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: $343 in Tonga versus $3,269 in Vanuatu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $624 in Tonga versus $3,269 in Vanuatu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $904 in Tonga versus $3,269 in Vanuatu.

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

Tonga (75% below) and Vanuatu (138% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 TOP 19.58

$12.50 VUV 1,437

-33.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 TOP 147

$57.3 VUV 6,581

9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 TOP 24.65

$14.55 VUV 1,673

-27.56%

Cappuccino

$2.88 TOP 6.73

$4.09 VUV 471

-29.58%

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

$2.76 TOP 6.46

$2.32 VUV 266

18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 TOP 5.87

$2.34 VUV 268

7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 TOP 7.86

$5.18 VUV 596

-35.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 TOP 11.50

$7.00 VUV 804

-29.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 TOP 3.55

$3.08 VUV 354

-50.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 TOP 2.48

$2.54 VUV 292

-58.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 TOP 4.71

$3.78 VUV 434

-46.83%

Eggs

$5.02 TOP 11.74

$5.93 VUV 681

-15.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 TOP 21.48

$16.13 VUV 1,855

-43.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 TOP 13.53

$16.01 VUV 1,841

-63.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 TOP 18.18

$13.41 VUV 1,541

-42.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 TOP 6.53

$6.77 VUV 778

-58.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 TOP 6.40

$2.05 VUV 236

33.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 TOP 6.86

$3.95 VUV 454

-25.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 TOP 8.68

$9.86 VUV 1,134

-62.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 TOP 7.51

$8.96 VUV 1,030

-64.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 TOP 6.21

$4.34 VUV 499

-38.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 TOP 5.30

$2.51 VUV 289

-9.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 TOP 3.14

$1.17 VUV 135

14.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.22 TOP 23.90

$10.09 VUV 1,160

1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.26 TOP 40.37

$12.56 VUV 1,444

37.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 TOP 7.33

$2.89 VUV 332

8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 TOP 7.79

$3.04 VUV 349

9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 TOP 4.97

$1.24 VUV 143

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 TOP 98.1

$67.3 VUV 7,733

-37.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 TOP 4.97

$2.56 VUV 294

-16.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 TOP 4.77

$0.86 VUV 98.5

137.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.88 TOP 98.0

$4.98 VUV 572

740.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 TOP 3.43

$1.84 VUV 212

-20.11%

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

$5,746 TOP 13.4K

$23.0K VUV 2.6M

-75.06%

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

$8,208 TOP 19.2K

$37.8K VUV 4.3M

-78.27%

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

$186 TOP 435

$637 VUV 73.2K

-70.78%

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

$22.04 TOP 51.5

$22.66 VUV 2,605

-2.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 TOP 295

$366 VUV 42.1K

-65.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.74 TOP 71.9

$68.2 VUV 7,839

-54.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 TOP 99.0

$16.79 VUV 1,930

152.05%

Cinema Ticket

$41.23 TOP 96.4

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

$159 TOP 371

$630 VUV 72.4K

-74.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$251 TOP 587

$6,900 VUV 793.2K

-96.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.35 TOP 33.57

$41.61 VUV 4,783

-65.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.50 TOP 40.94

$66.5 VUV 7,644

-73.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$20.74 TOP 48.52

$83.3 VUV 9,573

-75.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.69 TOP 67.1

$100 VUV 11.5K

-71.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 TOP 1,444

$1,604 VUV 184.4K

-61.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.2 TOP 117

$1,206 VUV 138.6K

-95.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 TOP 1,925

$3,352 VUV 385.4K

-75.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 TOP 1,368

$1,893 VUV 217.7K

-69.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$422 TOP 987

$6,133 VUV 705.0K

-93.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$247 TOP 578

$2,314 VUV 266.1K

-89.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$668 TOP 1,563

$343 VUV 39.4K

95.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

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

Last update for Tonga: September 1, 2026

Last update for Vanuatu: September 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $208 in Tonga, $778 in Vanuatu. Capital cities: $624 in Nuku'alofa vs $1,556 in Port Vila.

National salary averages: $682 in Tonga, $497 in Vanuatu. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 274% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 38% more in Vanuatu.

Public transport is 143% 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 $515 per month in Tonga and $3,269 in Vanuatu, there's a 535% 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, $1,000 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.