Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and the Marshall Islands

Name: Marshall Islands
Address: MH

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,087 a month against $2,114 in the Marshall Islands, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
Learn more

Tonga Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in the Marshall Islands
Learn more

Marshall Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,087

/mo nomad

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonga and in the Marshall 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 Marshall Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,087 in Tonga versus $2,114 in the Marshall Islands.

Tonga $1,087
Marshall Islands $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,894 in Tonga versus $2,963 in the Marshall Islands.

Tonga $1,894
Marshall Islands $2,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,700 in Tonga versus $3,812 in the Marshall Islands.

Tonga $2,700
Marshall Islands $3,812

Living in Tonga costs about 49% less than in the Marshall Islands on average.

Tonga (19% below) and the Marshall Islands (58% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.54 TOP 20.47

$7.35 $7.35

16.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.5 TOP 152

$29.49 $29.49

115.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 TOP 24.98

$10.39 $10.39

0.29%

Cappuccino

$2.95 TOP 7.07

$4.40 $4.40

-32.95%

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

$2.82 TOP 6.75

$1.78 $1.78

58.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 TOP 5.80

$2.92 $2.92

-17.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 TOP 7.76

$4.53 $4.53

-28.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 TOP 11.84

$4.89 $4.89

1.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.64

$2.20 $2.20

-30.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 TOP 2.44

$3.38 $3.38

-69.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 TOP 5.08

$1.75 $1.75

21.14%

Eggs

$5.01 TOP 12.00

$5.18 $5.18

-3.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 TOP 21.49

$30.56 $30.56

-70.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 TOP 13.73

$11.12 $11.12

-48.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 TOP 18.22

$18.31 $18.31

-58.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.49

$4.32 $4.32

-37.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 TOP 6.61

$7.39 $7.39

-62.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 TOP 6.83

$8.91 $8.91

-68.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 TOP 9.14

$13.01 $13.01

-70.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 TOP 7.48

$5.30 $5.30

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.35

$5.55 $5.55

-52.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 TOP 5.24

$3.69 $3.69

-40.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 TOP 3.27

$1.90 $1.90

-27.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 TOP 24.19

$5.91 $5.91

70.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 TOP 41.33

$9.90 $9.90

74.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 TOP 7.77

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 TOP 8.09

$2.41 $2.41

40.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 TOP 4.92

$3.01 $3.01

-31.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.49 TOP 99.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 TOP 5.04

$2.79 $2.79

-24.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 TOP 4.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 TOP 99.7

$5.12 $5.12

712.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.51

$1.85 $1.85

-20.54%

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

$5,703 TOP 13.7K

$24.6K $24.6K

-76.85%

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

$8,292 TOP 19.9K

$35.2K $35.2K

-76.46%

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

$188 TOP 451

$251 $251

-25.04%

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

$21.78 TOP 52.2

$37.63 $37.63

-42.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 TOP 303

$71.8 $71.8

75.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.90 TOP 74.1

$36.77 $36.77

-15.96%

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

$148 $148

8.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$247 TOP 593

$2,588 $2,588

-90.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.46 TOP 34.65

$69.2 $69.2

-79.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.82 TOP 42.71

$39.61 $39.61

-55.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.91 TOP 50.1

$29.91 $29.91

-30.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.00 TOP 69.5

$49.52 $49.52

-41.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 TOP 1,511

$770 $770

-18.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.8 TOP 122

$867 $867

-94.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 TOP 2,018

$1,344 $1,344

-37.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 TOP 1,362

$1,268 $1,268

-55.18%

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

$1,014 $1,014

-33.11%

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

Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026

Last update for the Marshall Islands: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$336 31.4%

Marshall Islands

$360 17.2% 7.2% $24

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$290 27.1%

Marshall Islands

$541 * 25.8% 86.7% $252

Eating Out

Tonga

$182 17%

Marshall Islands

$194 9.2% 6.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$113 10.6%

Marshall Islands

$37 * 1.8% 67.5% $76

Getting Around

Tonga

$62 5.8%

Marshall Islands

$15 * 0.7% 76.1% $47

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$51 4.7%

Marshall Islands

$867 41.3% 1607% $817

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.5%

Marshall Islands

$85 4% 129% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $206 in Tonga, $790 in the Marshall Islands. Capital cities: $619 in Nuku'alofa vs $790 in Majuro.

National salary averages: $680 in Tonga, $1,007 in the Marshall Islands. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 283% higher in the Marshall Islands.

Dining out costs 43% more in the Marshall Islands.

Salaries are 48% higher in the Marshall Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Tonga.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇲🇭 Marshall Islands

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

01:55 1:55 AM

1 h behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

53,127

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.417 USD

1 TOP = 0.372 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tonga Marshall Islands 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
Marshall 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 Marshall Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,114 per month in the Marshall Islands and $1,087 in Tonga, there's a 94% 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 $790 in the Marshall Islands and $206 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 the Marshall Islands 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; the Marshall Islands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.