Cost of living comparison
compared to
Tonga vs. Thailand Cost of Living Summary
Tonga is 21.1% more expensive than Thailand overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.6 times more in Tonga
- Groceries
-
pay 41.1% more in Tonga
- Transportation
-
pay 28.9% less in Tonga
- Housing
-
pay 92.0% more in Tonga
- Childcare
-
pay 91.9% less in Tonga
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 85.8% more in Tonga
- Clothing
-
pay 64.2% less in Tonga
The cost of restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Tonga are more expensive than in Thailand. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and transportation are lower in Tonga. Notably, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Tonga.
Tonga vs. Thailand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Tonga instead of Thailand, you would:
pay 2.6 times more for restaurants
|
Thailand
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.89
THB96.05
|
$8.31
TOP20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.99
THB232.42
|
$10.38
TOP25.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.75
THB24.81
|
$2.84
TOP6.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.37
THB12.19
|
$2.46
TOP5.92
|
|
Thailand vs. Tonga - Cost of restaurants
pay 41.1% more for groceries
|
Thailand
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.34
THB44.43
|
$1.04
TOP2.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.95
THB264.36
|
$4.50
TOP10.83
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.12
THB236.74
|
$5.92
TOP14.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.06
THB68.55
|
$5.09
TOP12.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.37
THB45.52
|
$2.67
TOP6.43
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.35
THB44.98
|
$1.26
TOP3.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.57
THB18.99
|
$1.26
TOP3.02
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.93
THB31.07
|
$1.32
TOP3.18
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.82
THB27.38
|
$1.70
TOP4.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
THB24.01
|
$1.44
TOP3.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.57
THB18.88
|
$1.19
TOP2.87
|
|
Thailand vs. Tonga - Cost of groceries
pay 28.9% less for transportation
|
Thailand
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.07
THB168.49
|
$5.50
TOP13.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$32.87
THB1,093.53
|
$41.53
TOP100.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,201.01
THB971K
|
$5,814.53
TOP14,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.77
THB358.41
|
$18.69
TOP45.00
|
|
Thailand vs. Tonga - Cost of transportation
pay 92.0% more for housing
|
Thailand
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$19.17
THB637.71
|
$124.60
TOP300.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$407.64
THB13,560.34
|
$622.99
TOP1,500.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$268.13
THB8,919.39
|
?? | |
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$60.86
THB2,024.59
|
$142.92
TOP344.12
|
|
Thailand vs. Tonga - Cost of housing
pay 91.9% less for childcare
|
Thailand
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$515.68
THB17,154.28
|
$157.82
TOP380.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,528.28
THB383K
|
$249.19
TOP600.00
|
|
Thailand vs. Tonga - Cost of childcare
pay 85.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Thailand
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.10
THB69.86
|
$3.32
TOP8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.00
THB66.47
|
$2.91
TOP7.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.15
THB138.07
|
$10.18
TOP24.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.07
THB1,665.52
|
$31.15
TOP75.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.05
THB201.30
|
$41.53
TOP100.00
|
|
Thailand vs. Tonga - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 64.2% less for clothing
|
Thailand
|
Tonga
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.30
THB1,473.73
|
$14.54
TOP35.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.84
THB1,092.57
|
$17.65
TOP42.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.65
THB2,782.57
|
$20.77
TOP50.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.91
THB2,591.55
|
$29.07
TOP70.00
|
|
Thailand vs. Tonga - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Thailand vs. Tonga
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Tonga?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 19 statistics
Be 3.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line in Tonga
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Thailand is about 687 times bigger than Tonga.
→
Moving from Thailand to Tonga · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Tonga or Thailand. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.