Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,067 a month against $2,701 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 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
133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index

Jump to prices

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,067

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tonga and in the United States

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Tonga versus $2,701 in the United States.

Tonga $1,067
United States $2,701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,901 in Tonga versus $3,980 in the United States.

Tonga $1,901
United States $3,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,735 in Tonga versus $5,258 in the United States.

Tonga $2,735
United States $5,258

Living in Tonga costs about 60% less than in the United States on average.

Tonga (21% below) and the United States (100% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.43 TOP 20.30

$19.92 $19.92

-57.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 TOP 150

$81.0 $81.0

-23.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 TOP 24.66

$12.07 $12.07

-15.16%

Cappuccino

$2.93 TOP 7.05

$5.55 $5.55

-47.21%

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

$2.79 TOP 6.72

$2.67 $2.67

4.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 TOP 6.07

$2.09 $2.09

20.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 TOP 7.76

$5.96 $5.96

-45.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 TOP 12.26

$7.76 $7.76

-34.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 TOP 3.67

$1.05 $1.05

45.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.44

$3.55 $3.55

-71.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 TOP 4.90

$4.64 $4.64

-56.03%

Eggs

$5.16 TOP 12.44

$4.18 $4.18

23.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 TOP 21.45

$12.76 $12.76

-30.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.85 TOP 14.10

$12.63 $12.63

-53.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 TOP 18.21

$17.22 $17.22

-56.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 TOP 6.58

$5.15 $5.15

-46.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 TOP 6.52

$1.64 $1.64

65.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 TOP 6.81

$4.46 $4.46

-36.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 TOP 9.22

$4.98 $4.98

-23.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 TOP 7.48

$2.84 $2.84

9.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 TOP 6.40

$3.09 $3.09

-13.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 TOP 5.45

$2.19 $2.19

3.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.24

$2.27 $2.27

-40.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.31 TOP 24.84

$10.61 $10.61

-2.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.99 TOP 40.94

$14.71 $14.71

15.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.15 TOP 7.60

$2.10 $2.10

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 TOP 8.12

$3.82 $3.82

-11.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 TOP 4.91

$2.35 $2.35

-13.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.75 TOP 101

$64.1 $64.1

-34.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 TOP 4.94

$3.57 $3.57

-42.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 TOP 5.09

$1.85 $1.85

14.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.87 TOP 101

$30.19 $30.19

38.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 TOP 3.57

$1.07 $1.07

38.32%

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

$5,815 TOP 14.0K

$35.3K $35.3K

-83.52%

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

$8,165 TOP 19.7K

$25.9K $25.9K

-68.47%

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

$186 TOP 448

$217 $217

-14.11%

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

$21.76 TOP 52.4

$61.4 $61.4

-64.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$124 TOP 299

$74.4 $74.4

66.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.75 TOP 74.1

$45.08 $45.08

-31.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.12 TOP 99.1

$23.07 $23.07

78.24%

Cinema Ticket

$42.25 TOP 102

$14.79 $14.79

185.67%

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

$156 TOP 377

$1,480 $1,480

-89.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$248 TOP 596

$25.5K $25.5K

-99.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.49 TOP 34.92

$53.0 $53.0

-72.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.69 TOP 42.60

$42.75 $42.75

-58.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$21.07 TOP 50.8

$94.3 $94.3

-77.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.61 TOP 71.3

$115 $115

-74.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 TOP 1,510

$1,678 $1,678

-62.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.1 TOP 121

$1,313 $1,313

-96.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 TOP 2,038

$2,649 $2,649

-68.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 TOP 1,406

$2,183 $2,183

-73.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$415 TOP 1,000

$3,374 $3,374

-87.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$244 TOP 589

$2,661 $2,661

-90.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 TOP 1,619

$4,404 $4,404

-84.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

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

Last update for Tonga: October 12, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tonga

$332 31.1%

United States

$352 13% 6.2% $21

Groceries & Markets

Tonga

$290 27.1%

United States

$411 15.2% 41.9% $121

Eating Out

Tonga

$181 16.9%

United States

$327 12.1% 80.7% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Tonga

$115 10.8%

United States

$75 2.8% 35.2% $41

Getting Around

Tonga

$63 5.9%

United States

$86 3.2% 38% $24

Accommodation & Living

Tonga

$50 4.7%

United States

$1.3K 48.6% 2520% $1.3K

Clothing & Footwear

Tonga

$37 3.5%

United States

$137 5.1% 269% $100

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $207 in Tonga, $1,609 in the United States. Capital cities: $622 in Nuku'alofa vs $2,730 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $680 in Tonga, $4,533 in the United States. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 677% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 257% more in the United States.

Public transport is 93% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are 567% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇹🇴 Tonga

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

04:41 4:41 AM

17 h behind Tonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,020

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TOP = 0.415 USD

1 TOP = 0.369 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.41 TOP (1 TOP = 0.415 USD). 1 EUR = 2.71 TOP (1 TOP = 0.369 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to TOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tonga United States 11,200 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tonga
United States

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 United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,067 per month in Tonga and $2,701 in the United States, there's a 153% 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 $1,609 in the United States 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 the United States 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 United States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.