Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Vanuatu Cost of Living Comparison Between Tonga and Vanuatu

Name: Vanuatu
Address: VU

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $332 in Tonga versus $3,224 in Vanuatu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $611 in Tonga versus $3,154 in Vanuatu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $890 in Tonga versus $3,083 in Vanuatu.

Living in Tonga costs about 90% less than in Vanuatu on average.

Tonga (75% below) and Vanuatu (141% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 TOP 19.48

$11.39 VUV 1,325

-27.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 TOP 148

$64.3 VUV 7,490

-2.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 TOP 24.58

$9.58 VUV 1,115

8.87%

Cappuccino

$2.94 TOP 6.94

$5.10 VUV 594

-42.35%

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

$2.90 TOP 6.85

$2.13 VUV 248

36.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 TOP 5.64

$1.71 VUV 199

39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 TOP 7.67

$4.51 VUV 525

-27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 TOP 11.53

$4.11 VUV 478

18.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 TOP 3.78

$2.45 VUV 285

-34.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 TOP 2.39

$2.73 VUV 318

-63.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 TOP 4.73

$3.73 VUV 435

-46.11%

Eggs

$4.96 TOP 11.70

$5.14 VUV 598

-3.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.17 TOP 21.61

$20.00 VUV 2,329

-54.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 TOP 13.81

$16.59 VUV 1,932

-64.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 TOP 18.14

$16.76 VUV 1,951

-54.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 TOP 6.37

$4.71 VUV 549

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 TOP 6.72

$2.78 VUV 323

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 TOP 6.66

$5.50 VUV 641

-48.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 TOP 8.55

$3.33 VUV 388

9.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 TOP 7.32

$5.17 VUV 602

-39.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 TOP 6.23

$2.82 VUV 328

-6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 TOP 5.13

$2.51 VUV 292

-13.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.17

$1.32 VUV 154

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.29 TOP 24.27

$9.56 VUV 1,113

7.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.71 TOP 39.39

$14.82 VUV 1,725

12.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 TOP 7.46

$3.28 VUV 382

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 TOP 7.62

$2.93 VUV 341

10.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 TOP 4.93

$1.71 VUV 199

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.83 TOP 96.3

$68.1 VUV 7,929

-40.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 TOP 4.94

$2.15 VUV 250

-2.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 VUV 94.9

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 TOP 99.5

$4.99 VUV 581

745.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.47

$1.94 VUV 226

-24.23%

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

$5,872 TOP 13.8K

$23.0K VUV 2.7M

-74.52%

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

$8,160 TOP 19.2K

$38.5K VUV 4.5M

-78.83%

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

$188 TOP 443

$545 VUV 63.5K

-65.53%

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

$21.84 TOP 51.5

$25.05 VUV 2,916

-12.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$127 TOP 299

$232 VUV 27.0K

-45.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.87 TOP 72.8

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.29 TOP 99.7

$17.11 VUV 1,992

147.17%

Cinema Ticket

$40.85 TOP 96.3

$12.77 VUV 1,486

219.89%

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

$156 TOP 369

$626 VUV 72.8K

-74.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$247 TOP 581

$6,974 VUV 811.8K

-96.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.66 TOP 34.57

$46.39 VUV 5,400

-68.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.94 TOP 42.29

$68.0 VUV 7,910

-73.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.72 TOP 48.85

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.94 TOP 68.2

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 TOP 1,448

$1,896 VUV 220.7K

-67.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.6 TOP 119

$1,808 VUV 210.4K

-97.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 TOP 1,967

$3,414 VUV 397.4K

-75.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 TOP 1,363

$2,096 VUV 244.0K

-72.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$417 TOP 983

$6,075 VUV 707.2K

-93.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$251 TOP 591

$2,207 VUV 256.9K

-88.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 TOP 1,627

$336 VUV 39.1K

105.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Tonga: July 22, 2026

Last update for Vanuatu: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $210 in Tonga, $942 in Vanuatu. Capital cities: $629 in Nuku'alofa vs $1,885 in Port Vila.

National salary averages: $669 in Tonga, $490 in Vanuatu. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 349% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 52% more in Vanuatu.

Public transport is 136% more expensive in Vanuatu.

Salaries are 37% higher in Tonga, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Tonga.

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 Vanuatu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $499 per month in Tonga and $3,224 in Vanuatu, there's a 547% 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 Vanuatu 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, $800 covers most cities easily; in Vanuatu 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; Vanuatu may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.