Cost of living comparison
compared to
Tonga vs. Costa Rica Cost of Living Summary
Tonga is 3.5% more expensive than Costa Rica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.0% more in Tonga
- Groceries
-
pay 7.6% more in Tonga
- Transportation
-
pay 22.0% less in Tonga
- Housing
-
pay 85.2% more in Tonga
- Childcare
-
pay 83.5% less in Tonga
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 86.0% more in Tonga
- Clothing
-
pay 71.5% less in Tonga
The cost of entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and groceries in Tonga are more expensive than in Costa Rica. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and transportation are lower in Tonga. Notably, entertainment and sports and housing are significantly more expensive in Tonga.
Tonga vs. Costa Rica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Tonga instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 23.0% more for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.77
CRC4,857.39
|
$8.31
TOP20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
CRC4,739.57
|
$10.38
TOP25.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CRC995.21
|
$2.84
TOP6.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
CRC781.41
|
$2.46
TOP5.92
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Tonga - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.6% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
CRC1,262.79
|
$1.04
TOP2.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
CRC2,237.94
|
$4.50
TOP10.83
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.52
CRC3,740.34
|
$5.92
TOP14.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
CRC1,389.74
|
$5.09
TOP12.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.83
CRC1,902.77
|
$2.67
TOP6.43
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CRC886.81
|
$1.26
TOP3.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC305.74
|
$1.26
TOP3.02
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.65
CRC819.01
|
$1.32
TOP3.18
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
CRC617.46
|
$1.70
TOP4.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
CRC635.24
|
$1.44
TOP3.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CRC547.12
|
$1.19
TOP2.87
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Tonga - Cost of groceries
pay 22.0% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.47
CRC2,719.23
|
$5.50
TOP13.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.59
CRC27,137.81
|
$41.53
TOP100.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,444.91
CRC18,117,972.89
|
$5,814.53
TOP14,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
CRC7,794.48
|
$18.69
TOP45.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Tonga - Cost of transportation
pay 85.2% more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.17
CRC24,446.08
|
$124.60
TOP300.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$805.28
CRC400,329.95
|
$622.99
TOP1,500.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.89
CRC276,349.98
|
?? | |
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.57
CRC31,602.67
|
$142.92
TOP344.12
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Tonga - Cost of housing
pay 83.5% less for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$517.09
CRC257,060.35
|
$157.82
TOP380.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,552.94
CRC4,749,083.93
|
$249.19
TOP600.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Tonga - Cost of childcare
pay 86.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.59
CRC1,285.81
|
$3.32
TOP8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.84
CRC1,908.38
|
$2.91
TOP7.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.70
CRC2,336.25
|
$10.18
TOP24.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.68
CRC29,171.56
|
$31.15
TOP75.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.11
CRC4,527.37
|
$41.53
TOP100.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Tonga - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 71.5% less for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.22
CRC28,941.22
|
$14.54
TOP35.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.70
CRC22,222.99
|
$17.65
TOP42.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.79
CRC56,072.28
|
$20.77
TOP50.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.41
CRC46,435.67
|
$29.07
TOP70.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Tonga - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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