Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Samoa Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Samoa

Name: Samoa
Address: WS

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $343 in Tonga versus $872 in Samoa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $624 in Tonga versus $2,340 in Samoa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $904 in Tonga versus $3,807 in Samoa.

Living in Tonga costs about 61% less than in Samoa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Tonga 75% lower, Samoa 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 TOP 19.58

$48.14 WST 131

-82.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 TOP 147

$37.11 WST 101

69.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 TOP 24.65

$14.54 WST 39.50

-27.51%

Cappuccino

$2.88 TOP 6.73

$2.90 WST 7.87

-0.69%

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

$2.76 TOP 6.46

$1.86 WST 5.05

48.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 TOP 5.87

$1.35 WST 3.66

85.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 TOP 7.86

$3.52 WST 9.56

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 TOP 11.50

$3.70 WST 10.05

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.55

$1.78 WST 4.85

-14.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 TOP 2.48

$0.86 WST 2.34

23.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 TOP 4.71

$1.87 WST 5.09

7.49%

Eggs

$5.02 TOP 11.74

$4.33 WST 11.76

15.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 TOP 21.48

$0.95 WST 2.58

867.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 TOP 13.53

$3.65 WST 9.91

58.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 TOP 18.18

$8.50 WST 23.09

-8.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 TOP 6.53

$5.28 WST 14.33

-47.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 TOP 6.40

$1.85 WST 5.03

48.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 TOP 6.86

$1.80 WST 4.89

62.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 TOP 8.68

$4.47 WST 12.15

-17.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 TOP 7.51

$3.61 WST 9.81

-11.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.21

$1.08 WST 2.95

145.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 TOP 5.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.14

$1.22 WST 3.32

9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.22 TOP 23.90

$6.07 WST 16.48

68.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.26 TOP 40.37

$16.23 WST 44.08

6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 TOP 7.33

$1.84 WST 5.00

70.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 TOP 7.79

$3.59 WST 9.74

-7.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 TOP 4.97

$3.55 WST 9.64

-40.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 TOP 98.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 TOP 4.97

$5.65 WST 15.35

-62.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 TOP 4.77

$5.66 WST 15.36

-63.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.88 TOP 98.0

$21.86 WST 59.4

91.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.43

$1.08 WST 2.94

36.11%

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

$5,746 TOP 13.4K

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

$8,208 TOP 19.2K

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

$186 TOP 435

$18.14 WST 49.26

926.24%

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

$22.04 TOP 51.5

$18.60 WST 50.5

18.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 TOP 295

$36.56 WST 99.3

244.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.74 TOP 71.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 TOP 99.0

Cinema Ticket

$41.23 TOP 96.4

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

$159 TOP 371

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$251 TOP 587

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.35 TOP 33.57

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.50 TOP 40.94

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.74 TOP 48.52

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.69 TOP 67.1

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 TOP 1,444

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.2 TOP 117

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 TOP 1,925

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 TOP 1,368

$1,817 WST 4,933

-67.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$422 TOP 987

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$247 TOP 578

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$668 TOP 1,563

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

Last update for Tonga: September 1, 2026

Last update for Samoa: August 30, 2026

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 76% more in Samoa.

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 Samoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $872 per month in Samoa and $515 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 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 Samoa 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 Samoa 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; Samoa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.