Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kathmandu vs. Nuku'alofa Cost of Living Summary

Kathmandu is 63.2% more expensive than Nuku'alofa.

Restaurants: pay 72.9% less in Kathmandu
Groceries: pay 54.1% less in Kathmandu
Transportation: pay 81.4% more in Kathmandu
Housing: pay 82.6% less in Kathmandu
Childcare: pay 6.4 times more in Kathmandu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 50.9% less in Kathmandu
Clothing: pay 77.0% more in Kathmandu

The cost of childcare, transportation, and clothing in Kathmandu are more expensive than in Nuku'alofa. Expenses including housing, restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Kathmandu. Notably, childcare, transportation, and clothing are significantly more expensive in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu vs. Nuku'alofa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kathmandu instead of Nuku'alofa, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 72.9% less for restaurants

	Nuku'alofa	Kathmandu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.31 TOP20.00	$1.76 NPR254.54	-78.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$10.38 TOP25.00	$6.34 NPR916.35	-38.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.84 TOP6.83	$0.54 NPR78.31	-80.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.46 TOP5.92	$0.17 NPR24.59	-93.1%
Average			-72.9%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kathmandu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 54.1% less for groceries

	Nuku'alofa	Kathmandu
Bread 1 loaf	$1.04 TOP2.50	$0.55 NPR79.23	-47.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.50 TOP10.83	$4.49 NPR649.35	-0.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.92 TOP14.26	$3.16 NPR455.98	-46.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.09 TOP12.27	$1.77 NPR255.38	-65.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.67 TOP6.43	$1.40 NPR202.59	-47.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.26 TOP3.02	$0.97 NPR140.65	-22.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.26 TOP3.02	$0.45 NPR65.46	-63.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.32 TOP3.18	$0.54 NPR78.42	-58.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.70 TOP4.08	$0.30 NPR43.43	-82.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.44 TOP3.48	$0.22 NPR31.59	-84.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.19 TOP2.87	$0.29 NPR42.12	-75.6%
Average			-54.1%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kathmandu - Cost of groceries

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pay 81.4% more for transportation

	Nuku'alofa	Kathmandu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.50 TOP13.25	$4.57 NPR660.19	-17.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$41.53 TOP100.00	$10.57 NPR1,527.26	-74.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$5,814.53 TOP14,000.00	$31,715.30 NPR4,581,768.84	+445.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$18.69 TOP45.00	$13.39 NPR1,934.52	-28.4%
Average			+81.4%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kathmandu - Cost of transportation

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pay 82.6% less for housing

	Nuku'alofa	Kathmandu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$124.60 TOP300.00	$8.25 NPR1,191.72	-93.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$622.99 TOP1,500.00	$179.99 NPR26,001.64	-71.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	??	$93.92 NPR13,568.23
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$142.92 TOP344.12	$23.92 NPR3,455.04	-83.3%
Average			-82.6%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kathmandu - Cost of housing

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pay 6.4 times more for childcare

	Nuku'alofa	Kathmandu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$157.82 TOP380.00	$80.28 NPR11,598.29	-49.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$249.19 TOP600.00	$3,085.67 NPR445,773.71	+1138.3%
Average			+544.6%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kathmandu - Cost of childcare

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pay 50.9% less for entertainment and sports

	Nuku'alofa	Kathmandu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.32 TOP8.00	$2.61 NPR376.72	-21.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.91 TOP7.00	$1.78 NPR257.75	-38.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$10.18 TOP24.50	$2.82 NPR407.27	-72.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$31.15 TOP75.00	$21.82 NPR3,152.41	-29.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$41.53 TOP100.00	$3.17 NPR458.18	-92.4%
Average			-50.9%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kathmandu - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 77.0% more for clothing

	Nuku'alofa	Kathmandu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$14.54 TOP35.00	$22.91 NPR3,309.06	+57.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$17.65 TOP42.50	$26.63 NPR3,846.42	+50.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$20.77 TOP50.00	$56.89 NPR8,218.09	+173.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$29.07 TOP70.00	$36.56 NPR5,281.76	+25.8%
Average			+77.0%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kathmandu - Cost of clothing

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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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