Cost of living comparison

 Nuku'alofa, Tonga
compared to
 Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu vs. Nuku'alofa Cost of Living Summary

Kathmandu is 87.2% more expensive than Nuku'alofa.

Restaurants
pay 72.2% less in Kathmandu
Groceries
pay 53.0% less in Kathmandu
Transportation
pay 72.6% more in Kathmandu
Housing
pay 86.7% less in Kathmandu
Childcare
pay 7.2 times more in Kathmandu
Entertainment and Sports
pay 51.7% less in Kathmandu
Clothing
pay 2.8 times more in Kathmandu

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

pay 72.2% less for restaurants

 
Nuku'alofa
Kathmandu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.40
TOP20.23
$1.47
NPR201.60
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.50
TOP25.29
$7.36
NPR1,007.01
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.66
TOP6.41
$0.46
NPR62.42

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pay 53.0% less for groceries

 
Nuku'alofa
Kathmandu
Bread
1 loaf
$1.05
TOP2.53
$0.57
NPR77.45
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.55
TOP10.96
$4.70
NPR642.68
Milk (1 gallon) $5.99
TOP14.42
$3.17
NPR434.23

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pay 72.6% more for transportation

 
Nuku'alofa
Kathmandu
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.57
TOP13.40
$4.85
NPR664.22
Monthly public transit pass $42.01
TOP101.15
$9.94
NPR1,360.82
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $5,881.34
TOP14,160.85
$33,138.99
NPR4,536,069.77

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pay 86.7% less for housing

 
Nuku'alofa
Kathmandu
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$126.03
TOP303.45
$10.42
NPR1,426.73
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area ?? $191.60
NPR26,226.88
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center ?? $102.03
NPR13,965.21

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pay 7.2 times more for childcare

 
Nuku'alofa
Kathmandu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $159.64
TOP384.37
$91.89
NPR12,577.28
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $252.06
TOP606.89
$3,479.59
NPR476,287.33

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pay 51.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
Nuku'alofa
Kathmandu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.36
TOP8.09
$2.58
NPR352.81
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.94
TOP7.08
$1.66
NPR227.19
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$10.29
TOP24.78
$2.95
NPR403.21

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pay 2.8 times more for clothing

 
Nuku'alofa
Kathmandu
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$4.20
TOP10.11
$24.02
NPR3,287.68
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$17.85
TOP42.99
$31.19
NPR4,269.24
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$21.00
TOP50.57
$53.29
NPR7,294.85

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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: June 2025
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See the cost of living in Tonga vs. Nepal. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Tonga and Nepal.

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