Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and New Caledonia Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and New Caledonia

Name: New Caledonia
Address: NC

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $343 in Tonga versus $950 in New Caledonia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $625 in Tonga versus $1,466 in New Caledonia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $906 in Tonga versus $1,982 in New Caledonia.

Living in Tonga costs about 64% less than in New Caledonia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Tonga 74% lower, New Caledonia 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 TOP 20.08

$14.42 CFPF 1,501

-41.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 TOP 148

$96.3 CFPF 10.0K

-35.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 TOP 24.36

$14.50 CFPF 1,509

-29.17%

Cappuccino

$2.84 TOP 6.74

$5.87 CFPF 611

-51.62%

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

$2.80 TOP 6.64

$2.49 CFPF 259

12.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 TOP 5.94

$1.06 CFPF 111

136.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 TOP 7.82

$11.02 CFPF 1,147

-70.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 TOP 11.74

$7.63 CFPF 793

-35.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 TOP 3.73

$1.17 CFPF 122

34.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 TOP 2.50

$3.09 CFPF 321

-66.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 TOP 4.79

$1.90 CFPF 198

6.32%

Eggs

$5.21 TOP 12.36

$5.53 CFPF 576

-5.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 TOP 21.83

$19.07 CFPF 1,985

-51.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 TOP 14.12

$22.43 CFPF 2,334

-73.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 TOP 18.63

$26.35 CFPF 2,741

-70.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 TOP 6.71

$4.20 CFPF 437

-32.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 TOP 6.75

$7.33 CFPF 763

-61.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 TOP 6.87

$6.68 CFPF 695

-56.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 TOP 8.64

$7.37 CFPF 767

-50.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 TOP 7.38

$3.73 CFPF 388

-16.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 TOP 6.11

$3.30 CFPF 343

-21.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 TOP 5.31

$2.88 CFPF 299

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 TOP 3.22

$1.53 CFPF 160

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 TOP 23.83

$19.61 CFPF 2,041

-48.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 TOP 40.80

$15.02 CFPF 1,563

14.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 TOP 7.36

$5.19 CFPF 540

-40.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 TOP 8.02

$6.08 CFPF 632

-44.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 TOP 4.91

$2.89 CFPF 301

-28.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.91 TOP 99.4

$63.4 CFPF 6,598

-33.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 TOP 4.89

$5.40 CFPF 562

-61.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 CFPF 104

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.36 TOP 100

$25.07 CFPF 2,608

68.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 TOP 3.47

$1.69 CFPF 176

-13.61%

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

$5,729 TOP 13.6K

$34.0K CFPF 3.5M

-83.13%

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

$8,279 TOP 19.6K

$40.2K CFPF 4.2M

-79.42%

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

$185 TOP 439

$206 CFPF 21.5K

-10.36%

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

$22.06 TOP 52.3

$40.45 CFPF 4,208

-45.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 TOP 297

$58.2 CFPF 6,054

115.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.72 TOP 72.9

$61.1 CFPF 6,352

-49.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.12 TOP 99.9

$7.55 CFPF 785

457.88%

Cinema Ticket

$41.02 TOP 97.3

$12.80 CFPF 1,331

220.47%

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

$160 TOP 380

$793 CFPF 82.5K

-79.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$252 TOP 599

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.69 TOP 34.84

$111 CFPF 11.6K

-86.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.91 TOP 42.48

$57.7 CFPF 6,005

-68.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.81 TOP 49.37

$92.7 CFPF 9,645

-77.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.61 TOP 70.2

$243 CFPF 25.2K

-87.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 TOP 1,460

$752 CFPF 78.2K

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$49.51 TOP 117

$777 CFPF 80.9K

-93.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 TOP 1,980

$1,576 CFPF 163.9K

-47.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 TOP 1,360

$1,359 CFPF 141.4K

-57.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$410 TOP 973

$4,769 CFPF 496.2K

-91.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$248 TOP 587

$3,528 CFPF 367.1K

-92.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 TOP 1,638

$2,756 CFPF 286.8K

-74.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.33

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

Last update for Tonga: July 13, 2026

Last update for New Caledonia: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $208 in Tonga, $459 in New Caledonia. Capital cities: $624 in Nuku'alofa vs $805 in Noumea.

National salary averages: $668 in Tonga, $2,814 in New Caledonia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 121% higher in New Caledonia.

Dining out costs 138% more in New Caledonia.

Public transport is 50% more expensive in New Caledonia.

Salaries are 321% higher in New Caledonia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in New Caledonia.

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 New Caledonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,195 per month in New Caledonia and $514 in Tonga, there's a 132% 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 simply cheaper in Tonga: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in New Caledonia is consistently higher than in Tonga across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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