76

-21.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 TOP 4.92

$0.32 PGK 1.39

540.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.49 TOP 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 TOP 5.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 TOP 4.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 TOP 99.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.51

$0.96 PGK 4.23

53.13%

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

$5,703 TOP 13.7K

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

$8,292 TOP 19.9K

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

$188 TOP 451

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

$21.78 TOP 52.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 TOP 303

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.90 TOP 74.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.51 TOP 99.5

Cinema Ticket

$41.13 TOP 98.6

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

$161 TOP 385

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$247 TOP 593

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.46 TOP 34.65

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.82 TOP 42.71

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.91 TOP 50.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.00 TOP 69.5

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 TOP 1,511

$445 PGK 1,951

41.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.8 TOP 122

$260 PGK 1,141

-80.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 TOP 2,018

$1,193 PGK 5,228

-29.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 TOP 1,362

$611 PGK 2,677

-6.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$421 TOP 1,009

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$251 TOP 602

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 TOP 1,625

$157 PGK 689

331.06%

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

Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lae: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$336 31.4%

Lae

–

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$290 27.1%

Lae

–

Eating Out

Tonga

$182 17%

Lae

–

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$113 10.6%

Lae

–

Getting Around

Tonga

$62 5.8%

Lae

–

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$51 4.7%

Lae

–

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.5%

Lae

–

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇵🇬 Lae

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

3 h behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

250,948

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.417 USD

1 TOP = 0.372 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇴 Tongan Paʻanga (T$)

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.4 TOP (1 TOP = 0.417 USD). 1 EUR = 2.69 TOP (1 TOP = 0.372 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.92 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tonga Lae 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
Lae

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Lae

PGK, USD, EUR to TOP – Tongan Paʻanga Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Tonga

Lae

Tonga

Lae

Tonga vs other spots: cost of living compared

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